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Division III OL picked in third round of NFL Draft, goes Top 100 overall
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It’s not all that common to see a Division III football player selected at any point of the NFL Draft. On Friday night, though, Wisconsin-Whitewater offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz heard his name called.
With the No. 98 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos picked Meinerz. He was the first player from Wisconsin-Whitewater taken in the draft since receiver Derek Stanley was selected by the Rams in 2007 (seventh round).
“He did kill people,” Mel Kiper Jr. said on ESPN. “And if you’re going to play in the NFL, you better dominate. And this kid did.
“He will be a center-guard option in the NFL. You look at the way he played, heavy punch. The alertness to pick up stunts I love. Run blocker, he drives defenders off the ball.”
Meinerz picked up steam as a potential high draft selection after performing well at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. There, he had the opportunity to show what he could do against players from some of the elite-level programs in college football.
Clearly, Denver liked what it saw from Meinerz throughout his career with Wisconsin-Whitewater and at the Senior Bowl.
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