Mason Cole

Mason Cole (born March 28, 1996) is an American football center. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was twice named an All-Big Ten selection. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, playing there for three seasons. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

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."

College career
Cole had scholarship offers from numerous universities, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Ohio State. In February 2013, he announced his verbal commitment to the University of Michigan.

Cole enrolled early at Michigan in January 2014 at age 17. He was impressive in spring practice and in fall practice, leading to speculation that he might start as a true freshman. Running back Justice Hayes said: "Mason is a phenomenal player, he is a freshman but he doesn't play like it at all. He plays like he's been there for a couple years."

On August 30, 2014, at age 18, Cole became the first Michigan offensive lineman to start in the season opener of his true freshman season, and the first to start at left tackle as a true freshman. Since true freshmen became eligible in 1972, only five have started any games on Michigan's offensive line: Bubba Paris (one game in 1978), Tom Dixon (one game in 1980), Dean Dingman (three games in 1987), Justin Boren (one game in 2006) and Kyle Bosch (three games in 2013). In the 2014 season opener, Michigan backs set a Michigan single-game record with 9.7 yards per carry (350 yards on 36 carries), and the offensive line was credited with the outburst.

Following the 2016 season, Cole was named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team, by both the coaches and media. Following the 2017 season, Cole was again named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team, by both the coaches and media.

Pre-draft
On December 18, 2017, it was announced that Cole accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl. On January 27, 2018, Cole played in the 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl as part of Denver Broncos' head coach Vance Joseph's North team that lost 45–16 to Houston Texans' head coach Bill O'Brien's South team. Cole attended the NFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine drills.

On March 23, 2018, Cole participated at Michigan's pro day and performed the vertical jump (27.5"), short shuttle (4.72s), and positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Cole was projected to be a fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the fifth best center prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and Scouts Inc.

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

On May 31, 2018, the Cardinals signed Cole to a four-year, $3.32 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $761,516. He was named the Cardinals starting center in 2018, and started all 16 games.

Cole entered the 2019 season as a backup interior lineman. He started two games at left guard in place of injury.

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

Pittsburgh Steelers
Cole signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 17, 2022. He was named the starting center, starting every game in 2022 and 2023.

On February 23, 2024, Cole was released by the Steelers.