Offensive line play is a mystery to most. The center position, in particular, doesn't receive the attention or respect that it deserves. Former Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley is trying to change how the position is viewed and developed.

Follow the money in today's NFL. Offensive tackle is seen as a premium position, with three different blockers holding contracts in excess of $100 million in total worth. Guards are now creeping over the same plateau, with a pair of interior blockers inking similar deals.

No center in the league currently resides among the NFL's top 100 when it comes to total contractual worth or average annual salary. In fact, pro football's current highest paid center in either category holds a smaller contract than the top deal at any other full-time position.

The center position has been left behind, when it should continue to evolve with everything else the game has to offer.

Bentley is at the forefront of this change. On Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame hosted the inaugural Center Summit, where Bentley invited dozens of snappers, ranging from the professional level down to high school recruits, to come together and exchange ideas, work on drills and share trade secrets.

"Some people are centers. Some people play center. There is a distinction," Bentley said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "Center is an art, a craft. It's a specialized position. There are elements and responsibilities that come along with that status.

"With all that being said, you have to be willing to undertake those challenges and growth, as a player and coaching staff to go along with the ebbs and flows as a player is maturing and developing into what he can ultimately be.

"But there are very few players now that enjoy embarking on that journey because the fruits of your labor...they don't know when they'll see them. If you look at the high school level, I can go right now and potentially find you the next five first-round-caliber tackles based on the top 15 prospects that'll be seniors during the upcoming season. Those players project out so far because of their physical stature and their overall genetic pool is unique.

"Whereas, you're not going to tell me in the next four years who will potentially become the No. 1 center. You're just not, because more than likely that kid is somebody's 3-star recruit who is trying to figure out what he'll be in college and what opportunities he'll have. When that player finally arrives at his destination, he'll need to mature into whatever it is that he's going to be. That takes time.

"That's another component to the center position. It's like wine. You get better in time. But you also have to put in the work. You gotta be patient. You gotta be committed to it. It's not just the position but the totality of the game wondering where our game is going if we don't continue to evolve at every single position, specifically at center."

Bentley wants to change how the position is viewed and his summit is a first step in doing so. Other positions have held similar gatherings for years. O-line camps, as a whole, have been around for a long time. But center never received the individual attention that is truly needed to keep up with everything else.

As the speed of the game increases, with the heavy reliance on shotgun and making pre- and post-snap reads, the man over the ball sets the tone for the entire offense. He's calling the blocking schemes. He initiates the play. He needs to be an athlete as defenses continually find ways to attack in all sorts of manners.

Yet the actual development of the position has seemingly stagnated because of a lack of emphasis throughout multiple levels.

In order to better understand where the disconnect lies and how center can evolve like other positions, multiple different perspectives were obtained to understand where improvement can be made.

The Mentor

Wally Williams played in the NFL for 11 seasons. During that time, he went from an undrafted free agent to the first-ever player to receive the franchise tag from the Baltimore Ravens organization. But fate led Williams to the New Orleans Saints, where he met Bentley.

Williams eventually gave way to Bentley in the lineup as his career came to a close. The two have remained confidants, with Williams helping in the advent of the Center Summit.

"It came from wanting to put the real game and real truth out there to these young men," Williams told B/R. "When this idea first started in 2005 or '06, the reason why it all started in the first place, we felt there wasn't a market that we, as professional athletes, could give to our young men. A lot of the market was dominated by other coaches, but nobody with any real playing experience or tenure within the league.

"Why wouldn't we come together as a group of guys, who played in the NFL and know the ins and outs of the game, and give it to these kids? Let these young men have an opportunity, not just on false pretenses, but provide them with the reality of what the game really is.

"Myself being an undrafted free agent now telling these kids, 'Hey, the majority of you guys in this room will be undrafted free agents. Forget about it. There may be one or two in this entire group today who get drafted. There may even be one that becomes a first-round pick despite 50-60 people being here.' That's the reality of it. Now that they know that, how do you prepare for the next level? How do you go about your operation?

"To be able to present that to these guys in the first-ever center forum—a first anything is pretty cool—it's all upside."

Williams has seen a drastic shift in what's expected from the center position. He built his reputation based on quickness since he wasn't a 6'4" or 6'5" pivot. Those types of attributes weren't viewed favorably during his time. But that's changing.

"It turns out that guys like me, who were anomalies, now we're premium," Williams said. "That's the way the game has changed for the O-line athlete.

"Long ago when I played, there were big, strong nose guards, like Gilbert Brown, Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa. These guys were gap stuffers. They sat their big behind there all day long. That was the prototypical nose tackle that you played against.

"Now, that nose guard can be 285-290 pounds and he's running at 100 MPH. Teams require linemen who are capable of dealing with that type of athlete along the D-line position.

"This is almost the greatest evolution of interior linemen, like it was for D-linemen, when the league featured Reggie White at defensive end. Then it went to Jevon Kearse. You looked at it then and thought, 'We need new tackles.' That is what's now happening to the interior of the offensive line."

The now-retired Jason Kelce provides the perfect example. Kelce came into the league as a 280-pound center. The Philadelphia Eagles took advantage of his lateral agility, ability to thrive at the second level and movement in space. Furthermore, Kelce played with leverage as well as any center in recent memory, hence why he'll be fast-tracked toward induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bringing in better athletes, with a similar skill set, isn't easy, though.

The Architect

Bentley takes a holistic approach in how to view and develop the center position.

He's not going to waste time working on the simple things, like snapping the football or breaking down other coach's calls at the line of scrimmage. Instead, he wants to build individuals from the ground up. His program involves an emphasis on nutrition, proper performance training, mental acuity and building out technique from a strong stance through to the little aspects that make a successful center.

The 2001 Rimington Trophy winner, as college football's best center, also understands that it requires a different mentality.

"Center is unique, partly because of the type of people who are willing to play it," Bentley said. "When you have an artform that is unique, it'll attract a very unique audience within itself. The more you can begin to highlight and point out what makes the position so special, it'll begin to attract the right people.

"Part of the reason why I was attracted to center was because of the leadership capacity of it. I love the cerebral element. I also loved the physicality. The thing that really brought me to it was the realization that there's so much more involved with it than just running into the person across from you.

"As we continue down this path of highlighting how unique and special the position is, while creating an environment that is welcoming and cultivating, we may now have those athletes saying, 'Y'know what? I have a place over here. This something I may want to explore, because it speaks to me.' As long it remains the position where your career goes to die, so to speak, or is viewed as the 'least of us'...who wants to be part of that group?

"No one wants to be part of a group viewed as the 'least of us' because that's the only position we're capable of thriving or just existing. That's not exciting. When you can create an environment where you have really high-level players who are all exchanging ideas, young kids may start to say, 'I want to be a part of that.'

"Everybody is talking about the offensive line. Everyone is an 'expert' today. But it's very difficult to understand the totality of something if you've never experienced it. It's difficult to appreciate the nuance of a situation when you've never walked that line. That's what this summit is all about. You have people who are walking it, have lived it and are now passing down those components that really matter to help this next generation find its place."

The first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging there is one. Generally speaking, center does not attract the top offensive line athletes. A high-profile event with former and current NFL players may force some individuals take notice.

An understanding of what the position is coupled with the right frame of mind to attack it with full gusto is the natural starting point to spur positional evolution.

The Veteran

Sam Mustipher may be a five-year NFL veteran, but he fully understands that there's no resting on your laurels at the highest level, hence his decision to attend the Center Summit.

"I wanted to sharpen my game," Mustipher said. "Once I'm perfect, hopefully I'll be here in Canton one day. There's always learning to be done.

"Fortunately, I'm blessed to train with [former six-time Prowl Bowl center] Olin Kreutz during the offseason, so I get a lot of technique work. Also, Harry Hiestand was my collegiate offensive line coach. I've been around a few phenomenal offensive line minds.

"Anything I can learn in this environment, be it how they stop the bull rush, the angle on back blocks, the target on pass sets. It's all useful."

Mustipher signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason. He'll compete to start at center and will do so knowing that the team will feature a rookie quarterback. His influence in the locker room and at the line of scrimmage can be impactful.

In a world where offensive line coaches prefer to cross-train at multiple positions, Mustipher has only played center during NFL games. He was a center in college. So, he's one of the few who have had time to develop at the position.

Even so, he was still looking for an edge at the Center Summit.

"It's critical. Everyone here is fortunate to be around this wealth of knowledge," Mustipher said. "All of these guys from difference schools and different coaches being able to come together and just add their own little tidbits and flavors to the conversation. It's awesome to see this hunger and desire in the development of the center position."

The taking of pieces to form a full mosaic is the goal. Mustipher represents the constant challenge and continued growth at the position. The veteran knows there will be internal and external forces trying to displace him in the lineup. He presents the right mentality to improve himself and help others.

The Rookie

Jacob Monk embodies Bentley's approach to building a modern center.

"I worked out with LeCharles pre-draft," Monk said. "I saw my body change. I felt much cleaner in my pass set. I felt like I understood the game more, like it's intricacies, etc.

"Coming to this summit, it's great. I know they've had O-line summits but no position-specific versions. I think it's great for the game. It's time that centers start taking over the game more."

To better understand the difference in approaches, Monk described how he changed in just a few short months.

"In high school and college, you're told that you need to gain weight," the rookie started. "You're just eating whatever to gain that weight. You need to get stronger. You're going to bench press, squat and power clean.

"But this is a different path. 'Alright, you need to get stronger? Your adductors are weak, so we're going to work on those. Your triceps aren't formed enough, so we're going on that. Your lats suck. We're going to do some pulldowns.' That and watching what you eat are the biggest differences."

Furthermore, Monk is now concentrating on the center position. He's an example of a player who bounced around for multiple years before finally finding what he believes to be his home position. At Duke, Monk started 58 games. Only 13 of those came at center, and he never started a complete season over the ball.

The importance of getting to narrow his concentration should only help the Green Bay Packers' initial fifth-round draft pick.

The Collegian

Georgia's Jared Wilson is trying to get where everyone mentioned currently is or has been. He'll enter this season as a first-year starter for one of the nation's premier pipeline programs.

Wilson played in 20 collegiate games to date. However, he primarily sat behind and learned from a first-team All-SEC performer in Sedrick Van Pran, whom the Buffalo Bills drafted in this year's fifth round.

So, the opportunity to attend the Center Summit was viewed as important in his development. Wilson identified a very specific reason why he chose to do so.

"Specifically, LeCharles," the junior prospect said. "Obviously, he knows what he's doing. The proof is in the pudding. He was a Pro Bowler at guard and center. I came into Georgia playing guard. Now, I am a center.

"It's a great opportunity to learn and gain different perspectives, not just from my own coaches. Different perspectives can be seen here during drills. But those ideas mesh. I can take some of these things back and teach them some of the guys at Georgia what I learned."

A butterfly effect can take place. While Wilson is clearly concentrating on the center position, some of the things he learned during his Canton visit can be applied in the SEC and used by his teammates. This approach is taking a leadership role despite just coming into a starting spot.

"I sat behind Van Pran for a very long time," Wilson said. "He was a really, really good mentor. But it was important to me to soak up all of the information that I can with this year [as a starting center] and only one year of eligibility remaining after that.

"I have two ears and one mouth for a reason. I need to use them."

The Coach

While the event concentrated on the players, North Carolina State offensive line coach Garett Tujague saw an opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of his profession.

"Just being able to constantly learn. In this game you have to stay relevant as a coach," Tujague said. "What's new and what's been around forever. You need to keep your mind and game fresh so that you can help these guys live their dream.

"The science that's gone into it from LeCharles Bentley's side is unreal...unmatched. To be here firsthand is invaluable."

From a development perspective, the issue behind why center continues to lag behind others is obvious.

"It comes back to experience," the assistant coach said. "The tackles have what? 10,000 reps at being tackles. Guards have 10,000 reps at being guards. Again, finding a true center—someone who has snapped in high school—is few and far between.

"Being able to have that experience that LeCharles brings to the position and giving these kids as many reps as they can, along with the little tricks and cheat codes to the trade, is invaluable since they need to catch up with those reps."

Not coincidentally, the Wolfpack's projected starter at center, Zeke Correll, also attended the event. Correll transferred to North Carolina State after starting two seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. His experience is an important addition to the ACC squad's lineup.

Tujague can lean on Correll during this upcoming season while preparing his next center(s) for the job, because the former understands the intrinsic worth of a stabilizing presence along the middle of the offensive line.

"It's a guy who touches the ball on every single snap no matter what," the coach added. "The value in that position is sometimes overlooked. To be able to have the specialized training in a very unique position is invaluable. I think it's elite."

The Future

The Center Summit took a generalized idea and narrowed it to a degree where even a specific position within a larger position group can be treated and developed in a manner to maximize potential.

Specialization is a large part of other professional sports. But offensive line development is going in the opposite direction. Cross-training is required due to the NFL's roster restrictions. Practice and physicality limitations at all levels have stunted growth. Less of a concentration on playing a specific position doesn't allow the attention to detail that's often necessary.

Bentley's approach and event helps fill the void.

"Anything that's not allowing a player at this position to spend time gathering needed reps, experience and institutional knowledge of the skill set, you're doing the player and his position a bit of a disservice," he said. "This isn't taking a tackle who has all of these physical traits that are ideal, throwing him out there and saying, 'OK, let this player figure this out.' For the most part, they'll figure it out eventually if they're the right player with the right temperament. It may not be what you want it to be, but they'll figure some things out.

"With center because there are so many facets of performance, you may figure out one element but you don't figure out the next. So, the team may up with a guy who may be cerebral, understands the offense and makes all the right calls but he can't play. Or the opposite occurs. A guy can play and do all of the things, but he's not able to lead and galvanize your unit. A guy may have all of the physical tools yet remains inconsistent with his snaps.

"There are boxes that need to be checked. The center position is hard. You have to understand the art to realize what the art can ultimately be and that takes time."

Time, finding the right athletes, a commitment to the position, an understanding of its importance and cultivating a different positional identity all factor into the expected evolution at center.

"We have to be willing to explore and go through this process to fish out a different embodiment of what a center could and should be," Bentley said. "Maybe these guys aren't the runt of the group anymore. Maybe at the high school level, you may start seeing your better players start playing on the inside. Maybe at the collegiate level, you might start finding some of those defensive linemen converting over to center. A shift may occur, because the idea of what the position can be has not expanded."