INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Offensive linemen take to the podium during the Combine, and Ohio State center Luke Wypler talks to me about his ex-schoolmate who now plays for the Raiders; Thayer Munford.
Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has been a Heisman finalist two years in a row. In 2021, Stroud recorded the second-highest efficiency rating in the FBS. The following year, in 2022, the 21-year-old signal caller led the FBS in efficiency rating.
The school’s center, Luke Wypler, has been a key part of this success.
Thayer Munford plays for the Las Vegas Raiders now, but in 2021, he lined up on Ohio State’s line as a captain alongside Wypler.
On Saturday, during the annual NFL Combine, I asked Wypler about the type of leader Munford is.
“Thayer was like a big brother to me,” Wypler said immediately. “He was [kind of] our leader my first two years at Ohio State. He was one of – I have to say – one of the best leaders I’ve actually ever played with,” he continued.
That’s a lot of praise for the Raiders’ seventh-rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Luke Wypler continues the Thayer Munford talk
Although Munford fell to the seventh-round in last year’s draft, the now-former Ohio State tackle accomplished great things at the school.
Munford was a four-year starter on the line, becoming a team captain in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media during his ’20 and ’21 campaigns.
The five-year Ohio State Buckeye could’ve declared for the NFL Draft in 2020 but elected to return for a fifth year to finish his degree in human development and family sciences.
A person can learn a lot from Munford. That being the case, I was curious what Wypler had learned from his ex-schoolmate – so, I asked him.
“For me, Thayer led by example,” Wypler told me. “One of the biggest things I took from him, he wouldn’t tell you to do something he wouldn’t do,” he explained.
Asked OSU center Luke Wypler to talk about Raiders RT Thayer Munford and how he leads an offensive line:
“I have to say, he’s one of the best leaders I’ve ever played with.” pic.twitter.com/gHXmu60hAT
— Alex Monfreda (@AlexMonfreda) March 4, 2023
The Raiders’ offensive line is surrounded by uncertainty, and the center position is no exception. Perhaps there’s a reunion in the near future between Luke Wypler and Thayer Munford.
*Top Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images