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Former D3 offensive lineman gets selected in 4th round of 2020 NFL Draft
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Ben Bartch didn’t play Division I football, but he still made the most of his opportunity at the Division III level.
Bartch, an offensive tackle out of St. John’s University Minnesota, was selected early in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. He was taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 116th pick. He’s one of the few Division III players who has ever been selected in the history of the draft.
To start his career, Bartch was a tight end at St. John’s and proved to be a dynamic playmaker at that level. But instead of continuing his career at that position, he decided to bulk up and move to the offensive line. The result is now a future in the NFL.
Bartch brings NFL size to Jacksonville, standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 305 pounds. He had a unique diet to help add extra pounds while in college, drinking a morning smoothie that consisted of seven eggs, cottage cheese, grits, peanut butter, bananas and Gatorade.
Maybe it wasn’t the best-tasting smoothie, but it helped him add the weight and resulted in a fourth-round selection in this year’s draft.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB