2022 Bison depth chart position preview: Offensive Line

Thru the summer months, we will look at each position on the Bison football team and examine the depth chart at those positions, ranging from current players on the team to incoming players that could play.

Next up is the strength of the team over the last decade and a half, the offensive line.

North Dakota State returns four starters for the 2022 season, but that doesn't mean the players that played those positions last year will be in the same spots this season.

The Bison will have to replace the soul of the offensive line in Cordell Volson, he of the 65 career games, who was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.

If there was one advantage to NDSU playing in the spring season, it was the amount of young offensive linemen that got to not only play, but start.

Grey Zabel, Mason Miller and Jake Rock all started games, two of them in the postseason. That will be invaluable as the new season gets set to begin.

CODY MAUCH - LEFT TACKLE, SENIOR

Mauch has seen his stock soar over the last 18 months.

The Hankinson native has started the last 24 games and was named both all-conference and an All-American.

Mauch may the most unassuming person to take over the anchor position of the offensive line, walking on from a 9-man school, but he thrived last season, grading out at 92 percent with just one sack allowed in all of 2021.

He has grabbed the attention of the NFL scouts as well, already earning both Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl watch list honors. Mauch is on the list to be on the team captains in 2022 and has become the rock of the offensive line.

NASH JENSEN - LEFT GUARD, SENIOR

The man right next to Mauch is also a sixth year senior in Jensen. Perhaps the most under the radar player on the offensive line, Jensen is about to become a four year starter.

He has started 41 straight games, inserted into the lineup when he was a sophomore and has never left. The Osseo, Minnesota product has quietly went along his business, especially during the spring 2021 season when so much was changing all around him on the offensive line.

Paired next to Mauch, there's a combined 65 straight starts. That's a ton of experience for Cam Miller's blind side heading into this year.

JALEN SUNDELL - SENIOR, CENTER

What an interesting turn came for Sundell in the spring of 2021. After incumbent starter Karson Schoening opted not to return for the spring, Sundell was asked to take over at center, in a position he had never played.

All he did was start all nine games and have to snap the ball to two separate quarterbacks, grading out at a 91 percentage and didn't allow s a sack.

The fall season was a mixed bag for Sundell, who was hurt in the conference opener at North Dakota and then missed the next three games.

He returned for the Indiana State game, but was injured again in the quarterfinals against East Tennessee State and missed the semis against James Madison. Sundell returned for the title game.

Sundell came to NDSU as a tackle and for a time was thought to be the next left tackle. Position needs moved him to center, there has been some talk of moving Sundell around for this season after the success Brandon Westberg had at center filling in for Sundell. That's a storyline to watch as fall camp draws near.

JAKE KUBAS - SENIOR, RIGHT GUARD

Kubas was a great success story in 2021.

Seeing his first consistent playing time, he was named a starter at right guard during fall camp and never gave up the spot.

At 6-4, 303 pounds, Kubas has provided ideal size on the interior and proved quick enough to handle some of the very best defensive linemen in the Missouri Valley and the country.

He is penciled in to start again at right guard for the incoming season, adding even more experience to an offensive line that is filled with it for this fall.

MASON MILLER - JUNIOR, RIGHT TACKLE

Here's the new starter on the offenisve line taking over for Volson and what potential there is.

Miller already has a start under his belt, debuting in the lineup in the quarterfinal loss at Sam Houston. He played in all 15 games last season, in dual roles, both on the offensive line and tight end.

Miller has sprouted since arriving from Ada-Borup High School, now at 6-6, 293 pounds and likely on his way to over 300 pounds. His size and athleticism is what had FBS coaches coming to his tiny high school to recruit him and what NDSU hopes to take advantage of.

From what I've been told, when Mauch moves on after this season, this is the next left tackle for the Bison. Big things are expected for Miller in 2022.

BRANDON WESTBERG - CENTER, JUNIOR

Westberg was pressed into action in the conference opener, on the road at UND and was thoroughly impressive.

He ended up starting the next three games against UNI, Illinois State and Missouri State and showed that he belonged among the starting five and didn't flinch in the semis when he started again against James Madison.

People may not know that Westberg was a finalist for Mr. Football in Minnesota in 2018 out of Cambridge-Isanti.

Westberg's play in 2021 gives the coaching staff belief that they can be flexible with Sundell and move him back to his original position. Either way, having two players with significant starting experience at center can't hurt.

GREY ZABEL - OFFENSIVE LINE, JUNIOR

Zabel is the other offensive line prospect that NDSU coaches can't stop raving about.

The Pierre, South Dakota native was pressed into action in his freshman year in the spring, starting three games and was tremendous. He was injured against South Dakota State and the recovery took a while, as Zabel missed four games in the fall.

His versatility is also helpful, he has played guard so far in college, but I know the coaches were also looking at him potentially at center or tackle.

Zabel's size and athleticism is what makes him so intriguing, 6-6, 289 pounds. He is fully healthy and will be playing a lot of football this fall.

The biggest question? What position will he be playing? It could be a few.

JAKE ROCK - RIGHT TACKLE, JUNIOR

Another huge presence on the offensive line, Rock stands 6-7, 300 pounds and also has a start under his belt.

Rock started the playoff opener against Eastern Washington in the spring and then was hurt in practice the following week.

He played in nine games last year in a backup role and is likely heading for that spot again this fall. Rock's experience though is noteworthy, especially at a position that gets beat up. He could get pressed into action.

DEPTH PLAYERS

NDSU has an assortment of other linemen, namely San Diego transfer Luke LaCilento. LaCilento was banged up in fall camp and couldn't break the starting lineup, as Kubas continued to play well. Hunter Poncius is a junior this season, who is looking for his way onto the field.

IN THE PIPELINE

The Bison have some talented young players they are excited about. Eden Prairie's Sam Henry is a player to watch along with Trevor Fiecko from Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

NDSU signed five offensive linemen for the Class of 2022, led by DePere's Max Rader. Rader was hurt most of his senior year, but the Bison coaches are high on him. Along with Faribault's Devin Lockerby, he was invited to the Minnesota All-Star Game and turned down several offers to sign with the Bison.

ANALYSIS

What else can you say? This group is loaded with experience and depth. Matt Entz has told me for a couple of years of wanting to play eight to nine guys on the offensive line and this year he may truly do that.

Keep an eye on Miller and Zabel. Two young guys that could be cornerstones of this group for a long time to come.