University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz was taken 98th overall in the third round of the 2021 National Football League Draft by the Denver Broncos on Friday night.
Meinerz, a guard for the Warhawks from 2017-19, is UW-W's highest NFL Draft Pick in program history. The previous high was Vilnis Ezerins, who was taken with the 112th pick (eighth round) in the 1966 draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
Meinerz was a consensus All-American as a junior in 2019, picking up first team accolades from the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association and second team honors from D3football.com. His performance helped UW-Whitewater claim its second straight WIsconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and reach the Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III national championship game.
Meinerz was elected as a captain by his teammates heading into the 2020 season. Following the cancellation of the campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meinerz continued to train and impressed scouts and coaches at the Reese's Senior Bowl, which took place Jan. 30 in Mobile, Ala.
Meinerz's style of wearing his jersey to expose "The Gut" made headlines on social media, but it was his play on the field that wowed football personnel. Over the last three months, he soared up the boards in mock drafts all over the internet and was the subject of stories that appeared in local, regional and national media outlets.
Meinerz has regularly appeared on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football", and recently led the debut of Fox Sports' "The Big Boys Club" with former NFL offensive lineman and current Fox Sports analyst Geoff Schwartz.
Meinerz is the first UW-Whitewater player taken in the NFL Draft since 2007 and the seventh in program history.
See below for some of the social media posts from Friday night.
