Reese Dismukes off and running as top 2 center prospect

INDIANAPOLIS – Asked to draw up his favorite play in one of several meetings with NFL teams Tuesday night, Reese Dismukes knew exactly which one he'd pick.

"Inside zone," the former Auburn center and Rimington Trophy winner said. "I like to run the ball."

Dismukes led one of the best offensive lines in college football the last two years, helping Auburn be among the best rushing attacks in the country, with back-to-back SEC rushing leaders in Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne.

As he vies to be the top center selected in this year's NFL Draft, Dismukes, a two-year captain and four-year starter, feels his run blocking and leadership set him apart.

"I think I'm pretty experienced," he said. "I think my run blocking especially stands out."

The Spanish Fort native stood out among his peers on Wednesday, weighing in at 296 pounds, the only offensive linemen to come in under 300 pounds, according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt.

Dismukes said he played at 306 this past season and is working on getting up to 310 by changing his diet to remove carbs and sugars.

"I leaned up a little bit in training and I'm still putting weight on but you can't do that overnight," Dismukes said. "I'm not really worried about my weight. I played as light as 285 (while dealing with ankle and shoulder injuries in 2012) in the SEC. Obviously the NFL is a whole different animal."

When Greg Robinson entered last year's draft questions arose as to his pass blocking after such a heavy run game from Auburn, but with a longer collegiate resume, Dismukes is not facing the same scrutiny.

"I think I'm pretty solid," Dismukes said. "We were probably more pass this year than we were last year. I don't think that's an area of concern with anybody but I'll just tell them that I can do it and they got 50 games to look at me doing it."

Dismukes said he met or will meet with 10-12 teams this week, including the Rams, Lions, Colts, Saints, Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs, Cardinals, Bears and Falcons.

Projections range wildly for where Dismukes could be selected, with NFLDraftScout.com having him as a second-round pick as the top center in the draft, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock seeing him as a mid-rounder because of the relatively low value at the position.

Thought the financial consequences are the biggest change in such a disparity in the draft, there are no doubters as to Dismukes' ability to succeed at the next level.

"Reese Dismukes is a really, smart tough football player and I've learned one thing in the last 10 years it's that smart, tough interior offensive linemen play in the league for a long time," Mayock said. "He may not go until the fourth or fifth round but it doesn't matter. He's a smart, tough center, he'll find his way in the NFL."