INDIANAPOLIS — Coaches knew Michael Deiter was a different player when he was a sophomore at Genoa High School.
A budding NFL offensive lineman? No one could’ve predicted that.
“You don’t know how much they’re going to grow,” former Genoa coach Tim Spiess said. “When Michael was 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he still looked like a little kid. We knew he was going to continue to grow.”
By the time he was a senior, mauling opponents from the likes of Woodmore and Otsego, Deiter had grown into a 6-5, 295-pound three-star prospect, receiving offers from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia, among others.
He chose Wisconsin, which could change its name to Offensive Lineman U., and embarked on a sterling career, complete with All-American honors and recognition as the Big Ten’s offensive lineman of the year in 2018.
“The number of things that he has been asked to do or volunteered to do or wanted to do for this team, it speaks volumes how much he cares about this team,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “To do that is one thing. To do it well is another.”
Dieter started a school-record 54 games — 24 at left guard, 16 at center, and 14 at left tackle — one shy of the Big Ten record. His unselfish play was noble, garnering respect in the locker room as one of the most-liked players, and the versatility also marketed himself to the NFL.
“It's huge,” said Deiter, who measured 6-5 and 309 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. “Just having versatility gives teams confidence that they’re not getting just a guy who’s gonna play one position. When you can only travel seven or eight guys, having someone who could potentially play three positions gives you a lot of value.
“That stuff is something I’m proud of that I’m able to do. It’s been a lot of fun, too, to play three positions. It’s made me better at guard, it’s made me better at center. Playing tackle definitely helps when you go back inside.”
Deiter was named an All-American and All-Big Ten the past two seasons at two positions — left tackle and left guard. He considers himself defter at guard and center, his presumptive home in the NFL and the most common area teams are questioning him about.
The shifting in college was based on Wisconsin’s needs and with an eye toward his professional future. He moved back to guard his senior year when franchises asked if they could get another year of film. Deiter happily obliged, knowing it was a more natural position.
“It was a no-brainer,” he said, a few minutes after doing 21 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. Deiter’s number ranks well down the list, but he wasn’t completely unhappy with his result.
He had a vertical jump of 28 inches and a three-cone time of 7.88 seconds, good enough for the top 25 among offensive linemen, and he ran a 5.23 40, a 4.81 20-yard shuttle, and had a broad jump of 105 inches, placing him in the top 30 at his position.
If teams want to utilize his skills, they can line him up at tackle-eligible. Two years ago, Deiter caught a touchdown pass for the Badgers, a highlight that went viral on social media. The nimbleness for a big guy comes from a previous life as an elite youth hockey player.
“Hip mobility, lower body strength, it helps with footwork,” said Deiter.
In Division I, every lineman has size and strength. It’s something else that separates good from great. During Deiter’s recruitment, coaches seized on his athleticism.
“What sold the colleges on Michael was his overall athletic ability,” said Spiess, who considers Deiter his fourth son.
They certainly didn’t scoff at his brawn, though. A Nebraska assistant visited the Genoa weight room and witnessed Deiter squat 315 pounds 20 times during his warm-up. The video made its way to then-head coach Bo Pelini, who called Spiess a few minutes later with a scholarship offer.
“We really like Michael,” Pelini said.
It’s difficult to find Deiter, who has an amusing presence and robust personality, out of his element. He began kindergarten as a 4-year-old, was named the most valuable lineman of the Wisconsin spring game as a 17-year-old true freshman, and less than a month later returned to Genoa as prom king.
Deiter’s first start came against mighty Alabama, with an All-American staring across at him. Deiter graded out as Wisconsin’s top offensive lineman.
“You never know when they get on that stage how they’re going to perform,” Spiess said. “There was never any doubt how Michael was going to perform.”
Draft analysts have Deiter pegged as anywhere from a second-round pick to the fifth round. His combine grade labels him as a potential starter. He’s been asked about what makes him mad; he viewed it as an odd question. Teams told him they see a nice person who’s soft-spoken.
“I guess that makes sense,” Deiter said. “I tell them, I can be mad.”
Versatility, durability, quickness at the snap, and a good leg drive are all pluses. Strikes against Deiter include struggling against powerful defensive linemen, being beaten on bull rushes, and slow lateral foot speed.
Five franchises have called Spiess, including one team’s head of security, who has reached out multiple times. High school football players dream of the NFL, but even Deiter didn’t see a Genoa kid hearing his name called during the NFL draft.
“Definitely not,” he said. “But it’s totally possible. I don’t see why not. Just because you went to a small school doesn't have anything to do with where you can end up. It’s all about working hard.”
First Published March 2, 2019, 10:11 p.m.
