Mason Cole

At 28 years old, Mason Cole has this physical status:

Mason Cole (born March 28, 1996) is an American football center for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football at Michigan.

Early years

Cole grew up in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and attended East Lake High School. He was a four-year starter for the East Lake football team and was a participant in the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was also a first-team all-state player in Florida during the 2013 season. Cole's high school coach, Bob Hudson, said of him: "He's that guy, as a coach, that you want a whole team of. He does what he's supposed to do. He stays out of trouble. He's not late to meetings. He's not lazy. He's always moving. He's coachable. He can take criticism. He doesn't need praise every play. He's what you dream of as a coach."

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College career

Cole earned scholarships from a number of universities, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, and Ohio State. He confirmed his verbal pledge to the University of Michigan in February 2013.

Cole began enrolling at Michigan early in January 2014, at the age of 17. He was sensational in spring practice and in fall practice, sparking rumors that he would begin as a true freshman. "Mason is a superb player, but he doesn't play like it at all," running back Joe Hayes said. He seems to have been here for a few years.

Cole was the first Michigan offensive lineman to start the season opener of his true freshman season and the first to start at left tackle as a true freshman on August 30, 2014. Since true freshmen became eligible in 1972, only five players on Michigan's offensive line have started: Bubba Paris (one game in 1978), Tom Dixon (three games in 1980), Justin Boren (one game in 2005), and Kyle Bosch (three games in 2013). Michigan backs set a Michigan single-game record of 9.7 yards on 36 attempts in the 2014 season opener, and the offensive line was credited with the outburst.

Both the coaches and media announced Cole to the All-Big Ten offensive second team following the 2016 season. Cole was again named in the All-Big Ten offensive second team following the 2017 season by both the coaches and media.

Professional career

Cole accepted his invite to the Senior Bowl on December 18, 2017. Cole played in the 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl as a member of Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph's North team, which lost 45–16 to Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien's South team. Cole attended the NFL Scout Combine and did all of the combine drills.

Cole completed the vertical leap (27.5"), short shuttle (4.72), and positional drills on March 23, 2018, which was part of Michigan's pro day. Cole was expected to be a fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts at the conclusion of the pre-draft process. DraftScout.com and Scouts Inc. ranked him as the fifth best center prospect in the draft.

Cole was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round (97th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. Cole was the fourth center drafted in 2018.

Cole was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to a four-year, $3.32 million deal, which includes a signing bonus of $761,516. In 2018, he was named the Cardinals starting center and played in all 16 games.

Cole was hired as a backup interior lineman in the 2019 season. In place of injury, he started two games at left guard.

Cole was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on March 25, 2021. Garrett Bradbury, who had been out due to COVID-19, started center for four weeks mid-season. Before suffering an elbow injury in Week 15, he took over the starting right guard position for three games. On December 24, 2021, he was placed on injured reserve.

Cole began a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 17, 2022.

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