Mountain West- Wyoming

Jesson Salyard, TE, Sr- Salyard is a bit of a late round, low level sleeper. He’s not the biggest TE, but he really gives good effort in the run blocking phase. He keeps his base wide, keeps his feet moving, and he can seal things off even though he will need to get bigger and stronger. He’s nothing more than a late round prospect, but I like his effort and ability as a back up to groom as a blocking TE.

Ross Arnold, OC, Sr- Arnold is not consistent enough to make me think he can be a starter in the NFL. He is very good at pulling around the edge and blocking the moving target, but he’s too light in the legs to hold up against bigger DT prospects. His foot speed on the pull also doesn’t show up in blocking quick interior DTs either, as he got beat several times on a down block he missed. If he gets drafted, it will be late. And that team will have to commit to his long term physical development.

Ryan Otterson, LT, Sr- Much of what I said on Arnold goes for Otterson. He has good feet, good technique in his pass sets, and he does a good job of positioning. He’s just far too light at this point to be a starter in the NFL. If he can be hidden on a practice squad and pushed in the weight room, he could develop into a LT because of his feet. He’s definitely not ready though, and if he’s asked to start in the first two years of his pro career, he will get physically overwhelmed.

Alvester Alexander, RB, Fr- Alexander is a player to watch. He has elite level speed, so much so that he rules out angles by tacklers. He also has good hands in the pass game, and if he gets the ball in space, he can make big plays. He needs to get bigger and stronger, but he has at least two years to do that. I think he will be someone who we will hear about in a couple years, but not many will know about him due to playing in relative obscurity at Wyoming.

John Fletcher, DE, Sr- I really like Fletcher as a 3-4 DE. He plays the five technique, as well as all along down the line in this odd man front, and he shows very good ability in both phases. What impressed me most was his ability to hold up against the double team, keep his shoulders square, and shed the block to make the tackle. He has good quickness in the pass game as well, and can rush the passer from that position. He’s going to fly under the radar, but I could see him going to a team like Pittsburgh or New England and developing into a very solid starter.

Mitch Unrein, DE, Sr- Unrein is a small step below Fletcher, but valuable as well. He’s got better quickness and pass rush moves than Fletcher, but he doesn’t anchor in the run as well. He’s a late rounder, but he has the potential to end up at worst in a rotation as a 5 technique with a 3-4 team.

Fred Givens, NT, Sr- Givens will not be a 3-4 NT, but he could fit as a run stuffing 4-3 NT. He anchors well against the run and shows good power by being able to punch blockers back and into the backfield. He’s a nice late round pick.

Weston Johnson, OLB, Sr- Johnson is undersized and gets engulfed in the run, but he’s got decent hips in dropping into coverage. He may develop as a WLB in a Cover-2, but he’s a very late round pick at best, and will probably be nothing more than a solid special teams player for his career.