MADISON, Wis (WFRV) – There’s a slight tunnel vision when you’re preparing for the NFL Draft as an athlete. If you’re invited to the combine, your focus is all on that. After that, it’s your Pro Day. Once those are both done, it’s now a waiting game for the draft to begin. For Kimberly alum and Wisconsin Badger offensive lineman Logan Bruss, having both the combine and his pro day finished brings a slight feeling of relief.

“This is kind of a familiar place,” Bruss said after going through linemen drills in front of 32 NFL scouts and 1 XFL representative. “I’ve spent a lot of time in this building but the combine was a lot of bright lights, a lot of TV cameras, a lot of other people there, so I think there’s more of a comfortable feeling, just being around all the guys you’ve been playing with for a long time.”

Bruss said he’s put in a lot of time and effort into preparing for a potential career in the NFL and it’s been an exciting journey. Mentally, the journey is a tough one. He said he’s reached out to former Badgers who are now in the NFL, including good friend and current Green Bay Packer, Cole Van Lanen.

“Cole’s a real funny guy, we actually still talk every day,” Bruss said with a laugh. “He said it goes fast. He said to enjoy it and take it one day at a time.”

The Kimberly alum says he wants to be able to be a role model for young players who may not have been the most talented players, but the tenacious ones who have the drive to keep going. His mom is not surprised this is where her son has ended up.

“Logan’s kind of always been like that, even as a child,” Jennifer Longsine said. “Even as a young boy, teaching himself to read at a very young age by himself, he’s always been a go getter. I’m excited for him, but I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s always been an overachiever.”

Bruss said back in his Kimberly days, coming to play at Wisconsin seemed pretty surreal.

“I thought I did a pretty good job of taking it one day at a time,” Bruss said with a quiet grin. “My first goal was just getting a chance to come here and play, then after that it’s just getting on the field and just kind of keep making goals as you reach them and I ended up here and it’s pretty surreal to look back on all the things I’ve accomplished and obviously I want to accomplish a lot more.”

The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft kicks off on April 27.