Witt Is On NFL Radar; Could He Be 'On The Clock'?
Click the AUDIO button to hear the full RRN interview with Jake Witt.
GREEN BAY---All of a sudden, things just got real for Jake Witt. And real fast.
The Ewen-Trout Creek High School and Northern Michigan University product is turning heads as the National Football League draft approaches, and what may have been a long-shot dream just a few months ago has now become a plausible reality.
After posting outstanding numbers at the Pro Day workouts earlier this month at Central Michigan University, the 6-foot-7, 300-pound Witt has been on the phone, and on the airplane visiting, NFL teams. Everyone, these days, needs offensive linemen.
And Witt's cell phone keeps on ringing.
“Tested extremely well, and I had a good showing with my position work as well,” Witt said in an interview with RRN Sports Friday afternoon at Green Bay's Lambeau Field. “That gathered a lot of scout interest. Since then, I've talked to over 25 teams, flew out to Denver for a visit with the Broncos, and I'll be flying out for two more visits next week. It's blown up tremendously just from that Pro Day showing.”
The numbers don't lie. A 4.89 seconds in the 40-yard dash (he ran an even faster one back in February). A 37-inch vertical leap. A 9.79 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) out of a possible ten.
By comparison, last year, the University of Wyoming linebacker Chad Muma scored a 9.79 at a pre-draft combine. He ended up being a third round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So, Witt's numbers are not too shabby bad for a kid who played only two years of eight-man high school football in Ontonagon County, and who didn't even go to college for football. He initially went to Michigan Tech University for basketball before doing a 180 and transferring to Northern Michigan, where he had two strong years on the gridiron for the Wildcats.
When he declared for the Draft back on December 8th, it was almost as a “why not, what do I have to lose” moment. But in the four months since, with constant workouts at Dustin Brancheau's AdvantEdge Training in Marquette, Witt has grown stronger. And more confident.
“I knew I could meet those testing numbers,” Witt said. “But I had no idea that those numbers would draw that many eyes. I mean, I was confident in my ability. But when I started getting call after call, that was all unexpected. The fact that I came from a small high school, a smaller university, that's not a barrier, evidently, because a lot of teams are interested. That's what I'm the most proud of. Not any specific athletic test or drill.”
Quite the whirlwind for Witt, who wasn't even a lineman at Northern to begin with. He was a tight end, but had to step in due to injries on the line that year.
But he was determined to give it a shot.
“I had people surrounding me who gave me the confidence, telling me that I can play at the next level,” Witt said. “I wanted to give it everything I had. I have nothing to lose. I didn't want to look back 20 years from now and think, 'I didn't give it everything I had'.”
Witt says the visit went well with the Denver Broncos. He says the first stop was the Orthopedic Medical Center, after the Broncos driver picked him up at the airport. After some “in-depth medical testing', and doing X-Rays on his previous childhood injuries, it was off to the Family Medicine Center, where blood work was done.
“All of that was to make sure you're green-lighted by the NFL physically,” Witt said. “All of the prospects get that.”
Then, Witt says he was taken to the training facility, where he met with the Broncos coaching staff and had a conversation with the team's general manager.
“They toured me around,” Witt said. “I saw the strength facilities, the training facilities, the locker room, the players' lounge, all the meeting offices. Spoke with the general manager for a half-hour, met with the Offensive Line Coach and assistant O-Line Coach for an hour and a half. We just talked football, and we talked scheme.”
After a not-so-good-night sleep that was more like a nap, Witt was back up at 6 am to fly back to the Upper Peninsula. He stopped in Green Bay for the interview with RRN, at Lambeau, the home of his favorite team growing up, before heading home.
With two more NFL visits scheduled for next week, that flurry of activity will likely repeat itself in different cities.
And it might not be just those two, either.
“They come so quick, and so unexpectedly,” Witt said. “I was sitting at Culver's (in Marquette) at 8 pm and the Broncos called and said, 'we're going to fly you out here. Tomorrow.'"
"It can happen at any time. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a couple more on top of those two.”
And now, just a few years after he was at the top of his academic class at tiny Ewen-Trout Creek High School (and at the top of the backboard on the basketball court), Witt's name is getting mentioned more and more in NFL circles. He still may not hear his name called on Draft Day, but it's a lot more likely now than it was even one week ago.
“It would be tremendous,” Witt said. “It's something that everyone dreams about, being drafted into a professional sports program. Surrounding myself with a great team, great family, great friends. All of them motivating me, just to see this all culminate into me being drafted, it would be one of the happiest moments of my life.”
A long shot? Maybe. But, then again...
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