Brett Heggie 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Offensive Center
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 310 Lbs.
School: University of Florida
Pro Day Performance Data
40-yard dash: 5.50 seconds
Vertical jump: 26”
Broad jump: 8’9”
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 21
Brett Heggie 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Joining the NFL Draft pool of prospects this spring, Brett Heggie is a solid and gritty center with leadership experience. Heggie joined the Gators as a three-star recruit out of Mt. Dora High School in Florida. While he did have a number of other power-five scholarship offers, his decision to join Florida proved fruitful. Granted, he did earn a redshirt during his freshman year. However, Heggie made an impact quickly, playing in eight games as a redshirt freshman. He battled some injuries during his early seasons with the Gators, he still earned regular All-SEC Academic honors. Eventually, during his junior season, Heggie became a 12-game starter, playing both guard positions. During his senior season, Heggie kicked to center and blocked for Kyle Trask during a prolific passing season. Heggie rewarded Florida with a 70.4 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking as the 29th-best center in college. Further, his 77.6 pass-blocking grade ranked 23rd-best in college.
Given his hard work and low floor, Heggie could end up rising on the boards of some. Even if it’s rising higher on day three, there are people who see the potential in Heggie. Interestingly, a prominent voice in the NFL world raves about Heggie. Charles Davis of the NFL Network said, “Heggie battled through injuries in his first two seasons and answered the bell in the SEC against some big-time talents in the past two years. I’m a big fan of his intelligence, toughness, and physicality. He’s going to be dependable.” Davis went on to compare him to Corey Linsley, who impressed during his days at California. It may be just one voice, but it’s a strong endorsement for the young blocker.
Strengths
- Packs a good initial punch on the snap
- Gets off the ball with urgency
- Looks for ways to seal off blockers to open holes in the run game
- Footwork in pass protection looks pretty good
- Has no issue playing physical football
- Looks for ways to help teammates by assisting in their blocks
- Hardly gives up ground in pass blocking
- Goes to work in short-yardage situations, certainly a pile-mover
Weaknesses
- Hand placement could certainly use some work
- Occasionally gets pushed back by bigger-bodied defenders
- Tends to come up a little too high out of stance
- Doesn’t show much agility getting to second level defenders
- Struggles to match a defender’s longer reach
- Undersized for the professional game
- Pull blocks look like a tough task for him
NFL Comparison: Austin Reiter
Teams With Need at Position: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens
Projection: Sixth Round
Bottom Line on Brett Heggie
While Brett Heggie isn’t a home run prospect, there’s a lot to like about the young center. Seemingly, he’s displayed hard work and leadership that earned him increased responsibilities at Florida. Though he might be a bit undersized, continued work to add strength could be huge for Heggie. Given his external praise and good tape in a great passing offense, teams could see translatable skills on the interior. Further, his flexibility to play at guard shows team’s he’s not a one-trick pony. Certainly more likely a day three pick, recent buzz could have him closer to round four than round seven.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
