Pete Werner reportedly drawing first-round grades from NFL teams as draft approaches

Pete Werner was Ohio State’s leading tackler in 2020, and the versatile linebacker may be one name to watch as the NFL Draft gets kicked off Thursday night.

According to Jim Nagy, a former NFL scout who is the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, Werner is one player that has been underrated in this year’s draft class. Werner’s ability to cover receivers and stay on the field for three downs are things Nagy believes could have Werner flying up draft boards with some teams reportedly rating the linebacker as a late first-round selection.

“Pete Werner, maybe the most underrated off-the-ball linebacker in this year’s class,” said Nagy according to 247 Sports. “Extremely versatile, can cover, stay on the field all three downs. Talking to teams, there’s a lot of teams that have him in the late first round for someone in that 20-32 range. Would not surprise me one bit if Pete Werner ends up going on Thursday night.”

Werner played four seasons for the Buckeyes, accumulating 185 total tackles with 16 for loss and four sacks. He led the team with 54 tackles in the eight-game 2020 season and also has 13 passes defended and four forced fumbles in his career.

It will be interesting to see if any team likes Werner enough to take a chance on him in the first round. This year’s NFL Draft gets started Thursday evening with coverage starting at 8 pm EST on ESPN.