Crum, Gibbs lead UW prospects going into NFL Draft

Apr. 24—LARAMIE — A handful of former University of Wyoming football standouts will anxiously await phone calls during this weekend's NFL Draft in Detroit.

The Cowboys had 10 players showcase their skills during last month's UW pro day, including offensive tackle Frank Crum, linebacker Easton Gibbs, quarterback Andrew Peasley, tight ends Treyton Welch and Colin O'Brien, wide receiver Ayir Asante, cornerbacks Jakorey Hawkins and Deron Harrell, defensive tackle Cole Godbout and punter Clayton Stewart.

Crum and Gibbs also accepted invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine, with Crum's performance boosting his overall draft projections after posting solid numbers.

The first round of the draft will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by the second and third rounds at 5 p.m. Friday and the final four rounds slated for 10 a.m. Saturday.

Crum's movement

Crum, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound Laramie native, tied for the second-fastest 40-yard dash time among offensive linemen at the combine at 4.94 seconds. The third-generation Cowboy played right tackle for the majority of his college career before moving to left tackle for his final season.

Crum was a first team All-Mountain West selection last fall and was named third team All-MW in 2022 by Pro Football Focus.

Crum is projected as a sixth-round pick on the NFL's website by analyst Lance Zierlein. He's listed with a prospect grade of 5.85, which is categorized as an "average backup or special-teamer."

Crum was given a 71 on Next Gen Stat's scoring breakdown, which is a draft model combining results from the combine, pro day and college production data to predict a prospect's chances of success in the NFL, according to the website.

"Crum is a very tall tackle with loads of starting experience who has played both tackle spots," Zierlein said in Crum's overview. "He has proportional arm length, which helps in both pass protection and as a run blocker in space.

"Crum has a difficult time finding the foot quickness to keep his lower body paired with his upper body. He will struggle with speed to the edge in pass protection and when attempting to maintain proper body control to mirror and sustain against moving targets. He's a better run blocker than pass blocker as a pro prospect, but might find the going tough in a chase for a roster spot."

Some of Zierlein's strengths for Crum include four years of starting experience at the college level, using his length effectively and decent fluidity. His listed weaknesses are weight distribution, footwork and lateral quickness.

ESPN has Crum ranked No. 25 in the draft among offensive tackles, and the No. 260 prospect overall. He's listed No. 256 on Pro Football Focus's draft board.

"I will be pursuing an NFL career after this. Wherever that takes me, it takes me," Crum told WyoSports before last year's Arizona Bowl. "I'm at peace with myself at football, but I'm going to give it my all until someone else tells me that it's my time to be done with this great game."

Gibbs' projection

UW's star linebacker didn't have the standout performance Crum did at the scouting combine, but he made up for it with a solid showing in UW's pro day. The 6-foot, 232-pound California native has a 5.62 prospect grade on the NFL's website, which falls into "candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad."

Zierlein has Gibbs projected as a priority free agent signing following the draft. Gibbs is listed as ESPN's No. 18 linebacker in the draft, and he's ranked No. 235 overall.

"Linebacker with average size and good production that doesn't always reflect his consistency of play," Zierlein wrote in his overview of the UW linebacker. "Gibbs falls below the cutoff line as an NFL athlete, lacking explosiveness and suddenness in his play. The instincts and paths to the action often create inefficiencies as a run defender, and he doesn't have the athleticism to handle man coverage asks in the passing game.

"The college production is a nice starting point, but he might not have the athleticism or skill level needed to make a roster."

Despite Zierlein's skepticism, UW has a long history of graduating linebackers that are NFL ready, including Logan Wilson with the Cincinnati Bengals and Chad Muma with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gibbs concluded his UW career No. 8 in school history in total tackles with 362. He finished last season ranked No. 13 among all active Football Bowl Subdivision players in total tackles and was a first team All-MW selection the past two seasons.

Like Muma, Gibbs' road to an NFL career will likely start from proving his place on the field through special teams.

"It's been really good feedback (from NFL teams), especially on the film side," Gibbs said at UW's pro day. "They like my film. It's really just coming down to where I fit, I think. I'm a smaller guy for the linebacker position, but when they turn on the tape, they like what they see, and I kind of wanted to validate that with numbers (at UW's pro day), because I know I didn't do my best at the combine.

"So, I'm just enjoying the process, and I'll hopefully land on my feet somewhere and go from there."

Welch's emergence

Welch is another former Cowboy trending in the right direction going into this week's draft. He put himself on the radar with a quality performance at UW's pro day, which earned him a spot on the NFL's website.

The 6-foot-3, 241-pound tight end has a 5.68 prospect grade, putting him in the same category as Gibbs at "candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad." Zierlein projects Welch as a priority free agent.

"Combination tight end who can do a little blocking and a little pass catching," the analyst said in Welch's overview. "Welch powers through routes with too much aggression and not enough finesse. He competes to win combat catches and shows an ability to go get the off-frame throw.

"He struggles to separate against tight man coverage and isn't big enough to sustain run blocks against edge defenders, despite his toughness. Welch should get a shot to compete in a camp, even if he goes undrafted."

Welch had limited opportunities to prove himself as a pass-catcher in UW's offense, but he put up strong numbers during the school's pro day, including a 25-repetition performance in the bench press. That number stuck out to first-year head coach Jay Sawvel.

"A lot of guys, I thought, helped themselves and did a nice job," the coach said at UW's pro day. "Treyton Welch, one comment that you hear from people is they don't understand why he wasn't at the combine. So, for him to run well, jump well, bench what he did (and) those types of things, I think he helped himself a lot.

"... Of all the people, I thought probably Easton and Treyton kind of had the most to gain by having a good day. Treyton really had a good day, and I think Easton helped himself, too."

None of the other seven participants from UW's pro day are listed on the NFL's draft board, but a few could potentially find opportunities to sign with teams as free agents following the draft.

For Sawvel, he's hopeful UW's competitive schedule showcases the former players' ability to play at the next level.

"When Chad Muma got drafted a couple years ago — and I did have a lot of interaction with people in regards to Chad — you never once heard, 'Well, you know, he came from a lower level of competition.' You never hear that," Sawvel said at UW's pro day. "A (Football Championship Subdivision) guy, that's all you hear. A (Mid-American Conference) guy, that's all you hear.

"You don't hear that on people that come from the Mountain West, and I think that's a great thing."

Alex Taylor is the assistant editor for WyoSports and covers University of Wyoming athletics. He can be reached at ataylor@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @alex_m_taylor22.