Northern Michigan University football lineman Jake Witt, center, blocks for the Wildcats’ offense during a game last fall at the Superior Dome in Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Former Northern Michigan University offensive tackle Jake Witt was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the 236th overall pick in the seventh round late Saturday afternoon.

The 6-foot-7, 302-pound Witt, 23, was taken by the team that seemed to show the most interest in him, the Bruce Crossing native said.

“Their offensive line coach, Tony Sporano (Jr.), came up about a week ago to Marquette and worked me out,” Witt said by telephone on Sunday afternoon.

He said the Colts were also the only NFL team to contact him before he made his December announcement that he was available to be drafted.

Northern Michigan University's Tyquan Cox, right, runs to the outside behind Wildcats' blocker and Ewen-Trout Creek graduate Jake Witt during a college football game played against Post University at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Sept. 24. (Journal photo by Travis Nelson)

He said he was downstate on Sunday but planning to head back to the Upper Peninsula that afternoon. He said his plans were to go back to his hometown in the western U.P., but with heavy snow in the forecast for most of that portion of the peninsula for today, he added that he might not go that far west, at least not immediately.

It might seem that being taken in the seventh round — the final round of the pro league’s draft — might not bode well for a player who spent around a season and a half playing the O-line after being asked to switch from his original tight end position during an NMU game in the middle of the 2021 season.

“From what I understand, there was only other (NCAA) Division II player taken in the draft, a punter from some other conference than the GLIAC,” Witt said.

A look online showed only three punters selected, two from Division I schools and the third Ethan Evans of North Carolina D-II school Wingate, also in the seventh round 13 spots ahead of Witt at No. 223 overall.

Just getting drafted has Witt tickled pink.

Northern MIchigan University football player Jake Witt posed outside the Superior Dome for a university publicity photo last fall. (Photo courtesy NMU)

“When I declared for the draft, I figured I could get drafted, try to get signed as a free agent or go to a workout to try to make a team,” Witt said.

“The least likely I figured was getting drafted.”

But he has said all along that even the attention of declaring for the draft would bring interest from some or maybe just about all NFL teams.

And apparently it worked.

“I interviewed with 31 of the 32 NFL teams, and I had six visits, two private workouts and a couple (online) Zoom interviews,” he said.

“The (Philadelphia) Eagles also seemed to be interested, but then they traded their two seventh-round picks. Also, the (San Francisco) 49ers were showing definite interest.”

He added that as his name hadn’t been called by the end of the sixth round at midafternoon Saturday, he started getting multiple calls from NFL teams.

“They were saying they’d like to extend me a free agent contract,” Witt said. “They were trying to sell me on why their team would be a good fit for me.

“It’s been surreal, just surreal. When I declared, I really didn’t expect this kind of reception at all.”

Projected as a left tackle or right tackle on the offensive line with Indy, he said his attribute that seemed to impress the Colts and other teams was his explosiveness and athleticism.

“They thought I had pretty good explosiveness and athleticism for a guy my size,” he said.

Witt said that should give him one quality that lower-round picks and projects like himself need to succeed — versatility.

“You’ve got to be ready to go in there when they call your name,” he said about NFL head coaches during game situations.

Interestingly, Indy has a new head coach this year, Shane Steichen, but has had Jim Irsay as owner for a number of years.

When asked if he’d talked to either one yet, he said, “Yes.”

But which one? “Both.”

Witt said the Colts are talking only about him playing on the offensive line, not back at his old tight end position where he started at NMU.

At a pro day hosted by Central Michigan University in downstate Mount Pleasant in March, draft prospects underwent rigorous workouts, physical exams and psychological testing to determine which of these men have “the right stuff” for pro football.

In front of scouts from 28 NFL teams, Witt did his best to stand out from the crowd.

“Jake won the equivalent of three gold medals and a silver versus the 35 offensive linemen tested at the recent NFL Scouting Combine,” said Witt’s trainer, Dustin Brancheau of AdvantEDGE Sports in Marquette, in a press release about Witt’s participation in the event. “He also beat or tied two all-time combine records for his position.”

His agent also gushed about that event.

“Jake was mobbed by 20 scouts after his workout. It looked like he was holding a press conference,” said David Gregory of Bullrush Sports just after the CMU workout day. “We’ve been taking calls from multiple teams almost every day since the Pro Day.”

Witt said that for lower-round picks like himself, there is a four-year standard contract to be signed, though some other particulars like a signing bonus can apparently be negotiated.

“I just have to get down to Indianapolis to sign it,” Witt said.

Witt took a rather circuitous route to get to the NFL, playing eight-player football at tiny Ewen-Trout Creek High School, which the ESPN analysts at the time of his pick made sure to get in that he was his class valedictorian.

ESPN also showed video of him playing basketball at MTU and football at NMU.

Immediately following high school, he went to Michigan Tech, where he played basketball for a year or two before transferring to Northern.

“I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason,” Witt said. “I was so burned out from basketball, so I wanted to play football instead.

“And it just happened that Northern had the program I wanted to study and Tech didn’t.”

And he was also quite effusive in his praise for the Wildcats’ outgoing coaching staff that was headed up by Kyle Nystrom, who resigned shortly after the season last fall.

“They were the guys that got me in, gave me the opportunity — Scott McDougall, both Jurasins (Bob and J.T.) and especially Coach (Dylan) Chmura,” Witt said. “(Chmura) was the one who made the decision to switch me to the line.”

NMU Sports Information provided information on past Wildcats’ draft picks:

• Northern’s most recent NFL pick was Mark Maddox, by the Buffalo Bills in 1991 also in the seventh round with the 249th overall pick, which was 32 years ago;

• The last NMU player drafted higher than the seventh round was running back Andy Andrade by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round in 1974, the 101st overall pick;

• Between Andrade and Maddox, defensive end Joe Harvey was picked by New England in the 13th round of ’75, running back Stu Betts by the Patriots in the eighth round in ’76, wide receiver Maurice Mitchell by Kansas City in the 11th round in ’77, quarterback Todd Krueger in the eighth round by Buffalo in ’80, QB Phil Kessel by Washington in the 10th round of ’81, and defensive back Jerry Woods in the seventh round by Detroit in ’89.

• Sixteen other Wildcats were drafted from 1974 back to 1961, the highest being two fourth-round picks — guard Curtis Marker by the Cowboys in ’67 and linebacker Tim Kearney by the Cowboys in ’72.

Steve Brownlee can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.