Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - During the early portion of his career as an offensive lineman at the University of Connecticut, one of Chase Lundt's mentors was current Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark.
The two are, once again, teammates, but this time with the Bills, who selected Lundt during the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft this past Saturday.
Lundt is a pretty big dude, standing in at 6-foot-7 and 304 pounds, with 32 5/8-inch arms and a 77 3/4-inch wingspan.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Lundt was just a two-star recruit coming out of high school, but became a starter for the Huskies in 2021 as a red-shirt freshman.
Lundt ended up starting 49 games in his career for the Huskies, playing mostly right tackle. Back in 2019, tackle opposite of him on the offensive line was Van Demark.
Last season, Lundt was one of just 11 offensive tackles in the country who didn't allow a single sack over, at least, 400 snaps (he had 429). According to Pro Football Focus, Lundt was one of five tackles to allow less than 10 quarterback pressures.
Lundt was named a Group of Five All-American for his 2024 season in Storrs.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old in June was coached at UConn by former NFL head coach Jim Mora Jr. In fact, he stayed at Mora's house in the month leading up to the draft so he could pick his brains about what to expect in the NFL, and how to be successful.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the team will try Lundt at tackle, but offensive line coach Aaron Kromer always likes to get a look at guys inside too with how much the organization values flexibility with their linemen. They will get Lundt some reps at guard during the upcoming Organized Team Activities.
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Here is what Joe Marino from the "Locked On Bills" and "Locked on NFL Scouting" podcasts had to say about Lundt:
Positives:
Chase Lundt is a 49-game starter in college, which you love him coming in with that type of experience.
I love the movement skills, and this guy started playing offensive tackle his last year of high school after previously playing as a tight end. He moves like a tight end with easy ability to redirect as a smooth and fluid mover in pass protection.
I think he's excellent in space, so if you want to get this guy out on longer pulls, climbing to the second level, connecting with moving targets, he's got really good range in the run game and he's got an aggressive temperament.
You're going to love the way Lundt is physical, and is willing to be a tone setter with how he executes and how he finishes his blocks.
Concerns:
He's got a very narrow build with his body. Zero percentile for the wingspan, seven percentile for arm length, so that's just a tough body type to truly play tackle at the next level.
Then he's over 6-foot-7, and that's a tall guy to play on the inside at guard. I don't think, from a body type perspective, that he's really much of a natural player at either tackle or guard. You go inside at 6-foot-7, you're going to have some challenges potentially with bend and leverage.
You probably need him to be versatile to make it as a late-round pick. He's only ever played right tackle. Pretty much every snap of his college career was at right tackle, so he'll have to prove his versatility and overcome the body type, which has not been very translatable to the next level.
The rookies will be in town for minicamp from May 9-11.