NFL Draft prospect: Wake Forest center Luke Petitbon

On a run play in Wake Forest’s opening game against North Carolina A&T, center Luke Petitbon pushed his man backward. Petitbon then pivoted to his left, creating a seal, creating an alley for running back Demond Claiborne. Petitbon continued to push his man to the left as Claiborne headed for the right sideline. 

Claiborne was pushed out of bounds 48 yards downfield, onto the A&T sideline. As often happens when a player goes out on the wrong side of the field, players from A&T milled around him, either looking for trouble or just trying to intimidate. 

Suddenly, a Wake teammate pushed through the crowd and helped Claiborne to his feet—Luke Petitbon, who, despite being headed in the opposite direction the last time fans saw him, was the first man to make it halfway downfield and push his way into hostile territory. 

“No one likes him,” one NFL scout said of Petitbon, meaning it in the best of ways. “Everybody hates the guy. Everybody that plays against him, that is—in games or practices. He’s mean. He’s dirty. He’s just the kind of guy you want on your side.” 

Petitbon comes not just from a football family, but one with solid roots on the other side of the ball. His grandfather was NFL defensive wizard Richie Petitbon, and his father played linebacker at Maryland in the 1980s. 

Luke also played on defensive line as a two-way player in high school at Gonzaga in Washington, D.C. The 3-star recruit’s future at the next level was on the offensive line, however. He primarily played guard in high school where he was mobile, pulling frequently. He has a mean streak, blocking at least until the whistle, if not longer, even if his man was flat on the ground. 

Despite moving to center at Wake, Petitbon still shows his mobility, both horizontally and in a phone booth. He’s whip quick at sealing, able to pivot his body and get into position at a moment’s notice. He’s also able to move left to right and frequently hits two different guys on the same play. In Wake’s ACC opener against Virginia this year, he successfully blocked both defenders on a stunt, stopping the guy in front of him and passing him off to a teammate, then picking up the stunter. 

Petitbon also still flashes his nasty streak, particularly when he gets the chance to pick up a blitzer. He tried his best to lay out a Virginia safety on a blitz, hitting him again and again. 

He’s also an intelligent player. Responsible for changes in blocking protections, he’s frequently pointing out potential blitzers and adjusting assignments until the snap. He also has a good sense of where he is and can block well in traffic, often taking advantage of the bodies falling to the ground around him to help floor a defender. 

At 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, he doesn’t overpower people, like he did in high school, but he holds his own, even against the fierce Ole Miss defensive front in Wake’s most recent game. He blocked two Rebels defenders to the ground and has floored a total of eight people so far this season (again, his penchant to take advantage of his surroundings to force defenders to trip makes it tough to call them all pancakes) while he’s rarely off his feet. There was only one play this season, early against Ole Miss, where he was truly overpowered and pushed backward by a rusher. 

His snapping (nearly all in the shotgun) has improved over the years but is still likely his weakest area.  In 233 snaps this year, he had 13 where the quarterback had to hop to get the ball (although on only two did his hands raise above head level or below the waist) and another 14 where the quarterback had to come out of his crouch. Petitbon will find a rhythm during games and have long stretches where the quarterback doesn’t even have to move his hands to get the ball, but he occasionally loses the strike zone, often at inopportune times. Against Virginia and Ole Miss, he had snaps in the red zone that were off the mark. In the UVA game, it threw off the play’s timing, and against Ole Miss, the ball went over the quarterback’s head for a blown play. He also had snaps that were off the mark when Wake was backed up to its own goal line and on Wake’s last-ditch play at the end of the UVA game, when Wake was taking one more shot at scoring. 

There’s a chance Petitbon might move back to the guard spot at the next level unless his snapping improves. He’s currently in his junior year at Wake and it’s unlikely he’d decide to jump early to the NFL. Most scouting services grade him just outside the top 10 of the center class this year and a late-round pick at best. 

He already has a degree from Wake Forest, so he may opt to transfer for his final season of eligibility. His brother played line at Alabama, and the Tide’s current starting center, Parker Brailsford, would likely be at the top of the position’s draft class if he leaves early.