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| Ben Bartch moved from tight end to offensive line before the 2018 season and his career has been on the rise ever since. Photo by Caleb Williams, d3photography.com |
St. John’s tackle Ben Bartch, a first-team selection to the 2019 D3football.com All-America team, is the only Division III player to be invited to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, according to the list of names the NFL released this week.
Bartch, listed at 6-6 and 308 pounds, made a huge impression on scouts at the Senior Bowl, where he more than held his own against players from Division I schools.
D-III vs. SEC. Here is @SJUFootball OL Ben Bartch’s first 1-on-1 rep of the @seniorbowl against @AlabamaFTBL EDGE Terrell Lewis, a potential first-round pick. Bartch moved up multiple rounds in Mobile last week. The stage wasn’t too big for Bartch. ��#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/qqhX27T6ph
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) January 28, 2020
ICYMI: Justin Herbert rises to the occasion. Division III prospect has @NFL scouts buzzing. In-demand tight end says the #Bears are showing him interest.@seniorbowl Day 2 wrap-up: https://t.co/9kIEC3TRsJ (via @LanceZierlein + @ChaseGoodbread) pic.twitter.com/R05x06Yx89
— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) January 23, 2020
No Division III football players have been selected in the NFL draft since 2015, when Hobart offensive lineman Ali Marpet was taken in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, multiple Division III alumni have made it to the NFL since then without being drafted.
The Combine runs from Feb. 23-March 2, in Indianapolis. The NFL Draft runs from April 23-25.