LB Andrew Van Ginkel, Wisconsin

6’4” – 241 lbs. – N/A
Originally attended South Dakota, where he redshirted in 2014 before starting all eleven games at defensive end the following season, recording 56-18.5-9.0. Spent the following season at Iowa Western, going 50-13.0-3.5 before transferring to Wisconsin, concluding his collegiate career with seasons of 39-10.0-6.5 and 59-9.5.5-5. Has a little bit of a linear frame and could use some more development in his lower body, but offers good height and long arms. Takes most of his snaps close to the line of scrimmage as more of an edge defender out of a two-point stance, but can play off the line when an opposing receiver lines up in the slot on his size of the field. Pretty patient when defending the run, with the type of size and length to lock out blockers and stack-and-shed; good discipline when setting the edge and playing on the backside. Has enough speed to chase down ballcarriers from behind or pursue them out to the sidelines. Length gives him an impressive tackling radius, with above-average closing burst. Doesn’t always get full extension with his arms and isn’t a major threat to walk back opposing linemen and reset the line of scrimmage. Had some production as a pass-rusher in college but doesn’t have a lot of refinement or variety when going after the quarterback; the physical and athletic tools are there but hasn’t developed a deep repertoire of moves to beat opponents and make his way into the backfield. At this point, is most effective when using his short-area quickness to try and penetrate with inside moves. Struggles to bend tightly and is often run too deep. Has the athletic ability to drop into coverage as well, with the capability to make spot drops and read the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage. Movements can look a little bit sloppy/uncoordinated at times but compensates for it with raw athleticism. Could potentially work against some tight ends in man coverage but didn’t see that on tape. A better athlete than a finished product at this point, but has a lot of the tools teams look for in a linebacker/edge defender and comes from a school known for producing high-quality linebackers. May not be quite impressive enough to guarantee a second-day selection in this year’s draft, but it also wouldn’t be too surprising if a team decided to roll the dice on him a little bit earlier than anticipated.