BRONCOS

Three Wyoming players who could be fits in Denver shine at Pro Day

Mar 11, 2020, 6:45 AM | Updated: 7:08 am

On Tuesday, I headed out early in the morning bound for Laramie, Wyo., so I could watch the Cowboys pro day. My mother was born and raised in Laramie, so it’s always good to go back to a place where I have many fond childhood memories from holidays and family events.

It’s also good to go back to a campus where I saw Josh Allen’s pro day – in addition to local favorites like Brett Smith, Robert Herron, Marcus Epps and Andrew Wingard over the years.

Laramie rolled out the red carpet for the media, as the PR staff for the Cowboys is one of the best I’ve interacted with in college football. I had a great time covering the event and access to everything I needed to see on the field with eight pro prospects.

More than 20 NFL teams were in attendance to watch these prospects, as well. The film work has already been done, but at a pro day a team can get one more look at a player. This part of the process is all about dotting I’s and crossing T’s in the scouting department.

Here are my observations from the day up in Laramie.

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Top-100 No Doubt

I went to this event to see Logan Wilson again. Wilson is a versatile inside linebacker for the Cowboys who I got to talk to at the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine earlier this year. I wanted to see how he capped off the public part of the pre-draft process during the team’s pro day.

In my opinion, Wilson’s performance locked him into being a top-100 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He stayed with the 40-yard dash numbers that he posted at the Combine. Last month, Wilson ran a 4.63 second 40-yard dash, which was the 12th fastest time for linebackers in attendance at that event. Wilson also pushed up 225 pounds, 21 times on the bench press (5th most for linebackers).

He weighed in at 241 pounds at the Combine, but dropped down to 236 pounds at the pro day. Wilson is a linebacker, but he’s one of the most-versatile players on the field who could also line up as a safety at the pro level. The converted cornerback had 10 interceptions during his Cowboys career and knows how to find the ball.

He moved swiftly and quickly through drills on Tuesday. Wilson did a good job of catching passes when they were thrown his way, only letting one pass hit the ground (and boy was it a bad pass). He was the star attraction to the event and did not disappoint with his performance or the way he looked coachable throughout the entire pro day.

Wilson does measure up on and off the field. Talking to staff around the facility, Wilson is affectionately remembered as “The Governor.” No, this isn’t the villain from “The Walking Dead.” This is because he is so nice, humble, kind and beloved that the Casper native could run for office in the state and win. It was great to hear about his behavior behind the scenes and how he is a high-quality individual who will work hard no matter what task is in front of him.

This time, that task is making it in the NFL. A team like the Broncos could really do themselves a lot of good by drafting Wilson in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. They do not have a linebacker like him, and he could push for a starting job sooner rather than later. In fact, Wilson could be a Pro Bowl-caliber player in just a few years.

***

Straight “Cassh” Homey

One of the surprise players I saw at the Wyoming pro day was linebacker Cassh Maluia. I was focused on Wilson when breaking down film of the Cowboys, but Maluia was a player who stood out – mainly with his nose for the ball. While he only finished with 1.5 sacks in his four-year career at Laramie, Maluia had four interceptions and was known to get into the end zone more than most linebackers.

He has the high football intelligence to find the ball quickly and the athleticism to get there in a hurry. Maluia is known as a sound tackler and works hard to get his man to the ground quickly. In addition to solid tackling skills, Maluia can force fumbles, as well.

At the Cowboys pro day, Maluia looked smooth when changing direction. He put up a good time in the 40-yard dash, unofficially at 4.77, but it was Maluia’s burst that impressed me. Maluia would change direction in coverage drills and burst to the ball without hesitation. He also showed power in drills that mimic tackling.

While Wilson was the superior player, Maluia showed scouts in attendance that he is worth taking a chance on late in the draft or as a priority free agent. The Broncos have a long history of finding gems as undrafted free agents. Perhaps Maluia will be a player they consider then.

***

Speed to Help the Broncos

The fastest 40-yard dash recorded on Tuesday was by cornerback Tyler Hall. He was a player that I noticed early on must have caught the attention of the multiple Broncos scouts in attendance. Hall had a lot of buzz around him when going through drills and during the vertical leap drill, he jumped to a 38-inch mark.

His Cowboys teammates were cheering him on when he ran the 40-yard dash. It was cool to see and hear the camaraderie all these Cowboys players had. Hall was a clear favorite of his teammates and he did not disappoint.

I had the time at 4.4 seconds, but talking to Hall afterwards, he said that one scout told him his 40-yard dash was 4.38 seconds. Either way, Hall was blazing down the field on Tuesday.

I saw quite a few teams talking to Hall after the pro day. Scouts from the Ravens, Chargers and Colts were talking to the young corner – and for good reason. Hall was the second-best player for the Cowboys at this pro day and he’s certainly on NFL radars.

His speed is intriguing and so is his ability to play slot cornerback at the pro level. I talked to him afterwards and he said that after playing both outside and inside, he felt the slot was his best spot for the NFL. I wholeheartedly agree, and Hall could be a nice depth player to start his pro career.

In fact, Hall could see the field as a return man and shine for a team immediately. Among active FBS players in 2019, Hall ended his career No. 1 in the nation in kickoff return average (31.7 yards per return) and No. 9 in career kickoff returns for touchdowns. His ability as a return man helped the Cowboys finish fourth in the nation in kickoff returns (27.73 yards per return).

Hall would look good in a Broncos uniform. The team needs to add young talent to the cornerback position and they have been looking for a quality return man for years. Hall could fit the bill for both of those needs as a day-three pick.

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