BOZEMAN, Montana — So often, a position switch comes with platitudes of praise.
Teammates and coaches talk about unselfishness and doing what’s best for the team. Many times, the narrative also gravitates towards how the player willing to switch to a different spot to help his team also gave himself a new opportunity to get on the football field.
And while these dynamics certainly apply to the story of Marcus Wehr, the Montana State offensive lineman’s position switch also opened a whole new world of opportunities. Over the past four seasons, the Billings native first transformed into one of the best offensive linemen in college football before evolving into one of the top pro prospects – at any position – in the FCS.
Last off-season, the freakishly strong 6-foot-2, 301-pounder landed on national college football writer Bruce Feldman’s famed “Top 100 Biggest Freaks in college football” list because of his weight room exploits and explosive athleticism.
Last fall, his first season as a full-time offensive guard, Wehr had a Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 93.5, the highest in all of college football among interior offensive linemen.
He ended his Bobcat career as a first-team All-American for the second year in a row, marking the first time that a Montana State offensive lineman has earned that distinction twice.
If things go according to plan, the Billings Central alum will become the first Montana State player to be drafted into the NFL since Daniel Hardy was a 7th round pick in 2022. If Wehr gets his name called during this weekend’s NFL Draft, he will be the 63rd native Montanan drafted into one of the most competitive professional leagues in the world.
Wehr has the work ethic and mindset that would’ve likely made him at least a contributing, solid defensive lineman if he had stayed at the position he was recruited to college to play. But what if he never would’ve made the switch? If you never knew, you’d never know that Wehr was slated to play anything but offensive line coming out of high school.
“He looks like all the guys that have made it, whether it’s Dylan McMahon or Juice Scruggs or Mason McCormick — made of the right things, have the experience, maximized their play at an all-star game like this. Those guys get drafted, make rosters and play for a long time,” East-West Shrine Bowl director of football operations and player personnel Eric Galko told 406MTsports.com earlier this year.
“I’m obviously a big fan of Marcus. We at the Shrine Bowl invited him really early because we believed in him as a player pretty early on and think he’s a slam dunk NFL player and a draft pick. I think NFL teams agree with that. If they didn’t before, they definitely do now.”
And to think, Wehr wasn’t recruited as an offensive lineman out of a Class A Montana high school that’s carved out a reputation for its option football exploits. Not only that – Wehr toiled for several seasons along Montana State’s defensive line, breaking the rotation but never emerging as any sort of stalwart or star.
Wehr first honed his natural, grown-man strength working in his father’s tire shop in the Magic City. When he first came out of Billings Central and signed with the Bobcats in the Class of 2019, he was a 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end.
“From the first day when we first came in our freshman year of 2019, I could tell he was a different cat, just the way he approached everything,” MSU center Justus Perkins said in July. “He talked about all the time how he was going to play 30 to 40 snaps (per game) his redshirt freshman year.”
Wehr redshirted in 2019, then 2020 came around and nobody played any football. He played a bit along the Bobcat defensive line in 2021 before MSU head coach Brent Vigen came to him with a proposition: he felt Wehr could have a better opportunity to play more snaps and would help the Bobcats most along the offensive line.
By the time fall camp rolled around in 2022, Vigen was openly talking about how Montana State’s offensive line would take a big step forward from 2021. It seemed like a bold, almost impossible-to-fulfill statement given that the 2021 offensive line was anchored by future NFL player Lewis Kidd and multiple-time All-Big Sky guard Taylor Tuiasosopo.
But the 2022 ‘Cat offensive line eventually proved their coach’s proclamation correct – and much of that was because of the emergence of Wehr as a stud right tackle to anchor Montana State’s power run game.
“He has become obsessed with offensive line play,” Vigen said in December. “His attention to detail is like very few offensive linemen I’ve ever been around. He understands our offense at a very, very high level and that’s why he can execute so consistently.”
Wehr transformed his body physically, putting on more than 30 pounds in the first off-season after the switch and another 20 more over the last few years. He talked about how strenuous and time-consuming it was to eat that many calories, but never complained for a minute.
“From the start, he was a kid who stuck it out when things weren’t going his way,” former Montana State All-American quarterback Tommy Mellott said on Tuesday. “He worked his butt off and tried to do everything right on and off the field. But it wasn’t working out as a D-lineman. And when he was asked to give a look as an offensive lineman, he did it with a smile on his face because it would help the team.
“He’s always been a lunch-pail kind of guy who shows up and does what is asked of him to the best of his ability. Then he transformed into an amazing O-lineman because he was so intentional about trying to help the team. It wasn’t about his success, ever, I don’t think. It was because he knew if he learned how to play, he could help the team. And all of a sudden, he was the best O-lineman on our team.”
Part of the transition was physical. Part of it was mental.
“He’s also become obsessed with offensive linemen and being one,” Vigen said with a laugh. “He’s a big Packers fan. And his favorite player is David Bakhtiari. Who does that? Who’s favorite player is actually an offensive lineman? Marcus Wehr’s is.”
Wehr made 31 starts over the last three seasons and has been a part of a tremendous amount of winning. He has two Big Sky Conference championship rings. MSU won 35 games since Wehr made the switch, although he missed the second half of the 2021 season with a lower leg injury that he bounced back from in short order. He has helped pave the way for three of the most prolific rushing attacks in the history of the Big Sky.
And he’s done it while fully embracing his evolution into a hog molly. He’s never once mentioned missing the chance to get sacks or lamented what he could’ve been as a defensive lineman.
“I just kind of like the concept of, nobody really knows who we are, and we work in the dark, and we don’t score the touchdowns, but the running backs do,” Wehr said with a chuckle at the Big Sky Kickoff media event in Spokane last July. “I like the anonymous concept and it was a fresh start from the D line. And that’s kind of just what I needed. I took that, and now we’re here.”
“Here” is the brink of the NFL. Switching to the offensive line helped unlock Wehr’s pro potential. Being unselfish enough to move to offensive guard as a senior after earning first-team All-American honors at right tackle as a junior perhaps turned Wehr into a sure-fire draft prospect.
As good as Wehr is at playing power tackle — and he’s great, grading out as the highest ranked offensive tackle in college football, according to PFF, in 2023 — he’s a prototype as a guard. His ability to maul opponents, his get-off when the ball is snapped, his power at the point of attack, and his violent nature, all fueled by, in Vigen’s words, a “mean and ornery demeanor” – all are the exact characteristics that an NFL team looks for in an interior offensive lineman.
“Coming into this fall, knowing he was going to be the right tackle, he also knew he had to be the backup right guard,” said former MSU offensive line coach Al Johnson last semester. “He had to play last year at right guard against NDSU and then we had some injuries. All-American at right tackle as a junior, never said boo about going to right guard. Whatever he needed to do, he worked through it and mastered the details and became the best in the country.
“He is physical, he is athletic, and he has a really great first and second step. He finishes blocks. Then you add that strength and that quickness and he’s dominant. And he wants to be great. He doesn’t take plays off. He doesn’t take practice reps out. He never takes it easy on any of his opponents. He wants to be great and he holds himself to a very high standard. That’s what makes him who he is.”
All of that might help him get his name called early on Saturday during the 4th or 5th round of the NFL Draft. Most prognosticators project Wehr to go somewhere between the 5th and 7th rounds. If he goes undrafted, he will certainly land an undrafted free agent contract.
The certainty in that statement comes from the film Wehr has produced, the coaching he’s received, the personal dedication he’s displayed and the way he tested a few weeks ago on Montana State’s Pro Day.
After pounding out 29 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press, ripping off a 34.5 inch vertical and broad jumping 9-foot-6, all at 301 pounds, Wehr solidified himself alongside Sac State offensive lineman Jackson Slater as the top NFL prospect in the Big Sky Conference.
“He’s always been explosive,” MSU strength and conditioning coach Sean Herrin said after MSU’s Pro Day. “Early on, he was like 250 pounds. Oftentimes, when you put on a ton of weight, your jumping, your 40, your explosiveness, it goes way down. For him, it didn’t. Then all of a sudden, we realized he was just getting better.
“He’s a true professional, the way he takes care of his body, the way he trains, his mindset, the way he attacks everything. He’s impressive and I knew he was going to test well, but he really impressed me and surprised me a little bit.”
Regardless of where Wehr lands this weekend, his ability will help him provide depth to an NFL offensive line and his versatility will make him an alluring prospect with the potential for multiple opportunities. And once he reaches the highest level of football, he might be able to ascend one more level.
“I do think he has a lot of growth, but I think his remaining growth has to come at the next level when he sees that speed, when he sees that strength, when he sees those pass rushes, when he sees how they are coaching the defensive line and what scheme he’s in,” Johnson said. “He has growth left, but it will be in the pros with the little things. He is so good at the college level, he has become about as good as you can become until you start going against exclusively guys who are in the NFL.”
Wehr has a well-earned reputation as a player who lets his ability and his production do the talking rather than seeking the spotlight. He turned down an interview request for this story, yet expressed thanks for the request and the support. He himself probably best summed up how he sees it if he does get a shot in the NFL the last interview he did at the Shrine Bowl.
“No matter if you’re the first pick in the draft or the last pick, you’re an NFL player. What you do with that really decides your career,” Wehr said a few months ago.
The NFL Draft begins Thursday in, of all places, Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of Wehr’s beloved Packers.
