A year ago we brought you the story of Michael Jasper, a seventh-round draft pick of the Bills who had dropped 73 pounds, from 448 to 375. Jasper didn’t make it into any regular-season games in his first year in the NFL, but he’s still with the Bills, and he says he’s in better shape than ever and ready to compete for playing time on the offensive line.
Jasper, who played his college football at tiny Bethel College and was often twice the size of the defensive linemen he blocked, told the Buffalo News that his first offseason in an NFL conditioning program has transformed his body.
“I’ve been here since late January, getting in shape. I’ve done some amazing strength work with [strength coach] John Gamble,” Jasper said. “Weight is no longer a factor. I’m in shape and I’m doing what they ask me to do.”
Not many people can call themselves lean at 375 pounds, but the 6-foot-4 Jasper (who’s listed at 394, which is what he weighed at the start of training camp last year) says that for him, 375 is fit.
“I was looking at old pictures of me in college to now,” Jasper said. “I’m still a big human being, but as far as the girth in certain areas and the muscle strength and the leanness, it’s pretty awesome. I enjoy it.”
After playing his college football in the NAIA, Jasper still has a ways to go before he’ll be ready to start in the NFL. But as he gets fitter, he’s getting closer to the field.