Alec Lindstrom: Path To The NFL Draft

By Simon Carroll

Devin and Jason. Stefon & Trevon. Travis and Jason. Peyton and Eli. Just four examples of brothers playing in the NFL at the same time. Family ties have proven extremely successful in the league; the eight names mentioned have ten Super Bowl rings between them, and that’s before you get to the other pairs, father and son bloodlines, or the coaching brothers who have made their mark at the professional level.

Alec Lindstrom leaves Boston College looking to join his brother Chris in the professional ranks. Much like Devin & Jason McCourty did for New England, he admits it would be an awesome experience to line up next to his elder sibling once again. But if you think the star offensive lineman needs his hand held, you’re sorely mistaken. He sits down with Simon Carroll to discuss his path to the NFL Draft:

"Football Is All We Know"

Alec with his family as brother Chris gets drafted by the Atlanta Falcons (2019)

Born in Dudley, Massachusetts, Alec Eric Lindstrom had no choice about whether or not he loved football. His father Chris spent five years in the NFL in the eighties, playing twenty games at defensive end for the Bengals, Buccaneers and Chiefs. His uncle, Eric, spent three years in NFL Europe with the Barcelona Dragons. And of course, his elder brother Chris was a first round draft pick and current starting offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons. The Lindstroms live and breathe football, and Alec would be no different:

“We kinda always joke that football is the family business. People pass down family businesses to their children, and you grow up wanting to be like your dad, and that’s what it was like for us. We take a lot of pride in what we do, in our craft, and that’s play football. My dad was the high school coach and when me and Chris were kids we got introduced to it by being ball boys, just running round the field. But we were always destined to play football, and we found success in it. I actually started out at defensive end because I wanted to be just like my dad. But then Chris played offensive line and eventually I wanted to be like him too!  Football has always been a thing. For some it’s like ‘oh, that would be cool’ – no. For me, this is my life.”

As mentioned, that life started at Shepherd Hill High School playing football for the Rams. Once again Alec would be surrounded by family, with his father being the head coach and his half brother the offensive coordinator. As you can imagine, the Lindstrom brothers were held to a higher standard than their teammates, with the scrutiny not limited to the practice field:

“Looking back at it, it was the greatest thing, but also the worst thing. When your dad and your brother are your coaches, they are up your ass all the time. You have a bad practice, you go home, you’re gonna be sat round the dinner table hearing about it, going to bed hearing about it. So sometimes, as a kid, it was a pain – I’d think ‘man, I really don’t wanna go home right now!’. But it was also the greatest thing, because having that extra coaching all the time motivated me. I don’t wanna get yelled at, so I’m gonna work even harder, do even more. But yeah – sometimes it sucked! Teammates would come up to me and ask why my dad hated them. I’d tell them they didn’t know the half of it.”

Growing Up

Father Lindstrom’s coaching methods might have spoiled dinner, but it worked. Lindstrom was named a first team all state selection at center by both USA Today and SuiteSports during his high school career, and earned countless other accolades. But despite his performances, Alec wasn’t being recruited as aggressively as you might expect. Lindstrom was small for an offensive lineman and deemed to be just a two-star recruit. Not that it mattered – of the two offers he received, one of them invited him to go where he wanted to be all along:

“Growing up, my Uncle played at Boston College and had a great career there. We’re from Massachusetts, Boston College is a big ACC school in the state, and then Chris went there, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me. It’s a great school for education, and it’s a great school for football, playing the best in the country; Clemson every year, Notre Dame every year, it was perfect for me. I was super under-recruited because of my size; coming out of high school I was like 6’1”, 220lbs. So attention was limited. One day I got an offer from UMass, then literally the next day I headed to BC for one of their training camps. I performed well, and they offered me a scholarship. I told them right then and there I was gonna commit, and that was the end of it. It was almost destiny from the beginning, but at that moment I knew it was the place I wanted to go.”

Imagining Lindstrom at 220lbs is difficult when I’m staring at this big friendly giant of a man on a conference call. He tells me he’s up to 295lbs, a remarkable transformation during his five years in college. I ask him how difficult it has been for him to put on weight, but being a big foodie, Lindstrom seemed to enjoy the process for the most part:

“Yeah it was fun! Usually on the offensive line it’s bigger guys who are trying to lose weight, and there I was always eating. I had to get the weight on, so nothing was off the table. So I’m eating cake, pizza, whatever the hell I wanted! So that was great, but then sometimes it was tough too. The protein shakes, having to drink one right before bed, let’s just say my stomach did not cooperate with me at first! But I also grew a couple of inches at that time, my frame got a bit bigger which helped me to hold the weight gain better. The food was great, but now I’m in the process of cleaning up that diet. I have the size but now it’s turning it into true weight and getting that body fat away so I can get stronger and faster – so a lot stricter now. But back in college, it was awesome!”

Learning From The Best

The Lindstrom Brothers

Alec Lindstrom refers to honing his body as ‘a process’, and it was a similar scenario for the evolution of him as a football player. Arriving on campus in 2017, Lindstrom sits out his first year at Boston College with a medical redshirt designation.

“I enrolled early at BC, got there in January, so I was able to catch up a little with my physical development. But then, dealing with the time on the sidelines, in the moment it got tough sometimes. I just wanted to be playing.  But looking back it was one of the greatest things for me. It gave me the opportunity to get bigger, get stronger. I just wasn’t ready. My body hadn’t matured, and as an 18 year old you’re going up against these dudes that are 21, 22, and fully developed. I probably would have got hurt if I was thrown in there with them. So at the time, it definitely sucked. But it allowed me to have my body right – and when it was time to go, I was ready.”

‘Go time’ for Lindstrom came in 2018. He makes his debut at center in a week 1 win against local rivals UMass, the only other program that offered him a scholarship. As a freshman he would see the field on numerous occasions, particularly on special teams where he assumed long snapper duties. But undoubtedly the highlight of his first year playing for The Eagles would be lining up alongside his brother Chris, who was the standout right guard of the offensive line. The elder Lindstrom would go on to become a first round draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons after the season, but Alec kept fond memories of that shared sibling experience:

“A really cool thing is being able to play next to your brother. We never played had that opportunity at high school because I was still playing defense when he was there. But at college, at the D1 level, it’s an unreal feeling that such a small percentage of people get to experience. Having him there was amazing – before then, and even to this day he’s my number one supporter. Getting me ready, prepping me for everything, because he’s been through the same process. I’d use him as a sounding board, you know, ask him what to expect in this situation, or how to get better in that situation. And yeah, it can get frustrating when your older brother is telling you you’ve done something bad, but by now I’m over that mindset. He has my best interests at heart, and it’s such an advantage for me having that resource. Now particularly, with the NFL Draft process, I’ve found it easier to put my pride and ego to the side and use the advice to get better. And to play alongside him, to go into battle with a brother who I’m really close with, was unreal.”

A Leader In His Own Right

Credit: Boston College Athletics

As a man with four brothers, it’s easy to resonate with the strong relationshionship Alec has with Chris. And whilst he is quick to credit his brother – and his father – for helping him become the lineman he is today, it would be unbecoming of me not to point out the obvious; Alec Lindstrom is a damn good football player in his own right.

Lindstrom has compiled an impressive resume from his time at Boston College, and went from strength to strength his last three years there – after Chris had departed for the NFL. He became the entrenched starter at center in 2019, starting all thirteen games as a sophomore. As a junior he played every offensive snap of the season. And in his final year at Chestnut Hill, Lindstrom was named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, an award given to the best center in college football. Despite all that, Alec stays true to his team-centric outlook and considers another moment of recognition as his greatest accomplishment:

“I’m super proud of myself. I was an undersized and under-recruited kid, told countless time ‘hey – you can’t do it. Just give up’. And that’s not a cliché – you hear that being said often and disregard it but that was me. ‘You’re only going to BC because of your brother’ was another favourite insult. But I wanted to be the best, and I’m proud of what I accomplished. I was actually the first center from Boston College to be twice named first-team ACC, and the first person from the school to be a Rimington finalist. And it means a lot to me, because really it’s not just me. Guys like my brother teaching me how to practice, teammates like Zion (Johnson), Ben (Petrula), Tyler (Vrabel), Christian (Mahogany) pushing each other to do better. Without them, I couldn’t succeed. But probably my proudest achievement would be being named a captain of the team this year. Because that means the guys on the team really took to my leadership. Sometimes great players won’t be captains, so being a resource for the younger guys like past captains were for me was rewarding. Yeah, all the other stuff was great, but being a good person for my team was better.”

Scheme Diverse

I’m learning that Alec Lindstrom prefers to talk about the team rather than himself – and maybe team over food too, although don’t quote me on that. I let the clock run away with me a little as we discuss the difference in coaching styles of Steve Adazzio and Jeff Hafley, the two head coaches that Lindstrom played for. He didn’t have a bad word to say about either, calling it a privilege to learn two different schemes:

“Under Coach Adazzio, it was a run heavy power scheme, and I felt like I did a good job in that role in my first full year as a starter. My offensive line coach back then, Phil Trautwein, really took me under his wing and showed me how to prepare correctly, really set me up to become the player I am today. And then Coach Hafley and OC (Frank) Cignetti came in and we mix it up, go to more of a passing game with a big zone blocking scheme. And I love that stuff! I love pass blocking. I’ll do whatever you want me to do and I’ll do it well, but being able to use my speed was good for me. So being exposed to two different playbooks was great for my development of my game. And again, my other o-line coach at the time Matt Applebaum deserves a ton of credit for turning my raw talent and athleticism into a real attribute of my game. My two offensive line coaches helped make me the player I am today.”

I’m pretty sure the only bad words Alec Lindstrom has in the whole interview were for Pro Football Focus (PFF), who claimed he gave up one sack as a senior:

“Something I’m really proud of is giving up no sacks this year. I know PFF say I gave up one against Syracuse – you can go back, watch the tape – I didn’t. I might have had a high snap but that’s it. They can go back and watch it with me if they want! But taking pride in what my coaches taught me, using my strengths against guys bigger than me, in those schemes, was unbelievable.”

Lindstrom hadn’t finished dishing out praise to everyone just yet. He says he was blessed to be working with a group of guys on that o-line that made each other better every day. In that regard, I ask him if he was frustrated with how the final season ended considering the great start they had and the talent on the offense. Alec acknowledged injuries, particularly to quarterback Phil Jurkovec, played their part, but he was happy in his leadership and how his team showed true character in adversity. Another example of Lindstrom using every moment as a lesson, it’s this character that has allowed him to overcome any perceived shortcomings in his measurables. And it’s gotten the attention of the NFL too…

"100% Combine Mode"

With all eyes on the NFL Draft, Alec Lindstrom has had to put the team-first mindset to one side as he hones his own craft and puts himself in the shop window for teams and scouts. The first step for him was an invite to the East-West Shrine Game in Las Vegas. Most people lose money in Sin City, but Lindstrom likely made some by improving his stock with a standout week:

“I’m very happy with how I did over there. The first afternoon, in one-on-one pass rush, I probably could have done better, but if you look at every other day of practice, I improved throughout the week. And by the fourth day, I truly thought I was dominant. Playing guard, they lined me up against a really good rusher and I put him on his face. But the whole week and the game itself was such an amazing experience. To be able to show what you can do in front of all thirty-two NFL teams against some of the best in the country, I was proud with how I performed. And then talking to scouts was an opportunity to show how good I am with the mental part of the game and give them an idea of my personality. I was genuine and it came across well.”

Lindstrom was recently invited to the NFL Combine, and is currently working out at Bommarito’s Performance in Miami ahead of the event. As an athletic lineman, he’s looking forward to testing well, but admits the training  dynamic is a little different to what he is used to…

“We’re in 100% Combine mode – working on everything. Biggest thing is my diet, looking to put on weight, but clean weight. Then refining your technique for the running drills – 40 yard dash, shuttle etc. The guys are taking my athleticism and turning me into something of a track guy which is different! Every day I’m getting faster, getting better, and it’s great to compete against the other guys down here. But we’re looking to cut those hundredths of a second off to let me elevate myself above everyone else and catch teams’ attention.”

The Story Continues

Credit: Associated Press

Alec Lindstrom knows how to have fun. He had his own podcast whilst at Boston College and is a serious food critic on Instagram. He has strong opinions on the correct accompaniment to a bowl of buffalo wings – we both agree it’s blue cheese sauce, him referring to ranch dressing as ‘a kids thing – the equivalent of ordering chicken fingers in an Italian restaurant’. Every question asked has been answered with a big smile on his face; not everyone enjoys the grind of the pre-draft process, but Alec is soaking up every moment of it. Ever since high school every day has been an opportunity, and Lindstrom won’t look back with any regrets.

But behind the playful persona there is a true competitor that won’t be outworked and won’t be denied. He knows the combine and then the Boston College pro day on March 25th are his last two job interviews for him to achieve his dream and join his brother in the NFL. He proved people wrong at college, and only a fool would bet against him doing the same at the next level, despite what the measurables say. That inner drive is what got him to this point, and all the hard work is about to pay off.

“I was up at 5am training before school, working out after. At college I embraced the grind, stayed behind for extra practice. So if I get that phone call, it’s going to be the best thing ever to happen to me – because I’ve worked for it my entire life. And that’s gonna continue in the NFL. This isn’t the end of the story; there’s another chapter yet to be written.”

The journey is far from over. Alec Lindstrom doesn’t expect any respite at the dinner table just yet.

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

HEAD OF CFB/NFL DRAFT CONTENT

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

5/5

A huge thank you to Alec for taking the time to talk to us. Everyone at The Touchown wishes him well in his future career.