MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Six West Virginia players were invited to this year’s Senior Bowl and NFL scouting combine, and all are expected to hear their names called in this weekend’s NFL Draft. If all six are taken, it will tie the school record set in 1999 for the most Mountaineers drafted in one year since the draft shrunk to seven rounds in 1994.
Here’s a breakdown of each player, including where the experts think they may be picked.
Will Grier
Will Grier is among the most productive quarterbacks in West Virginia history with just two seasons as a starter. He ranks third in program history with 7,354 passing yards and second with 71 touchdown passes. Grier finished fourth in the 2018 Heisman Trophy vote, the best showing for a Mountaineer since Steve Slaton in 2006.
Grier transferred to West Virginia from Florida, where he started five games as a redshirt freshman before his suspension for testing positive for an over-the-counter performance-enhancing substance. Feeling unwelcomed by then-Gators coach Jim McElwain, he came to WVU and sat out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Grier hit a throwing velocity of 59 mph at the NFL Combine, which tied Boise State’s Brett Rypien for the fastest mark in this year’s class.
NFL.com projection: Rounds 3-4
Yodny Cajuste
A two-year starter at left tackle, Cajuste may well be the first Mountaineer off the draft board after Grier.
Cajuste was bedeviled by knee injuries early in his career, missing most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons. With that in mind, it came as little surprise that Cajuste elected to sit out this year’s Camping World Bowl to focus on the draft.
Injury concerns limited Cajuste from doing drills at the combine or pro day, but he did put up 32 reps in the bench press.
NFL Network analyst and former Redskins GM Charley Casserly is bullish on Cajuste.
“As a run-blocker, he’s a physical guy. He’ll punch you in the mouth,” Casserly said. “To me, he’s a second-round pick. If he doesn’t work out at tackle, you can try him at guard.”
NFL.com projection: Rounds 3-5
Gary Jennings
Recruited by Notre Dame to play defensive back, Jennings believed his future was as a wide receiver and chose West Virginia. That decision has paid dividends ever since.
Jennings is sixth on WVU’s all-time list with 2,294 receiving yards. As a junior, he had the strange distinction of scoring just one touchdown on 97 catches. He found the end zone 13 times as a senior, including an iconic last-minute grab in the back of the end zone in West Virginia’s 42-41 win at Texas.
Jennings had one of the better overall performances at the combine among receivers. He ran a 4.42 in the 40, completed the 20-yard cone drill in 4.15 seconds, and did 20 reps in the bench press. Jennings also graded as one of the fastest players at the Senior Bowl despite being a late invite to the event.
NFL.com projection: Rounds 3-4
David Sills
Sills’ story is becoming as well-known as that of Paul Bunyan. Offered a scholarship to play quarterback at USC when he was just 13, he ended up at West Virginia and moved to wide receiver. After a year at junior college to give quarterback another shot, he returned to WVU and became one of the most productive wideouts in program history.
A two-time all-American, Sills was also a Biletnikoff Award finalist his junior year. His 35 career touchdown catches are second in school history to Stedman Bailey.
Sills had the eighth-best time among receivers at the combine in the 3-cone drill, completing it in 6.97 seconds. He ran a 4.57 in the 40-yard dash and had a 37.5-inch vertical jump.
NFL.com projection: Rounds 4-5
David Long
Due to his size, the Big 12 defensive player of the year might have been forced to change positions or take his career to Canada if he was entering the draft just a decade ago. Instead, the 5-foot-10, 223-pound linebacker is blessed with the speed necessary to play his position in a more pass-happy era.
Long finished his redshirt junior season with 111 tackles, including 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks before declaring for the draft.
Long sprained his ankle at the Senior Bowl and did not run at the combine or his pro day. That may cost him in the draft, but at least one scout likes him more than presumed first-rounder Devin Bush of Michigan.
“Personally, I would rather have David Long over Devin Bush for a round or two discount,” one league executive told NFL.com. “They have about the same size but Long is more productive and maybe less prone to injury.”
NFL.com projection: Round 4
Trevon Wesco
Wesco, a Martinsburg native who attended Musselman High, has gone from not being on WVU’s radar to getting attention from the NFL.
Despite being in-state, he had to start his college career at Lackawanna Junior College to get noticed by the Mountaineers. Wesco put up extremely modest numbers his first two seasons – one catch each year – before exploding as a senior. Wesco became the most targeted WVU tight end in decades, finishing with 26 catches for 366 yards.
Wesco worked as a fullback and tight end at the Senior Bowl. He showed his strength at the combine, leading his position with 24 bench press reps. Other tight ends have a speed advantage on Wesco, who posted a 4.89 time in the 40. Scouts came away impressed with his hands after his pro day. A team looking for a blocking tight end with a chance to blossom into something more would be well-served to use a late-round pick on Wesco.
NFL.com projection: Rounds 4-6