Who is Jack Conklin?

Raised in Plainwell, Michigan, Jack Conklin was a three-year starter at Plainwell high school under his father and head coach, Darren Conklin. Despite having the physical makeup to play offensive line in college, Conklin had zero scholarship offers from FBS schools. In 2012, Conklin joined Michigan State as a preferred walk-on. The 6’6, 325-pound lineman practiced hard and did everything necessary to prove his value with his teammates and coaches. Midway through his redshirt season, Conklin received a scholarship from Michigan State University.

In 2013, Conklin started 13 out of 14 games for the Spartans. He proved his versatility on both sides of the offensive line, earning freshman All-American honors in his first collegiate season. Conklin continued to get noticed, remaining a hard worker both on and off the field. Throughout his sophomore season, Conklin recorded 113.5 knockdowns, allowing just 2.5 sacks. Moreover, he limited Joey Bosa to just one tackle during Michigan State’s meeting with Ohio State. Although Conklin missed two games in 2015 due to a leg injury, he received All-American recognition, in addition to first team Big-Ten honors. In his final season with the Spartan’s Conklin recorded 65.5 knockdowns. He would decide to forego his senior year and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Good

Conklin rarely gives up on the play and as you can see here, he loves to inflict ill will on his opponents. It is very unlikely he will be able to bully NFL defensive ends around the same way he did in college, but his skill-set will make for some interesting battles in the pros.

On this play, Conklin sees the blitzing defensive back and just stones him, dead in his tracks. He then tosses him to the ground, as if he were a 50-pound sack of potatoes.

Here, you can see Conklin move the defensive tackle, sealing his block to open up the hole.

When he goes to IHOP, Jack Conklin orders "all you can eat" pancakes.

The Bad

Here, Conklin opens up early allowing the defensive end to get inside. He gets caught off balanced with his head down. After the quick inside move, the defensive end has a free shot at the quarterback. Thankfully for Conklin, Cook was able to get rid of the football, resulting in positive yardage.

I do not see Conklin playing tackle in the NFL next season, if at all. His game is best suited for the trenches, where he can make an impact in the run game. He will fair better against the slower, more powerful defensive lineman than he would against the Von Miller and Khalil Macks of the NFL. Conklin has to be in perfect position or he is unable to recover against a quicker lineman.

The Skinny

If the Dolphins decide to address the offensive line early in the draft, Jack Conklin would be a great addition. Conklin proved throughout his career that he could alternate between either side of the offensive line. In college, Conklin showed off his ability to play both guard and tackle at a high level. Miami could use help at both guard positions and he also adds valuable depth at left tackle. Conklin is the son of a head coach and possesses all the intangibles NFL coaches and scouts covet. Even though I do not believe the Dolphins will draft Conklin at 13, he is more than deserving if his name is called. Any team could use a big, powerful lineman, capable of doing things others cannot. Jack Conklin has a bright future in the NFL, if not with Miami than elsewhere.

All clips were taken from draftbreakdown.com

This article was written by Josh Houtz. Follow him on Twitter!

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