Minnesota center Greg Eslinger was a three-sport athlete at his high school in Bismark, North Dakota. Not only was he a starting guard on the football team who also played some defensive tackle and tight end, but he was also a defenseman on the schools hockey team and a very good shot put/discus thrower for the track team. He ranked 5th in the state for discus in 2000 and 2nd in the state in 2001. In football he was named team MVP in each of his last two years of high school. He was also the state player of the year as a senior when he helped lead his team to a 12-0 record and a state championship. Coming out of high school, the 225lb Eslinger was an undersized guard who wasn’t heavily recruited. He went to Minnesota and had to earn his scholarship with the team in camp. Not only did he do that, he also earned the teams starting center job as a true freshman, on his way to freshman All-American honors. Well known for his outstanding run-blocking ability, Eslinger helped pave the way for Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney to rush for 1,000 yards each in consecutive seasons (2003-2004), a first for any pair of running backs in NCAA history. By the 2004 season, Eslinger had developed into one of the top centers in college football. He was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, an honor that is annually given to the nation’s top center. Eslinger is also an excellent leader and two-time team captain for the Gophers. Not only is he a great football player, but he is also an excellent student as well. He maintains a 3.57 grade point average in school, was a scholar athlete award winner in 2002 and 2003, and is a two-time member of the academic All-Big Ten team. Everything adds up to Greg Eslinger being one of the top center prospects available in the 2006 NFL draft.

Greg Eslinger has tons of experience at the center position, having been a starter for the past four seasons. In that time he has proven to be an extremely durable player, having not missed a single start in his entire career at the University of Minnesota. He has come a long way in terms of size, having put on 60 pounds of bulk since his freshman season. However, at 285 pounds, Eslinger is still undersized for an NFL center. He will need to continue to get bigger and stronger to avoid getting pushed around by some of the larger defensive linemen in the NFL. He is an outstanding run blocker and one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the nation. He does an excellent job of getting to the 2nd level in the run game. He needs to improve his pass-blocking technique, an area he wasn’t able to work on much in Minnesota where they ran the ball 60-70% of the time the majority of his career. Eslinger has all the intangibles you look for in a football player. He is very intelligent and almost always makes the proper line calls. He has a work ethic that is unmatched--He gives 100% on every play and is constantly working to improve his game. Greg Eslinger is one of the best centers in the nation and should be one of the top interior offensive linemen selected in the 2006 NFL draft.