UW's Peasley makes the most of pro day opportunity

Mar. 22—LARAMIE — Andrew Peasley doesn't have many deep balls on his game film from his time as the University of Wyoming's starting quarterback.

The 6-foot-2 Utah State transfer spent the past two seasons under center in the Cowboys' run-heavy offense. Peasley knows the biggest question mark from professional scouts has been centered around his arm strength. That realization led him to start his throwing session at UW's pro day Tuesday with a deep post to wide receiver Ayir Asante.

The pair connected on the deep ball in front of a crowd that included representatives from 26 NFL teams.

"That was kind of my goal," Peasley said about showing off his arm strength. "(Against) Portland State in the second game, I sprained my AC (joint), and I don't know if I was ever back to that arm strength that I know I have.

"At one point in the season, I was like 2-for-18 on deep balls. It's like, 'Can he throw a deep ball?' I made it clear that I wanted to open up with a post to Ayir on the first throw of the day. That was my main thing."

Peasley's strategy during his throwing session wasn't a surprise to his teammates. Linebacker Easton Gibbs — who also participated in the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month in Indianapolis — knew Peasley's main goal going into pro day was proving doubters wrong about his arm.

"We knew he was coming out with that one," Gibbs said with a laugh. "We were in here on Saturday, and he was like, 'I think I'm going to do this thing,' and I was like, 'You might as well show it off,' and he did. So, I'm glad it turned out. It was good."

Peasley finished last year 166-of-266 (62.4%) for 1,991 yards, with 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 419 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

While Peasley struggled with consistent accuracy at times, he finished the season tied for 29th in the country at 13.7 points responsible for per game. He was tied with Texas' Quinn Ewers and Notre Dame's Sam Hartman.

"This day is kind of like my one shot," Peasley said about pro day. "I haven't turned any heads before this. (Last year was an) average season, in my opinion. I think that's the way it went, and I was just excited to get an opportunity to competitively kind of play this game a little bit one more time and show them my skill set and show them my athleticism.

"It was a blessing, man. I'm so in love with football, and it feels like my life has been in college football for so long."

Peasley was the first UW quarterback to throw during pro day since Josh Allen in 2018.

Welch has strong day

Gibbs and offensive tackle Frank Crum were the only two Cowboys to get invitations to the combine earlier this month. Tight end Treyton Welch was left off the list, which has been a topic that has come up with first-year head coach Jay Sawvel in his conversations with NFL scouts.

Welch had an impressive performance Tuesday, highlighted by a 25-repetition performance on the bench press. He also caught passes from Peasley during his throwing session.

"A lot of guys, I thought, helped themselves and did a nice job," Sawvel said. "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."

Other notable performances

Asante was on the receiving end of a handful of passes from Peasley during his throwing session. The speedy wide-out also tested well during the agility work.

While official results from pro day aren't released, his speed in the 40-yard dash was met by cheers from his teammates inside the IPF.

Asante always enjoys showing off his speed, and that was made obvious on Peasley's first pass of the day.

"I'm super excited any time we want to go deep," Asante said with a smile. "Obviously, that's super fun for me. We actually begged coach many times to start a game off with a big post just because, you know, Wyoming football, nobody's expecting it.

"We had an opportunity. This is kind of our day and our showcase, so, why not start with a big play to show my legs and show his arm? We connected on it to start the rhythm early. Great idea by Andrew. I was right behind him supporting that idea."

Asante caught a touchdown pass in the Tropical Bowl in January, which is an all-star game featuring graduating seniors. Sawvel feels the wide receiver's pro day helped showcase what he could bring to a professional team.

"He ran well," Sawvel said. "He's another one that had a good day. He's a good player and a good player that has a good body to him and a good size frame to him.

"He did a really nice job catching the ball. He's got really quiet hands. The ball hits it and kind of melds in there real well."

Cornerback Jakorey Hawkins' sprint in the 40 was also met by an audible applause in the IPF. His infamous 62-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown against Appalachian State last season was just one example of what he hopes to bring to an NFL organization.

"It helped me a lot," Hawkins said about the game-winning touchdown. "That's part of history, something that had never been done, so I'm always grateful for that. I look at that as glory from God.

"... These last two years, I'm grateful. I've been blessed coming here and helping this team out. Playing for this community has been joyful and everything. I appreciate everyone here."

Other UW players to participate in Tuesday's pro day included defensive tackle Cole Godbout, cornerback Deron Harrell, tight end Colin O'Brien and punter Clayton Stewart.

Godbout battled a series of injuries throughout the latter portion of his career. He felt he helped his case with his performance at pro day.

"Injuries are not how, but when, you know?" Godbout said. "I mean, it's tough, but you just have to keep pushing and keep grinding. If you really want it, you should get it.

"... (Being overlooked), that tends to happen. I think I put like a solid four years of film (together). This last year, I can say wasn't my best year. I was a little beat up, but I just have to play better. Once I really put the pads on, they're going to see what I can offer."

Sawvel believes the school's consistent output of NFL-caliber players has only helped boost the excitement for scouts coming to Laramie for pro day.

"We're in a good spot," Sawvel said. "People respect the Mountain West Conference, people respect our program, people respect the level that we play and the nonconference schedule that we play.

"When (linebacker) 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.

"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.