A former walk-on tight end at North Dakota State, Cody Mauch has made an incredible transition into one of the better offensive line prospects in the 2023 draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Bison blocker:
Vitals
Height: 6-5
Weight: 302
Class: Senior
40 Yard Dash: 5.08
Strengths
A former tight end who bulked up to be one of the best blindside blockers in the country, Cody Mauch has maintained much of his athleticism from his former position and has translated that into a tough mauler of an offensive line for North Dakota State. In his final year with the team he only allowed a whopping one quarterback hit, and just one sack while playing at left tackle.
On film you can tell right away that Mauch plays with a mean finishers mentality, always looking to mug incoming pass rushers and get them onto the floor however he can. Once he gets his hands underneath and edge rusher he is balanced, flexible, and strong enough to end their momentum or put them on the ground. At time when he was beat his athleticism assisted him in popping back into space and finishing the block and saving his signal caller from a hit, his athleticism and speed make up for a lot of poor footwork as he is still growing into the position.
As a run blocker, that same rugged finisher mentality comes into play for Mauch, as he is able to anchor well and slam himself into defensive lineman and sustain blocks through multiple levels. His speed and athleticism really shine through on moving blocks where he is asked to block up field or move across the line, he is fluid in his movements and excels in pushing his speed into momentum to jam defenders up and open up massive holes and put grown men on the ground.
Weaknesses
Right away his shorter arms for his size and frame jump out at you, and while there have been many success stories of tackles playing with shorter arms he may project better to guard to kick off his career. That combined with still developing footwork, technique, and overall play strength, he could be vulnerable if left on an island with the more athletic and stronger defensive pass rushers in the league.
He will need to work with coaches to put more refinement on his game, but he may ultimately be limited at the position to play tackle in the NFL. Still worth investing in as a guard however.
Projection
Cody Mauch is a great story as a walk-on tight end at North Dakota State developing into an NFL-level offensive lineman with a mauler style of play. He was extremely productive in college and maintains much of what made him a tight end to both good and bad extremes. While his speed and athleticism make him a monster on pull blocks and shutting down speed rushers, he may struggle with bull rushers collapsing inside, and his arm length likely mean a move inside to guard. Teams will still be locked in on Mauch however, as there are not many offensive linemen that can move the way he can and with the tenacity that he possesses.
Projection: Top 50
