Most of the focus at the NFL Combine at the position of offensive line this week has been on a trio of elite offensive tackles: Trent Williams of Oklahoma, Russel Okung of Oklahoma State and Anthony Davis of Rutgers. Maryland's Bruce Campbell has also seen his stock rise in recent weeks as more and more teams fall in love with his athleticism.
The Ravens don't seem to need an immediate upgrade at offensive line, although Jared Gaither's status as a restricted free agent could change that if some team decided he was worth a big contract, plus the draft picks they'd have to give up if they signed him. All of it seems unlikely because of his injury history and questions about his work ethic. But Gaither does have elite size and potential for growth, and stranger things have happened.
If the Ravens were looking to take on another prospect in the middle rounds and groom him the way they did Gaither -- who was raw coming out of college, since he had barely played high school football -- Jared Veldheer might be an interesting value pick. Veldheer, like Gaither, has prototypical NFL left tackle size, having measured in at the combine at 6-feet-9, 315 pounds.
But no one knows exactly what Veldheer's ceiling is because he played at tiny Hillsdale College -- where he was a Division II all-American -- and never faced elite competition.
"It's kind of surreal to be in this position coming from Hillsdale," said Veldheer. "But once you start think about it, I've worked really hard to get here. Everyone says this whole process is supposed to stress you out and wear on you, but I'm loving every minute of it."
Veldheer, who grew up in Grand Rapids, said he ended up at Hillsdale in part because his high school football team ran the Wing-T offense, which didn't give him much of a showcase for his pass-blocking skills.
"All was did was down block, every play," Veldheer said. "I went to some camps, but I guess the schools that were looking at me didn't see what they were looking for."
Veldheer has popped up on some mock drafts as high as the second round, but most have him going somewhere between the third and the fifth round. He improved his stock a bit in the Texas vs. The Nation game, where he held his own against Division I players and was one of the most impressive tackles.
"I was definitely nervous in the beginning, but after about five plays, everything slowed down and it felt just like football," Veldheer said.