Drew
Dalman.
Drew
Dalman.
Stanford· 6'3"· 299 lb· 5.11s 40
"A 6-foot-3, 299-pound Stanford center with elite mobility (5.11 forty, 7.33 three-cone, 9.91 RAS) — a Round-4 zone-scheme starter projection where anchor against nose tackles was the flag."Pre-draft read
Dalman excels as a zone-scheme center, prioritizing angles, athletic recovery, and processing speed. He's the pivot in outside- and mid-zone, showing plus lateral quickness to reach 1-techniques and efficient climbs to the second level on combos. His rare change-of-direction allows him to re-fit hands mid-block when defenders slant, preventing penetration.
His pass protection features a set punch with short, on-time hands into the sternum, combined with a wide base to mirror interior twists and re-anchor against speed-to-power. While solid on scoop and drive blocks against smaller techniques, larger 0-techniques can challenge him if they win first contact. His football IQ, including protection calls and mike identification, is a notable asset.
He's ideally suited for a wide zone run scheme that emphasizes athletic, movement-based offensive linemen capable of reaching, scooping, and climbing to the second level.
A Year 1 rotational backup with the upside to become a long-term starter at center in a zone-heavy scheme.
Gap/duo power run schemes that rely on static mass and displacement at the point of attack for interior offensive linemen.
Dalman's athletic profile and high football IQ make him a strong fit for a zone scheme, where his movement skills and processing speed can compensate for his relative lack of mass.
Drew Dalman Rookie Spotlight
Team-produced spotlight from his rookie year including tape breakdowns of reach blocks and second-level climbs from his Stanford film.
Drew Dalman Player Profile
Chicago's introduction package after signing him in 2025 free agency; includes NFL cutups of the pivot in zone runs and pass-protection reps.
Drew Dalman on QB/C exchange
Coaching-clinic clip where Dalman himself explains snap timing and pre-snap communication — a window into the football IQ that drives the projection.
Dalman projects as a movement-based center, best suited for a zone-heavy scheme where his athletic recovery and processing speed can be maximized. A team would be acquiring a pivot capable of directing traffic and quarterbacking a young offensive line in an offense that values quickness and precise angles over raw power at the point of attack.
A three-year starter at Stanford, he consistently worked in a run-heavy Cardinal offense that showcased his ability on reach blocks and pull tracks. Evaluators valued his intelligence, highlighted by his Pac-12 All-Academic honors and consistent hand technique. He served as the pivot for an offense that leaned on his ability to reach and climb, demonstrating how he could be deployed. His pre-draft testing, including a 5.11 forty-yard dash, confirmed his on-field athleticism.
The primary concern was his mass at the point of attack; at under 300 pounds, evaluators noted he could be pushed back by larger 0-techniques on gap runs and extended pass protection downs. Consensus anticipated him as a Round 3-4 selection, a projection that materialized with his selection at pick 114.
- 01
Zone Scheme Fit
Dalman excels as a zone-scheme center, prioritizing angles, athletic recovery, and impressive processing speed.
- 02
Play Strength Recovery
He shows rare change-of-direction, allowing him to re-fit hands and body mid-block when defenders slant, preventing penetration into the backfield.
- 03
Pass Protection Punches
His pass protection features a set punch with short, on-time hands into the sternum, combined with a wide base to mirror interior twists.
- 04
Instincts and IQ
His football IQ is a notable asset, including excellent protection calls and precise mike identification for the offensive line.
- 05
Line Movement Athlecism
He displays plus lateral quickness to reach 1-techniques and efficient climbs to the second level on combo blocks.
- 01
Zero Technique Size
He is under 300 pounds and larger 0-techniques can challenge him if they win first contact over the ball.
- 02
Mass Concerns
He lacks ideal mass at the point of attack and evaluators note he can be pushed back by larger defenders on gap runs.
- 03
Anchor Strength
His anchor can be stressed when facing persistent speed-to-power rushers in long-yardage situations, occasionally collapsing pocket depth.
- 04
Run Block Power
While solid on scoop and drive blocks against smaller techniques, he struggles in power situations against bigger interior linemen.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.11sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 109inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.33sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.52sp50
- Bench
- 33repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Stanford | 14 |
| 2018 | Stanford | 13 |
| 2019 | Stanford | 12 |
| 2020 | Stanford | 6 |
| Career | — | 45 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Undersized-for-position pivot who wins with quickness, technique and communication; grows into a multi-year starter and eventual second contract.
Ceiling as a top-five zone-scheme center whose movement and IQ unlock an entire run game — Dalman has the processing, not the same anchor.
Late-round center with athletic traits who becomes a solid starter for a zone-heavy offense before injuries and mass questions cap the ceiling.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Steal. Rotational rookie year, full-time starter by Year 2, top-15 PFF center grades in 2023-24. Signed 3-year, $27M extension with Atlanta in 2024. Round-4 to top-15 center is elite value.
Pre-draft context. Dalman entered the 2021 process as one of the cleanest interior evaluations on Day 3: 6-foot-3, 299 pounds, three-year Stanford starter, son of former Broncos guard Chris Dalman, and one of the most athletic centers ever tested at the position — 5.11 forty, 33-inch vertical, 109-inch broad, 7.33 three-cone and 4.52 shuttle, a 9.91 RAS that put him in the 97th percentile of historical centers. Board consensus put him in the Round 3-4 range with a starting ceiling for a zone-heavy offense; the flag was pure mass at the point of attack against big-bodied noses and pure power schemes.
NFL fit — Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta took him at 114 to develop behind Matt Hennessy in a wide-zone system, an offense whose entire run identity was built on the exact reach and climb skills Dalman flashed at Stanford. Fit was as clean as it gets: a movement center in a movement offense, protected in his first year by Hennessy and Chris Lindstrom on either side, with a clear runway to the starting job by 2022.
Retrospective. Dalman is one of the best Day 3 picks of the 2021 class. He took over the starting job in 2022, and by 2023 he was a top-five center by most public grading services, anchoring an Atlanta line that finished top-10 in run efficiency. A high-ankle sprain cost him most of 2024, but the market answered in March 2025 when the Chicago Bears signed him to a three-year deal reported at roughly $42 million to be their new starting center — a full second contract at the position, on a competitive AAV, exactly the outcome the pre-draft profile pointed to. A hit at 114, and by contract value one of the two or three best center picks from any round of this class.