Wisconsin Football: Is Zack Baun worthy of first-round NFL draft pick?

Wisconsin football’s Zack Baun is one of the best 3-4 linebackers in this class. Is he a worthy of a first-round selection in this year’s draft?

We often equate a player’s success in the NFL on how hard they work. We do not give enough consideration to fit. You can take the best player on your board, but if he is not a fit for what you want to do on either offense or defense they may not work out. Zack Baun is one of those players.

Baun, in many ways, is a poor man’s Isaiah Simmons. He is an elite athlete who came to Madison as the top dual-threat quarterback in the state. His future would be on defense and he was converted to linebacker.

During his career at Wisconsin, he recorded 15 sacks, 30.5 tackles for loss and forced three fumbles. He missed 2017 with a foot injury, but he has been durable otherwise. His 52 solo tackles were good for 6th in the conference and his 12.5 sacks were second only to Chase Young.

Baun is just starting to come into his own as a linebacker. His knowledge of the position is beginning to catch up with his tremendous athletic ability.

With Baun, however, the fit is important.

Strengths

Baun is a self-made man. He went to Wisconsin and changed positions. Not only did he do well at linebacker, but he also became arguably the best outside linebacker in the Big Ten. The Wisconsin coaching staff and his teammates rave about the worker he is. He is not just the hardest worker in the room, however.

While playing quarterback in high school, Baun threw for over 1,900 yards and ran for over 1,800 yards scoring 59 total touchdowns. He is an elite athlete with a high ceiling. That might be his biggest strength.

In many ways, Baun is still raw as a linebacker. He only played two full seasons at the position while at Wisconsin. You love the fact that he’s gotten better every year while at Wisconsin. He has a tremendously high ceiling.

Weaknesses

At 6-2 and 238 pounds, Baun a bit of a “tweener” as a pure rush outside linebacker, but he does not possess great coverage skills so defensive coordinators have to be created in how they want to use him. He uses his athletic ability to win often and needs to develop more variety as a pass rushers.

Because of his developing skill-set as a pass rusher, he struggles against elite tackles. He can be guided away from the quarterback and does not shed against tackles with long arms. Despite his speed, his zealousness at the snap affects his timing off the ball.

He can get caught over-pursuing at times and miss tackles or misread where the ball is going. He can be a bit over-aggressive and can miss tackles when a ball carrier cuts or jukes.

Draft Projection

Baun might have the highest ceiling of any outside linebacker in this draft. He is full of untapped potential. He has room to grow physically and as a football player. He won’t be the first outside linebacker off the board as LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson most likely will. Most reports have Isaiah Simmons listed as an outside linebacker, but he plays everywhere. Baun might be the second or third taken.

The Wisconsin star is a great fit for Baltimore at No. 28 or Green Bay at 30. If he slides to the second round, he is an absolute steal for the Texans at pick 40 — if he lasts that long.

Projection: Round one, pick No. 28 (Ravens)