Michigan long snapper William Wagner is the best player at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft. One of the only long snappers to participate in the premier pre-draft events, Wagner recently attended the NFL Combine. He'll be a 15-year solution for a team in the market for a specialist.
Wagner recently spoke exclusively with The Draft Network. Wagner discussed winning a National Championship at Michigan, balancing the physical and mental aspects of long snapping, his experience at the NFL Combine, and more.
JM: You spent five truly special seasons at Michigan, winning a National Championship. How will you look back on your time with the Wolverines?
William Wagner: I loved my time at Michigan. It was a ways away from home. I'm from Georgia. Moving away from home helped me grow. Winning three Big Ten championships and a National Championship, I'm always going to cherish my time at Michigan.
JM: You're now going through the pre-draft process. You were invited to this year's NFL Combine. What's that look like for a long snapper?
William Wagner: They have a specialist showcase subsection of the NFL Combine if you will. There were like five total specialists invited to the actual combine. All that really entails is medical checks. That's the only difference between the combine and the specialist showcase part of it.
We did team interviews at the specialist showcase. It felt like a round-robin with all 32 teams. The next day, we had on-field workouts for about five hours, kicking, punting, long snapping.
We took all the same measurements. Height, weight, hand size, wingspan. We also did the NFLPA test. It's basically the new Wonderlic.
I got there on Tuesday and left on Thursday. It was a quick turnaround.
JM: That's awesome. Did you meet with all 32 teams in attendance then?
William Wagner: I met with every team in attendance. It was nearly all 32. My old coach is one of the special teams coaches with the Philadelphia Eagles. He coached me for two years. Of course, we had a great meeting.
I saw Jay Harbaugh as well with the Seattle Seahawks. I spoke to him for about 20 minutes, though he wasn't at my meeting with the Seahawks. Chris Partridge is with the Seahawks, we spoke for a little bit.
I really connected with Tennessee Titans special teams coach John Fassel. I had a great, long meeting with the Atlanta Falcons. We connected over me being from Georgia. I had a good meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos as well.
JM: There's a lot of interest in you and it's easy to see why. How do you balance the mental aspect of long snapping with the physical aspects?
William Wagner: It's about keeping a clear head. The mental aspect, 90% of long snapping is mental. It's kind of like being a golfer. It's all in your head. The last 10% is the physical aspect.
I deal with it by keeping a clear head. That's the biggest thing. You can't have too much on your mind when you're snapping.
JM: Is there an NFL long snapper you'd love to sit down with and learn from?
William Wagner: Morgan Cox from the Tennessee Titans. I'd love that. I've spoken to him before actually, early in my career. I'd love to pick his brain again.
JM: We've appreciated your time today. Why should a team use one of their draft picks on William Wagner?
William Wagner: I'm a very dependable and reliable long snapper. I come from a great, winning culture at Michigan. I can help translate that leadership to our locker room.
