Westerman is Sun Devils’ best bet for NFL Draft

Christian Westerman didn't do much at ASU's pro day, but after his Combine performance, he didn't really have to.

Mar 4, 2016, 4:15 PM Updated: 10:23 pm

Arizona State offensive lineman Christian Westerman (55) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Washington State, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015, in Pullman, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

(AP Photo/Young Kwak)

TEMPE, Ariz. — Christian Westerman was largely a spectator at Arizona State’s Pro Day on Friday at the Carson Student-Athlete Center and the Verde Dickey Dome.

The graduating Sun Devils guard did some warm-up drills and some offensive line drills with position coach Chris Thomsen, but he didn’t lift and he spent much of his time cheering on his fellow seniors who had far more to gain than he did.

Westerman took care of his self-promotional work at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Indianapolis when he recorded the most 225-pound bench press reps with 34, topping Missouri’s Connor McGovern by one. He also tied Texas Tech tackle Le’Raven Clark for the largest hands (11 7/8 inches) at the combine.

“I had a very good Combine performance,” the Chandler Hamilton product said. “I went out and did what I had to do.”

Of all the Sun Devils seniors hoping to be drafted in Chicago between April 28 and 30, Westerman is the highest-rated prospect and the only ASU player who is all but certain to be selected. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock lists Westerman as the fourth-best guard in the draft behind Cody Whitehair of Kansas State, LSU’s Vadal Alexander and Stanford’s Joshua Garnett.

Westerman was a two-year starter for the Sun Devils at left guard after transferring from Auburn. Thomsen said he did not allow a sack in his ASU career. Westerman earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors last season and impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl to improve his draft stock, but the Combine was his opportunity to solidify his standing and Westerman gathered as much intel as he could heading into the event while working at LeCharles Bentley’s O-line Performance in Scottsdale.

“There’s a lot of guys there that did what I just did; the Combine process,” he said. “They kind of walked me through what I was about to got through: the 4 a.m. drug test, getting there early so you’re not in line…

“It’s the No.1 job interview I’m going to do in my life and I’ve been preparing for it since I was yay high. It was kind of eye-opening to be there since I’ve worked so hard to get there, but at the same time, you’re doing what you’ve got to do to impress these coaches and show them the player you are.”

Westerman, who is projected to be picked between rounds two and four, is technically sound and exceptionally strong for his size (6-3, 298 pounds), although some analysts question if his playing strength will match his weight strength when he faces strong interior linemen. Of all his duties, he said he enjoys pulling the most.

“I have some good athleticism,” he said. “I can get out and I can hit people on the perimeter.”

Although Westerman has read many opinions about which system would suit him best, he said he is comfortable in any situation.

“I think I can play in any system,” he said. “We run the zone here a lot but we also run downhill football, come off the ball, put your hand in the dirt. I think I can do any scheme the coach needs me to do; play anywhere he needs me to play on the line.”