Taking a look at a Jets offensive line prospect
The New York Jets recently signed former European League of Football offensive lineman Leander Wiegand as an undrafted free agent. Today we break Wiegand down in detail.
The 25-year old Wiegand is listed at 6’5” and 291 pounds. He did not play college football. He has been playing in the ELF (European League of Football) for the past three seasons and has been a two-time all-star.
Background
Wiegand was a three-star high school recruit who grew up in Germany and played football in an amateur league when he was 18 and 19. He was rewarded with a scholarship from UCF, who apparently had never seen him play and offered him based solely on his athleticism. Although he accepted the scholarship and attended UCF for a few months, Wiegand dropped out before he ever played a game due to personal reasons.
In 2022, Wiegand joined the Cologne Centurions of the ELF and started for them in his rookie season. In 2023, he moved to the Rhein Fire in the same league and earned first-team all-star recognition. Finally, in 2024, he changed teams again and earned second-team all-star recognition with the Munich Ravens.
Wiegand was eligible for the 2025 draft and drew interest after a strong performance at the IPP pro day. However, he was not selected.
After Wiegand went undrafted, the Jets signed him via the International Player Pathway to an undrafted free agent deal with $249K of guaranteed money.
Let’s move on to some more in-depth analysis of what Wiegand brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
As noted, Wiegand was able to impress UCF with his athleticism, after which he also impressed during ELF workouts in 2023 with a 32-inch vertical and 7.33 three-cone drill.
Wiegand has good size and adequate length. At the IPP pro day, he weighed in at 318, which is actually 27 pounds heavier than his current officially listed weight with the Jets.
His most impressive numbers there were a 32-inch vertical and 38 bench press reps. At the NFL scouting combine, nobody had more than 33 reps. In addition, only six people had a better vertical than Wiegand and only one of those was heavier than he was.
His other numbers were solid but unspectacular, although his 40-yard dash was clocked at a slightly disappointing 5.39.
Usage
Wiegand’s three years have given him some excellent experience and versatility as he started for most of each year in three different positions. He played right tackle at Cologne, then moved to right guard with Rhein before playing last season as Munich’s left guard.
He also lined up in the backfield or as a jumbo tight end from time to time. He had one carry for one yard and this athletic touchdown catch.
Pass Blocking
Wiegand started off as a tackle and showed the ability to drop into his stance and mirror the edge rusher’s approach. However, there were times where an edge rusher was able to leverage around him.
Once he moved inside, the experience at tackle seemed to have served him well as he looked comfortable getting into position and engaging his man.
Against a bull rush he can be moved off his spot initially but has the strength to re-anchor and gain control of his man.
Run Blocking
Wiegand has a good impact in the running game, with the strength and power to create a surge and open lanes.
He flashes aggression and the strength to win battles in the trenches, overpowering his man impressively here.
He is capable of getting on the move and making blocks in space, both when pulling or in stretch-zone type looks.
Short Yardage
Wiegand is a good option to run behind in short yardage situations, with the ability to drive his man off the line or move him laterally to create a running lane.
There were a few times where he was stood up at the point of attack in goal line situations when playing inside, but these were often still converted successfully anyway.
Screen Blocking
Wiegand’s teams often used the screen pass and required him to leak out into space to lead the way. In such situations, what stood out was his awareness and ability to find a target.
Footwork/Technique
Wiegand’s footwork was arguably a little clunky early on in his career, but he seemed to make good progress in that area, dropping into his stance well, moving laterally effectively and playing with good balance.
His pad level is generally good, enabling him to use his strength and length to win leverage battles in the trenches.
In terms of his hand-fighting, he is noticeably deliberate when delivering his first punch. This suggests he has listened to his coaches and paid attention to where his hand placement should be and how his strikes should be timed. It’s good that he is trusting his technique and if he can continue to speed up that process, he’ll be that much more effective at the contact point.
He can still be taken advantage of at times, though. On this play, he is beaten for a sack as his man gets him off balance to get past him on a bull-jerk move.
Penalties
According to league records, Wiegand’s on-field discipline was solid as he just had one holding penalty last season and two false starts in 2023.
Special Teams
Special teams were not one of Wiegand’s primary responsibilities at the ELF level, but he did participate as a blocker on the placekicking unit at times, which is likely all he’d be asked to do at the NFL level.
Instincts/Intelligence
Wiegand lacks top-level experience, but has had plenty of playing time at multiple positions and coaching from former NFL talent including Joe Thomas. English not being his first language is also not a concern.
He often had to read and react in stunt situations or as the spare man but there were admittedly times when he seemed confused about who to block if there was nobody right in front of him.
Attitude
Wiegand’s discipline and work ethic have been praised by coaches and he seems determined to compete for a role with the Jets.
On the field, it seems like there are lots of times where he makes his initial block and then just stands around even as the play continues to develop. This may be more a lack of experience in terms of where to go “looking for work” rather than laziness or poor conditioning, though. He does dial up the aggression sometimes:
Injuries
Wiegand missed a couple of starts each season and did have some undisclosed injuries but he finished each year healthy. He also sat out a recent OTA practice with the Jets for undisclosed reasons.
Scheme Fit
It may be too early to consider scheme fit for Wiegand, who is more than likely viewed as a longer-term development project. Playing on three different teams over the past three seasons should serve him well, though.
Whether he works as a guard or a tackle will be interesting to watch. As noted, he has experience in both roles. His two all-star appearances came in the past two seasons after moving inside. However, that could have as much to do with him having developed and gained experience as the move inside being better for him.
Conclusions
With $249K guaranteed and his IPP status ensuring that he won’t count towards the player limit this season, Wiegand’s place on the practice squad is pretty secure. This is one of those situations where the Jets can place him on the practice squad and he won’t be eligible to be activated. If he progresses faster than expected to the point where activating him is a possibility they want to keep alive, then they’d have to put him on the practice squad player without his IPP designation and he would count towards the limit after all.
It’s difficult to read too much into his ELF film because of the level of play, but Wiegand is obviously a strong and athletic player who is very raw but with signs of development potential.
Jordan Mailata is the IPP’s big success story and the Jets will be aiming to emulate that with Wiegand, although they don’t boast the league’s top offensive line coach so it would be impressive if they can turn him into any kind of contributor.