Benzschawel is officially a Lion

It hasn’t been an easy road for Beau Benzschawel, but he made it. He is an NFL player.

Benzschawel, a 2014 graduate of Grafton High School, made the Detroit Lions’ roster after surprisingly going undrafted.

Benzschawel had interest from upward of 20 teams and chose to sign with the Lions. Their right guard T.J. Lang, a former Green Bay Packer, had retired.

But Benzschawel may not play his natural position of right guard, where he earned All-American honors three years at the University of Wisconsin.

The Lions lost center Frank Ragnow to an ankle injury in a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 23, and Benzschawel is listed as his backup on the latest depth chart. Ragnow has reportedly returned to practice.

“We are very proud of him and how hard he works,” Benzschawel’s father Scott said.

Benzschawel came into the draft highly touted. One website even ranked him the top run blocker available.

His teammate, left guard Michael Deiter, was taken late in the third round by the Miami Dolphins.

But as the picks went by, Benzschawel’s name was not announced.

“Draft day was heartbreaking to watch when your son was projected anywhere from the second round to the fourth and goes undrafted,” his father said. “He was pretty down.”

The young lineman then bounced back.

“So he decided to put his head down and go to work,” his father said. “He does well with a chip on his shoulder, and once again he was going to prove he deserved to be there.”

Benzschawel played left and right guard and center during the preseason. He is listed at 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 300 pounds on the Lions’ website.

He played in the Senior Bowl in Alabama and participated in the NFL Combine and in Wisconsin’s Pro Day. His agent is former Wisconsin Badger star Joe Panos.

At Wisconsin, Benzschawel was redshirted and the Badgers went undefeated in his five years of bowl games.

Last season, Benzschawel opened holes for the nation’s leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor.

Benzschawel’s younger brother Luke is a tight end for the Badgers and their younger brother J.P. is an all-conference lineman for Grafton High School’s football team. Their father played for the Badgers from 1983 to 1987 and their uncle Eric played from 1988 to 1992.

The Lions start the season at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals, who have the top pick in the draft, quarterback Kyler Murray. The Lions play at the Green Bay Packers at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14.