Nebraska C Cam Jurgens

6-foot-3
304 pounds

Yahoo Sports' 2022 NFL draft grade

5.69 — possible third- or fourth-rounder; contributor potential

TL;DR scouting report

Former tight end offers exciting athletic traits at center, plus surprising length and toughness, but he can play a bit out of control at times

The skinny

A 4-star Rivals recruit as an athlete in the Class of 2018, Jurgens committed to the Huskers as a sophomore in high school and stuck with it after Mike Riley was fired and replaced by new head coach Scott Frost. Jurgens cross-trained at tight end and center as a freshman in 2018, playing in one game before an injury ended his season.

Jurgens won the starting center job in 2019, playing in all 12 games, before joining the Huskers' track team that winter. He started seven of eight games in 2020, missing the Northwestern game with injury, and then started all 12 contests in 2021. Jurgens declared early for the 2022 NFL draft.

Upside

• Elite athletic profile for the position — top-tier testing across the board

• Surprising length in spite of height — 33 3/8-inch arms, 80-inch wingspan, 10-inch hands

• Flies out of his stance and gets on his horse

• Leads the way on pulls and screens and reaches second level in a jiffy

• Creative offense can open up playbook with rare center movement skill

• Great lateral quickness to recover and pick up line games

• Offers surprising power and had good battles with burlier nose tackles

• Strong hands to latch onto defenders and take them for a ride

• Lower-body explosiveness fuels his run blocking

• High-energy performer with good stamina

• Incremental gains as a pass protector with each season

• Achieves good knee bend and appears quite flexible

• Started 31 of 32 games after switching to center (having never played it before)

• Good situational awareness and football IQ — handled calls up front

• Gives maximum effort every time out — passionate energy

• Raced 50-plus yards to make tackle after INT in overtime vs. Michigan State (his 86th snap of game)

• Really put time in weight room to add mass and bulk

Downside

• Height and weight are on the lower end, even for center

• Hard to imagine him being able to add much more to his frame

• Balance can be out of whack for his caliber of athlete

• Frenetic energy runs a bit too hot at times

• Will whiff on some moving targets

• Can stand to finish blocks better — fails to deliver some knockout blows

• Anchor can fail against stronger, bigger defenders

• Can be walked back by powerful bull rushes

• Flagged six times (two holds) last fall, including a few wiping out big gains

• Multiple injuries dating back to high school, including a chronic foot ailment, must be vetted

• Likely a one-position player — has only played at center in games

Best-suited destination

Jurgens has been a riser in the draft cycle following strong testing at the NFL combine and his pro day. Some teams believe he can start right away, which is good because Jurgens has not taken an OL snap other than at center. He's not big but could thrive in a zone (or man) system that emphasizes getting him on the move.

Did you know

Jurgens also has track in his blood, and he joined the Huskers track team in 2020 as a shot putter, with a personal best of 56-foot-3. He and his brother, Colby, who also threw shot put, likely have their mother, Beth, to credit. She was a star shot putter in high school, setting the Nebraska state record (47-foot-7) and was a 12-time NAIA All-American at Nebraska-Kearney (where Colby later went) in the mid-1980s.

Player comp

Former Panthers center Ryan Kalil

Expected draft range

Rounds 2-3