2012 Draft Favorites

Jeff Benson – Air Force

Peter Konz – Wisconsin

Philip Blake – Baylor

Grant Garner – Oklahoma State

Scott Wedige – Northern Illinois

Chris Thompson – Houston

Jeremy Schonbrunner – Temple

David Molk – Michigan

1. Jeff Benson – Air Force

Jeff Benson – 63 Air Force 6-0 250


2011: Played in 12 games. Missed 1 game with a knee injury.
2010: Played in four games as a reserve offensive lineman. Saw action against Northwestern State, Colorado State, TCU and New Mexico. Helped the Falcons lead the nation in fewest sacks allowed with five. Helped the Falcons finish second nationally in rushing with a 306.5 per-game average.
2009: Played in seven games. Saw action against Nicholls State, Minnesota, New Mexico, San Diego State, Colorado State, UNLV and in the bowl game vs. Houston. Helped the offense to the conference rushing title with an average of 283.5 yards per game, which ranked third nationally.
2008: Played on the junior varsity.
High School: Attended Spain Park High School in Alabama. Lettered three years in football. First-team all-metro and super all-metro in class 6A. Was the team's captain. High school football coach was John Grass. Member of the National Honor Society. Graduated with honors.
Personal: Member of cadet squadron 26. Majoring in systems engineering management. Son of Wayne and Debbie Benson. Has an older sister, Jaime. On the dean's list as a junior. Was selected for the Cadet Summer Research Program this past summer at the Logistics Management Institute in McLean, Va., working on optimization models for logistics support. Also worked Combat Survival Training. Hobby is playing golf. Plans to be a logistics officer in the Air Force after graduation.
Better in the: Running game.

2. Peter Konz – Wisconsin

Peter Konz – 66 Wisconsin 6-5 315

2011: Played in 11 games. Injured his ankle during Minnesota game and missed 3 games. Selected All-Big Ten First Team for the 2011 college football season. Declared early for the NFL Draft as a junior.
2010: Earned second letter. Started at center in 11 of 13 games, missing Indiana and Michigan games due to injury. Did not play in second half at Iowa on Oct. 23 due to injury. Along with rest of starting offensive line and Bill Nagy, named UW's co-offensive player of the week for the Minnesota game. Named UW offensive player of the week after starting at center at UNLV on Sept. 4.
2009: Earned first letter. Played in 10 games, starting nine. Did not play in final two games of season due to injury. Started nine straight games at center during the season. Had first-career start when he lined up at center against Wofford on Sept. 19. Made Badger debut when he took over for injured Travis Frederick at center against Fresno State on Sept. 12.
2008: Redshirt season. Named UW's offensive scout team player of the week of Fresno State
High School: Attended Neenah High School. Rated as the 30th-best offensive lineman in the nation and the No. 3 player in Wisconsin by Rivals.com. Scout.com ranked him as the second-best player in the state and the No. 38 offensive lineman in the nation. First-team all-state, all-region and all-conference offensive and defensive lineman as a senior. First-team all-state offense, first-team all-region, first-team all-conference, honorable mention all-conference defense and team's most valuable lineman as a junior. First-team all-conference and team's most improved lineman as a sophomore. Team captain as a senior. Played both ways and totaled 34 tackles and 10 QB sacks in his career. Three-year letterwinner in football. Two-time letterwinner in basketball and track and field. Academic letter. Head coach was Steve Mentzel.
Personal: Parents are Tony and Margaret Konz. Relative, Robert Ferriani, played football at University of Massachusetts. Enjoys watching movies, playing video games and sports. Majoring in communication arts. Last name pronounced "kahnz".
Better in the: Passing game.

3. Philip Blake – Baylor

Philip Blake – 74 Baylor 6-3 320

2011: Played in 13 games. Selected All-Big 12 Conference First Team for the 2011 college football season.
2010: Starting center in all 13 games, one of eight players to start every game. Named honorable-mention All-Big 12 by league coaches and Associated Press (earned third-team midseason All-Big 12 honors from Phil Steele). Anchored o-line that ranked third in Big 12 and 24th nationally in rushing (194.6 ypg) and fourth in conference in sacks against (1.54 per game). Totaled 82 knockdowns on season and received coach's grade of 81 percent or higher in 11 of 13 games. Had season-high nine knockdowns and earned 85 percent grade in win over Buffalo in second game. Earned top grade of 88 percent in three games, all wins, at Kansas (eight knockdowns) in fifth game, at Colorado (season-high nine knockdowns) in seventh and vs. K-State (eight knockdowns) in eighth. Moved to center from right tackle during spring drills.
2009: Starter at right tackle for all 12 games during sophomore season i n 2009, earned first letter. One of 11 Bears to start all 12 games in 2009. Earned coach's grade of 82 percent on season. Totaled 76 knockdowns in 12 games.
2008: Played freshman season in 2008 at Tyler (Texas) Junior College under head coach Danny Palmer. Earned second-team All-SWJCFC honors on offensive line.
High School: Played prep ball at Champlain Regional College in Lennoxville, Quebec. Former teammate at Champlain of former Baylor linebacker Fred Plesius. Graduated from Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke, Ontario in 2005.
Personal: Son of the late Llewellyn Blake and Patricia Blake. Full name is Philip Anthony Blake. Born Nov. 27, 1985, in Toronto. Majoring in general studies.
Better in the: Passing game.

4. Grant Garner – Oklahoma State

Grant Garner – 74 Oklahoma State 6-3 292

2011: Played in 12 games. Selected All-Big 12 Conference First Team for the 2011 college football season. Missed 1 game with a knee injury.
2010: Started every game at center. Credited with seven knockdowns against Troy and Texas Tech. Coaches named him OSU's most physical lineman against Texas A&M. Was OSU's offensive lineman of the week against Nebraska and Kansas State. Had a very consistent season in his first year as a starter. A smart player who will rank among the nation's top centers as a senior. Was the leader of an offensive line that allowed just 10 sacks in 13 games to rank seventh in the country. OSU was third nationally in total offense and scoring.
2009: Saw action against Baylor and graded out well. Played a season-high 21 snaps against Grambling State.
2008: Redshirted.
2007: Saw limited game action. Played 16 snaps against Sam Houston State for a season high.
High School: Attended North Mesquite High School in Texas. A highly-rated and heavily decorated prep offensive lineman. Rated as the 55th best prospect in the state of Texas by Scout.com. That service also rated him as America's No. 21 center. A member of the Associated Press Class 5A all-state second team. A two-time all-district pick. An all-region first-teamer by TexasHSFootball.com. Rivals considered him one of the top 20 center prospects in the country (No. 18). PrepStar listed him as a member of the all-Midlands team.
Personal: Also considered Iowa State, Mississippi State and Purdue, among others. Born Sept. 5, 1988, in Dallas. Son of Becky Rasco and Dan Garner. Was a power lifter in high school and played baseball. An academic all-state selection. Member of the German Club and FCA at Mesquite North. Business management major.
Better in the: Running game and Passing Game.

5. Scott Wedige – Northern Illinois

Scott Wedige – Northern Illinois 6-4 310

2011: Played in 14 games. Selected All-MAC First Team for the 2011 college football season.
2010: Started every game at center for the Huskies in 2010 and earned first team All-Mid-American Conference honors. Bedrock of the Huskie offense line that gave up just 13 quarterback sacks in 329 pass attempts in 14 games to lead the MAC and rank 14th in the country in sacks allowed. Named NIU's Offensive Lineman of the Week three times on the year - versus Iowa State (9-2) in the season opener after his first career start, versus Temple (10-9) and at Ball State (11-20). The Northern Illinois offense set eight school single season records, including most points per game (38.0), yards of total offense per game (450.0), first downs (303), passing first downs (132) and rushing touchdowns (42). NIU led the MAC in rushing offense, total offense, scoring offense and passing efficiency and ranked in the Top 20 in the country in each category. Behind the offensive line, the Huskies' 260.4 rushing yards per game was seventh in the country. Wedige was a key member of the NIU offensive line that paved the way for Chad Spann's career-high 223 yards rushing and a team total of 297 yards on the ground at Minnesota (9-25). Helped lead NIU to 584 yards of total offense and 422 rushing yards in a 65-30 win over Toledo (11-9). Huskies' totaled the second-highest single game rushing total in school history with 544 at Eastern Michigan (11-26) as part of 646 yards of total offense, NIU's fourth-most ever. Offensive line opened the holes that resulted in Spann ranking 20th in the country in rushing as he led the MAC with 99.1 yards per game and led the country with 22 rushing scores. Huskies passed the 400-yard mark in total offense in 10 games, and finished the season with a 503-yard effort versus Fresno State.
2009: Saw action in 11 games, primarily as a backup center and on special teams. Had one kick return for six yards against Ohio (11-21). Appeared in games against Western Illinois (9-12). Purdue (9-19), Idaho (9-26), Western Michigan (10-3), Toledo (10-17), Miami (10-24), Eastern Michigan (11-5), Ball State (11-12), Central Michigan (11-27) and South Florida (1-3).
2008: Played in four games as a reserve offensive lineman, mainly on the FG/PAT team. Saw time against Indiana State (9-20), Eastern Michigan (9-27), Toledo (10-18) and Kent State (11-18).
2007: Redshirted.
High School: Attended Elkhorn Area High School in Wisconsin. Garnered first team All-Southern Lakes Conference and all-county honors at offensive tackle as a senior. As a junior, earned first team all-league and all-county recognition at both offensive and defensive tackle. Earned first team all-area recognition his a senior year. Served as team captain and was selected team MVP as a senior. As a defensive tackle, tallied 142 tackles, four sacks, two caused fumbles, two pass deflections, and one blocked kick in his career. Team went 11-3 and advanced to the state semifinals his sophomore season. Three-year letterwinner in both football and basketball. A second team all-conference choice in basketball as a junior and picked up honorable mention all-league honors as a sophomore on the basketball court.
Personal: Born Nov. 20, 1988. Son of Doris and Steve Wedige. Enjoys skiing, waterskiing, and hunting. Majoring in marketing.
Better in the: Running game.

6. Chris Thompson – Houston

Chris Thompson – 70 Houston 6-2 285

2011: Selected All-Conference USA First Team for the 2011 college football season. Played in 14 games.
2010: Played in and started all 12 games at right guard. Helped block for an offense that posted numbers ranked in the NCAA top-15 in passing, total and scoring offense. Team's passing offense was fifth nationally and led Conference USA. Line also averaged just one quarterback sack per game, which was tops in Conference USA and 15th in the NCAA. Blocked for 1,000-yard receiver Patrick Edwards.
2009: One of three Conference USA award-winning members of the offensive line. One of only 10 players to start all 14 games. Fixture on the offensive front at right guard. Member of offensive line that posted 563.4 yards of total offense and 433.7 passing yards to lead the nation in both categories. Offense recorded at least 390 yards of total offense in 13 games, at least 500 yards in 11 games and at least 600 yards in five games. Helped lead Cougars to season-high 750 yards of total offense against C-USA rival Southern Miss. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Tied a Houston single-season record with 14 games played against Air Force.
2008: Competed in all but one game with 11 starts. Started first seven games at left guard before moving to right tackle against No. 24 Tulsa and C-USA rival UTEP. Made his first career start against Southern during the season opener. Member of offensive front that piled up more nearly 41.0 points and more than 560 yards of total offense per game. Helped offense record nine games with more than 500 yards of total offense, six games with more than 600 yards and one 700-yard game against C-USA rival UTEP. Opened holes for rushing attack that racked up more than 2,000 yards and 23 touchdowns.
2007: Sat out as a redshirt.
High School: Lettered for coaches Greg Carney and Jeff Keener at Hitchcock High in Texas. Ranked as No. 94 in the state by Scout.com. Was a member of the Houston Chronicle Area Top-100 team. Was an All-District honoree on both offense and defense. Also competed on the track and field team.
Personal: Full name is Christopher Davon Thompson. Born May 4, 1989, in Galveston, Texas. Son of Phyliss Singleton and David Thompson. Also recruited by Oklahoma State, TCU, UTEP and Iowa State. Majoring in sociology.
Better in the: Passing game.

7. Jeremy Schonbrunner – Temple

Jeremy Schonbrunner – 68 Temple 6-3 306

2011: Played in 12 games.
2010: Played in nine games with one start at center. Also played on the punt unit. Recovered a blocked punt in the win at Kent State. Received the starting nod in the shutout of Akron. Saw first game action in the win over Central Michigan. Lettered. 2009: Played in nine games. Played in the wins over Akron, Miami, Army, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and Buffalo. Saw first action at No. 5 Penn State. Lettered.
2008: Dressed for eight games but did not see game action. Traveled to Army, Kent State, and Navy. Named the coaches[apos] scout team player of the game for the Navy game.
2007: Redshirted.
High School: A 2007 graduate of Wicomico HS in Salisbury, Md.. Honorable Mention Small School All-State selection as a senior. Played both OT and DT under head coach David Nettles. Team captain that helped team to an 11-1 overall record and the state playoffs in 2006. Competed in track in field as a senior and finished sixth in the state shot put championship. Member of the Honor Roll.
Personal: Born September 12, 1989, in Salisbury, Md.. Son of Alan and Doris Schonbrunner. Received his bachelor’s degree in human resource management in December 2010. Enrolled as a non-matriculated graduate student.
Better in the: Passing game.