Witt, who started with the Wildcats as a tight end and later made the switch to offensive tackle, is an Upper Peninsula native as an alumnus of Ewen-Trout Creek High School.

With the Panthers in MHSAA Class D and Division 4, Witt played eight-player football, along with being a member of the boys basketball and track and field teams.

He was a two-time all-state First Team and All-Upper Peninsula Dream Team selection in football, also earning all-state in basketball for three years. And he played college basketball at Michigan Tech University before transferring to NMU to go on the gridiron.

It’s no small feat to be noticed by big-league NFL scouts as a NCAA Division II athlete, so just how did he do it?

Jake Witt, right, receives the game ball from Ewen-Trout Creek athletic director Shawn Brown during the second quarter of a Panthers’ high school boys basketball game played against Baraga at the Vikings’ gym in February 2017. The ceremony marked Witt reaching 1,000 points in his high school career. (Houghton Daily Mining Gazette file photo by Daver Karnosky)

At a pro day hosted by Central Michigan University in downstate Mount Pleasant, young athletes underwent rigorous workouts, physical exams and psychological testing to determine which of these young men have “the right stuff” for pro football.

In front of scouts from 28 of the 32 NFL teams, Witt did his best to stand out from the crowd.

“Jake won the equivalent of three gold medals and a silver versus the 35 offensive linemen tested at the recent NFL Scouting Combine,” said Witt’s trainer, Dustin Brancheau of AdvantEDGE Sports in Marquette, in a press release about Witt’s participation in the event. “He also beat or tied two all-time combine records for his position.”

Coming in at 6 feet, 7 inches tall and weighing 302 pounds, Witt, 23, has an advantage when it comes to body mass, making him perfect to play the offensive line.

Compared to official NFL Scouting Combine records for offensive players, here’s how Witt’s scored — first place in the broad jump with a leap of 10 feet, 3 inches, beating the all-time record; tied for both first place and the all-time record in the vertical jump with that leap coming in at 37 inches; first place in the 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds; and tied for second place in the 10-yard split in 1.71 seconds.

Jake Witt

“This was one of the best draft workout performances ever by an offensive linemen,” Brancheau said, adding that Relative Athletic Score for the workout was 9.79 on a 10-point scale. According to the RAS website, Witt’s official numbers place him in the top 2% all-time for NFL prospects at offensive tackle — 26th out of 1,506 recorded since 1987.

“Jake was mobbed by 20 scouts after his workout. It looked like he was holding a press conference,” said Witt’s agent, David Gregory of Bullrush Sports. “We’ve been taking calls from multiple teams almost every day since the Pro Day.”

Up next in the draft process are potential Top-30 visits. Each NFL team is allowed to bring in up to 30 draft prospects for interviews and medical testing.

“Several NFL teams asked Jake to hold a private workout event in Marquette and invite all 32 teams,” Gregory said.

The NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 in Kansas City, Mo. Witt has already selected an agent and a training facility, but said he would wait to officially announce that information.

Former Northern Michigan University football player Jake Witt takes part in an NFL pro day held at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant during March. (Photo courtesy of Robert Martin)

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Alexandria Bournonville. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.

Northern Michigan University's Tyquan Cox, right, runs to the outside behind Wildcats' blocker and Ewen-Trout Creek graduate Jake Witt during a college football game played against Post University at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Sept. 24. (Journal photo by Travis Nelson)