Ben Bartch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
McMinnville, Oregon, U.S.
 Bartch with Saint John's (MN) in 2019 | |||||||
| Detroit Lions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | July 22, 1998 McMinnville, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Blanchet Catholic (Salem, Oregon) | ||||||
| College | Saint John's (MN) (2016–2019) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2020: 4th round, 116th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
| |||||||
Benjamin Bartch (born July 22, 1998) is an American professional football guard for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Saint John's Johnnies and was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bartch grew up in McMinnville, Oregon, and attended Blanchet Catholic School where he played receiver, tight end, and linebacker.[1] Although he was tall, Bartch was also very skinny and was primarily a backup receiver for Blanchet, not yet discovered for his blocking abilities; as a senior, Bartch was billed at 195 pounds and only a recorded a handful of receptions and tackles.[2] He was not recruited after high school and chose to play at Saint John's University, a Division III program. He was also a 4-year letterer in basketball at Blanchet.
College career
Bartch began his collegiate career playing tight end. Entering Saint John's, Bartch was billed at 220 pounds, appearing in one game as a freshman. As a sophomore, Bartch was the team's third-string tight end, catching four passes for 43 yards and one touchdown, mostly contributing to special teams.[3]
His coaches noticed his blocking ability, with one calling it "a hidden natural-born talent" and suggested he move to the offensive line going into his junior season. In order to gain weight, Bartch consumed a protein shake daily consisting of 7 scrambled eggs, a tub of cottage cheese, quick grits, peanut butter, bananas, and Gatorade, growing from 240 pounds to 275 in just the summer. He eventually reached 308 pounds with this method.[4][5] Bartch became the Johnnies starting left tackle and was named second-team All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team at the end of the season.[6][7] As a senior, Bartch was named first-team All-MIAC and a consensus first-team All-American by D3Football.com, as well as second-team All-American by the Associated Press.[8][9] Considered a prospect in the 2020 NFL draft, Bartch was invited to participate in the 2020 Senior Bowl.[10] A rival coach wrote that Ben Bartch was "the best D3 player I had ever seen" and that he was "by far the best player on that team" despite playing alongside two Power Five transfers at Saint John's, including a quarterback from Penn State.[11]
Bartch also competed on Saint John's track and field team in shot put and discus throw events.[12]
