A Division III standout out of Saint John's who carved out a career as an interior offensive line depth piece.
Ben Bartch remains one of the rare modern NFL players to come out of Division III football, having starred at Saint John's in Minnesota before the Jaguars took a chance on him in the fourth round. Now with the Lions, Bartch continues to provide interior line depth and spot-starting duty.
Path to the league
Bartch started all 14 games at left tackle as a senior for Saint John's (MN), earning D3football.com first-team All-American and Associated Press second-team All-American honors while helping the Johnnies reach the Division III national semifinals. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in the fourth round (116th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft and converted him to guard.
Career highlights
Bartch appeared in 41 games with 20 starts across four seasons in Jacksonville, including a stretch as the starting left guard in 2023. He signed with the Detroit Lions after his Jaguars tenure ended and has continued in a depth and spot-starter role on the interior line.
2025 season recap
Bartch appeared in six games for the Lions in 2025, starting two of them, and posted a 71.7 PFF grade across roughly 200 offensive snaps in a reserve guard role.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ben Bartch
- Pro Football Reference: Ben Bartch
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Guard
- Group
- offense
- College
- Saint John's (MN)
- Hometown
- Dayton, OR, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
