OVERVIEW
This two-time all-conference pick came from a football family. His father, Rocky, played linebacker at BYU while his uncle T.D. was a fullback for the Cougars. Vince's grandfather, Ken, played Division III ball and was a Wisconsin and national high school hall of fame coach. Coming from that lineage, it was no surprise Vince was the Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior (172 tackles, 21 sacks) and earned a scholarship to play for the Badgers. A foot injury ended his freshman season after two games, but he came on late the following year to start twice (25 tackles, three for loss, two sacks). Biegel led the Badgers with 16.5 tackles for loss (7.5 sacks) as a starter in 2014, and earned third-team All-Big Ten notice with 66 stops, 14 for loss, and eight sacks as a junior. Despite being limited for multiple games, missing two, with a broken foot, Biegel was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in 2016 (six TFL, four sacks).
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
Voted team captain. Known for intensity and all-out love for the sport. Instinctive. Diagnoses zone blocks quickly and darts through gaps into backfield to muddy backside cutback lanes. Works to keep outside shoulder uncovered for contain responsibilities against the run. Emotional leader for the Badgers. Wrap-up tackler looking to thud. Flashes desired pursuit speed to perimeter. First-strike specialist at point of attack. Lands hands first and immediate arm extension provides leverage against much bigger blockers. Adequate hip flexibility and change of direction to mirror play-action rollouts. Good run-pass recognition. Was asked to peel off and cover in space. Squeezes receivers from zone. Posted productive rush totals over sophomore and junior seasons. Father, uncle, grandfather and younger brother all played college ball.WEAKNESSES
Undersized, and it often shows up on tape. Needs to increase play strength and add more bulk to his frame. Gets jostled around by tackles if he loses with his hands. Poor contact balance to fight through redirect blocks and can get shoved to turf. Average three-step burst upfield. Duck-foot rusher missing twitch and athleticism to bend the edge. Attempts to activate spin counter, but he's missing footwork to bring it home. "Take-on" anchor and power versus lead blockers is below average. Quick to stack, slow to shuck.DRAFT PROJECTION
Rounds 5-6SOURCES TELL US
"Has to get stronger. He's got great makeup and is a great teammate and leader. Medicals with his foot are worrisome. Could be a flag for him." -- Midwest regional scout for NFC teamNFL COMPARISON
Frank ZomboBOTTOM LINE
Effort-based worker bee with edge-setting hands and attitude, but a lack of power that could lead to inconsistency in play. Biegel's football character is off-the-charts and he can be counted on to put the effort into improving in areas that need work. He lacks individual rush talent but could be a good fit for teams utilizing exotic rush packages. Average NFL ceiling but has the demeanor and traits of a potential special teams demon.PLAYER OVERVIEW
A four-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals.com, Biegel ranked No. 73rd overall nationally by Rivals and the third overall outside linebacker in the country. Growing up Biegel help tend to his families cranberry marsh and learned the dedication needed to perfect a craft.
Hard work and attention to detail he learned in the marsh is the same dedication he shows playing linebacker. Biegel equaled the all-time school record by playing in 54 games that included 40 starts. He finished seventh in Badgers history 21.5 sacks and tenth with 39.5 tackles-for-loss. The four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection finished with 191 tackles in his career.
Biegel gave consideration last season to enter the NFL Draft, submitting his paperwork to the NFL Draft advisory board which revealed the possibility of being selected in the middle rounds. Earning All-Big Ten honors the last three seasons as well as earning his fourth letter at Wisconsin, Biegel has an impressive resume for NFL Scouts to scour over.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
STRENGTH: Very good athlete with solid production. Biegel is as intense as they come and plays with passion. Effective blitzer who powers through the smallest of creases to arrive in the backfield. He diagnoses the shows good instincts. Biegel has good hip transition and is able to bend and get leverage. He secures the ball carrier showing good tackling technique. His country farm strength is evident at the line of scrimmage. Comes from a family with football background, his uncle played fullback at BYU, grandfather played linebacker at UW-Eau Claire prior to being enshrined in the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and his brother played for the Badgers.
WEAKNESSES: Best when the play is in front of him. Biegel has marginal cover skills and will need to show he can back pedal and cover tight ends and receivers in the slot. Over pursues, he lacks the discipline in back-side pursuit overrunning the ball. Tends to get shutdown by quicker more athletic lineman. Aggressive nature can lead him to miss plays. More variety of moves to get access to the quarterback.
IN OUR VIEW: Biegel flies around the ball and strong pound for pound giving great effort. One will never question his intensity or passion to play the game. He is a bit of a one trick pony that excels at being a disruptive backfield force but lacks coverage skills. He should be early contributed on special teams and gradually earn snaps his rookie season as a outside linebacker.
COMPARES TO: Lorenzo Mauldin, New York: Biegel will draw interest from 3-4 teams looking for an edge rusher. Mauldin has 6.5 sacks and 33 tackles in his first two season with the Jets and Biegel has the capability to have that type of impact heading into his NFL career.
