Headed to Florida: SJU’s Ben Bartch drafted by Jacksonville Jaguars

One of the first great players in Jacksonville Jaguars history was offensive tackle Tony Boselli.

Boselli was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, a three-time first-team All-Pro selection and a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team, following a much-honored collegiate career at USC.

Ben Bartch hopes to follow in those footsteps.

The Saint John’s University senior offensive lineman  from Dayton, Oregon (Blanchet Catholic High School) was drafted by the Jaguars with the 10th pick of the fourth round (116th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 25.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to start working for the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Bartch said. “My faith, family, coaches and dedication to the game helped me reach this goal, and they will continue to throughout my life. The hard work and commitment from my Johnnie teammates also made this opportunity possible. I can’t wait to represent SJU at the highest level.”

Bartch is the 10th Johnnie to be drafted in the NFL, and the first since the Minnesota Vikings selected defensive lineman Kurt Wachtler ’74 in 1974 (15th round). He is also the 21st student-athlete to be drafted into the NFL from NCAA Division III since 1990 and the 52nd overall with ties to the MIAC.

Like Boselli did at USC, Bartch stood out at SJU.

A D3football.com first-team and Associated Press second-team All-American in 2019, Bartch earned the MIAC Mike Stam Award as the conference's top defensive or offensive lineman and started all 14 games at left tackle this past season as the Johnnies reached the Division III national semifinals.