Former Badgers OL standout Havenstein tabbed by Rams in second round of draft

The next in a long line of offensive line draft picks from the University of Wisconsin arrived Friday night, when former Badgers right tackle Rob Havenstein went at No. 57 overall to the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Havenstein, who went perhaps earlier than expected, became the 10th Badgers offensive lineman taken in the draft since 2007 and appears primed for a lengthy pro career given his durability in college. Over the course of his four-year career, he appeared in 54 career games at Wisconsin and was good enough to make 42 starts, including 41 consecutive games over his final three seasons for the Badgers, and was the unquestioned leader of the line.

The 6-foot-7, 321-pound Havenstein did not wow scouts with his NFL Combine performance in February. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.46 seconds, better than only eight other linemen there. His 16 repetitions of the 225-pound bench press was the lowest number among all linemen who performed at the combine. And NFL.com writer Chase Goodbread went so far as to label him the "biggest workout loser" at the combine, noting he finished "near the bottom of the linemen in the 20-yard shuttle (4.87) and turned in the worst three-cone drill time (8.28)."

Still, Havenstein's on-field success was difficult to question. In his senior season, he earned first-team All-America from the American Football Coaches Association, second-team All-America from the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and USA Today, and a consensus first-team all-Big Ten selection.

Much of the praise for Wisconsin's successful running game in recent seasons went to tailbacks Montee Ball, James White, Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement. But Havenstein was a mainstay on the offensive line that helped to pave the path for the Badgers' running backs.

Last year's team set the single-season school record for rushing yards in a game at 320.1 yards, which ranked No. 3 nationally. UW averaged 6.91 yards per carry, the fourth-best rushing average in FBS history. As a whole, UW's offensive line also allowed just 13 sacks in 14 games.

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