Moderator: Jake0890
Mike Pollak (OT)
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 299
College: Arizona State
Conference: Pac 10
Hometown: Tempe, AZ
High School: Corona del Sol
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Selected by: Indianapolis Colts
Round: 2
Pick (Overall): 28 (59)
Pick Analysis: Pollack is an athletic lineman, who projects to play center for the Colts. Though he won't start, Pollack will have an outstanding mentor in Pro Bowler Jeff Saturday. Pollack, who is actually a bit taller than Saturday, has the quickness and technique to be successful at the
Perhaps the strongest and toughest blocker in the Pac-10 Conference, the Sun Devils relied on the leader of their line to stabilize the offense up front.
Overview & Career Notes:
Despite having five starters return to the offensive line in 2007, the unit struggled, with Pollak being the lone bright spot while ASU quarterbacks were sacked 55 times.
One of the top centers in the nation, Pollak improved significantly in each of his four seasons on the field at ASU. He follows a lineage of accomplished athletes at the center position in recent years for the Sun Devils, including All-Pac-10 Conference honorees Grayling Love, Drew Hodgdon and Scott Peters.
The versatile and powerful interior lineman performed extremely well and was named to the 2007 Rimington Trophy Watch List, an award annually presented to the nation's top center. He was awarded the Tim Landers Iron Man Award, given to the Sun Devil with exemplary work ethic in the weight room, on the field or in the community. Pollak also won the Cecil Bono Team Captain Award and the Pat Tillman Award at the end of his collegiate career. He excelled in the classroom, where he was one of eight Sun Devils on the 2007 roster and one of five ASU offensive linemen to have earned his undergraduate degree prior to his final season.
Pollak attended Corona del Sol High School, where he earned two votes in The Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best In The West" rating. He was a member of The Tacoma News Tribune's "Western 100" and rated as the eighth-best prospect in the state of Arizona by Super Prep. He added All-Region honors from Prep Star and ranked as the sixth-best offensive lineman in the West by PacWestFootball.com.
Pollak was named first-team All-Arizona by The Arizona Republic, as he also collected first-team All-City and All-Conference recognition as a senior. That year, he graded 92% for pass blocking, 86% for run blocking and generated 67 knockdowns, picking up Super All-State first-team honors on offense from the Phoenix Metro Football Magazine.
The versatile lineman played offensive guard and defensive tackle, but had not played football before coming to Corona. He was also a standout baseball pitcher, earning first-team All-Region, All-East Valley, All-Conference and honorable mention All-State accolades as a junior, playing three seasons on the baseball diamond. He also served as the captain of his baseball and football teams.
Pollak enrolled at Arizona State in 2003, spending the season competing on the scout team as an offensive guard and center. When All-Pac-10 center Drew Hodgdon was injured in fall camp, Pollak stepped in and started the team's first four games at center. He contributed to a passing offense that led the Pac-10 and ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 317.3 yards per game.
As a sophomore, Pollak played in all 12 games, starting the team's final five contests (started six total) for All-Pac-10 honoree Grayling Love, who was sidelined due to an injury. In the games in which he started, ASU averaged 510.7 yards per game in total offense and scored an average of 36.0 points per game.
In 2006, Pollak was named All-Pac-10 Conference second-team. He was chosen the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman and earned Hard Hat Player honors for his efforts in the team's offseason strength and conditioning program for the third-straight season. With him in the pivot, ASU averaged 367.3 yards per game in total offense.
The Sun Devils won their first eight games under new head coach Dennis Erickson, as Pollak garnered first-team All-Pac-10 Conference honors. He allowed four of the team's 55 quarterback sacks, but generally did a steady job of protecting QB Rudy Carpenter in the pocket. ASU would go on to average 399.6 yards per game. The center would post 80 knockdowns, coming up with an impressive 15 touchdown-resulting blocks.
Pollak arrived at Arizona State in 2003 and redshirted his first year. In his first two active seasons (2004-'05), he appeared in 20 games and earned valuable experience (nine starts). Pollak solidified his place in the Sun Devils' lineup as a junior, and ended his career having made 31 consecutive starts (and played in 38 straight games). Pollak is an underrated athlete and an outstanding technician. He plays under control with very good awareness and excellent range both in pass pro and as a run blocker. His size and strength are adequate but he's not going to overpower many defenders and we would like to see him play with a bit more of a mean streak. With that in mind, Pollak should be one of the top two centers selected in April's draft and he's worth a late-second or early-third round pick for a team employing a zone-blocking
