Saturday Blitz
Fansided

NFL Combine 2020: 3 linebackers who helped their stock

By Michael Hanich

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 29: Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. of Mississippi State runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 29: Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. of Mississippi State runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Nick Brossette #4 of the LSU Tigers is tackled by Willie Gay Jr. #6 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – OCTOBER 20: Nick Brossette #4 of the LSU Tigers is tackled by Willie Gay Jr. #6 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Tiger Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Some prospects are looking for much more than to boost their draft stock, they are looking to make a name for themselves. Willie Gay Jr. is a prospect that has encountered a great collegiate career with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. While he provided great work the Bulldogs, he has not collected the full attention from NFL scouts and coaches.

This combine was a great step forward for Gay to make himself a potential high-valued prospect when the NFL Draft starts on April 23. Gay measured in at 6-foot-1, 243 pounds with a wing-span of 32 5/8 and a hand size of 10.5, which is huge for a prospect that is considered on the short side.

The Mississippi State linebacker is a prospect that has heavy size but timed in at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash. This is the second-fastest time among all the linebackers in the combine behind Isaiah Simmons. He also measured in at 136 inches in the broad jump, which is first of all linebackers.

Finally, he measured in at 39.5 inches in the vertical jump, which is the second-highest of all linebackers.

Gay is an interesting prospect coming from the NFL Combine. He was one of the heavier prospects in terms of matching with his height, but he displayed his high-caliber athleticism and speed in the measuring drills. He is still regarded as a late-round prospect but a stellar performance in the NFL Combine has put his name in the spotlight.

Now he will look to have an impressive pro day and workouts with pro teams.

Home/NFL Draft