Official Site of the Lions · Mar 10, 2017
Wagner connects with Detroit's blue collar mentality
A Midwest native, tackle Rick Wagner connects with the blue collar mentality in Detroit.
Rick Wagner is getting back to his Midwestern roots by signing with the Detroit Lions.
He calls himself a "blue collar” player, and his rise from former college walk-on to one of the highest paid right tackles in the NFL is about as blue collar as they come.
A former high school tight end, Wagner walked on at the University of Wisconsin before changing positions to tackle and eventually becoming All-Big 10.
Entering the NFL, he had to sit around and hear 167 names come off the board in the 2013 NFL Draft before finally going to Baltimore with the final pick in the fifth round.
