Bernhard Raimann NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Indianapolis Colts’ OT

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HEIGHT: 6’6 1/8″

WEIGHT: 303

HAND: 10 1/4″

ARM: 32 7/8″

WINGSPAN: 6’8 1/8″

40-YARD DASH: 5.05

3-CONE: 7.46

SHUTTLE: 4.49

VERTICAL: 30.5″

BROAD: 9’9″

POSITIVES

— Very good athletic ability, body control and weight distribution to stay centered and balanced on blocks.

— Adept and crafty use of hands to consistently find his latch, create leverage, reset when needed and tie up defenders.

— Plays firm with his eyes up, head back and a strong posture to keep his head out of blocks.

— Despite not having a lot of sand in his lower half, he smoothly transitions to his anchor with sound technique to brace, create force through the in-steps of his feet and throttle down momentum from the bull rush.

— Sticky run-blocker with the hand placement and pop to create lift at the point of attack and consistent leg drive to strain, steer and stay attached to blocks.

— Dependable and steady finisher.

NEGATIVES

— Tends to prematurely open his hips in pass protection when speed-rushers attack his edge, creating a soft outside corner.

— Lacks the girth and weight in his lower half to drop an immediate anchor when needed.

— Can be late to strike near the top of the quarterback’s drop, leaving his outside hand vulnerable to getting chopped or swiped.

— Pads tend to rise in the “drive” portion of angle-drive blocks, giving defenders an opportunity to access his frame and shed him off.

— Has middling arm length that can become an issue against certain NFL body types.

2021 STATISTICS

— 12 starts at left tackle

— First team All-MAC selection

NOTES

— Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, before becoming a foreign exchange student his junior year of high school (2016) in Michigan. This led to a 2-star rating as a tight end recruit and an offer from Central Michigan.

— Raimann returned to Austria for his senior year of high school, served six months in the military and didn’t play football in 2017. He returned to the U.S. in 2018 and went on to play two seasons (11 starts) at tight end for Central Michigan before making the switch to offensive line at 245 pounds.

— 18 career starts at left tackle.

— Has a 3.8 GPA as an Actuarial Science & Statistics double major.

— Selected to Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List.”

— Will be 25 years old in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season.

OVERALL

Raimann is a two-year starter in Central Michigan’s spread, zone-based scheme with 18 career starts at left tackle. Despite being an older prospect, he is still very new to football and even newer to playing on the offensive line.

Raimann is surprisingly polished, with an uncanny knack for staying attached to blocks using skilled, strong hands. He also has excellent body control and weight distribution to recover and maintain his center of gravity.

Raimann understands how to sustain and steer in the run game and cut grass in his anchor despite not having a lot of power or weight to throw around. He is also a dependable and reliable finisher who runs his feet through the whistle.

While Raimann needs to continue working on staying square longer in his pass set to avoid creating a short corner against wider rush angles, he has the necessary foot quickness, balance and dexterity to work around it, recover and be a functional pass protector right away and a plus pass protector if he can correct it.

Overall, Raimann’s age and inexperience are unique and present a bit of a conundrum for how to value his long-term outlook. On one hand, he is going to be 25 years old as a rookie, which theoretically gives him less time for peak play. On the other hand, he has a longer runway for improvement than other rookies due to how new he is to football and the offensive line.

Given how rapidly he has improved in such a short amount of time and how skilled he already is, the optimistic view seems like a safe bet. Raimann’s athletic ability, body control, balance and competitive toughness make him an immediate starter with the toolkit to improve over time.

GRADE: 8.0 (Year 1 Starter – Late 1st-2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 28

POSITION RANK: OT4

PRO COMPARISON: Jake Matthews

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn