Michigan Football: Ben Gedeon's NFL Draft Stock is Rising after Senior Bowl

Former Michigan football linebacker Ben Gedeon finished Senior Bowl week strong, but what does it mean for his NFL draft stock?

At the start of the season, the NFL draft market for Michigan football player Ben Gedeon was limited. The senior had never played full time for the Wolverines and was going into his first season as a starter.

During his first three seasons playing for Michigan football, Gedeon saw the field plenty, but he started just once. Yet, this past season, he took over the middle linebacker position and never looked back.

The senior not only played well, he excelled. Gedeon finished the season with 94 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and was one of seven Michigan football players to take part in last Saturday’s Senior Bowl.

Often times, at All-Star games, practice matters more than game day. And during the week, Gedeon performed well. But it was nothing compared to what he did for the North Squad during the game, notching nine tackles and forced a fumble.

Coming into the game, Gedeon was viewed as a late-round pick. The Senior Bowl gave him a chance to shine and he did. Now he has to build on that momentum at the combine and in private workouts. But make no mistake, he opened eyes in Mobile last week.

“He’s a classic Mike linebacker. He’s the signal caller on their defense at Michigan, the guy that kind of choreographed everything in terms of putting their defense together, a productive player for them,” said Senior Bowl Executive Director Phil Savage. “This will be an opportunity for him to show he can play out in space and cover out of the backfield. People are looking for the three-down linebacker.”

It’s hard to know exactly what the Senior Bowl means for Gedeon, especially with such a long way to go in the process. Yet, putting together a positive showing, against the most talented seniors in the country, is a good start.

Gedeon won’t wow scouts with his athleticism or size. However, he’s a solid football player and whether it be from scrimmage or on special teams, he can help someone right away.

The former Michigan football player looked the part Saturday and built some positive momentum for himself.

The key now, is keeping it.