Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL

QB - Josh Allen (Round 1, Pick 7, 2018) - Buffalo Bills
I remember Josh's time at UW well, especially his final year. He was known for his toughness, his leadership qualities, his massive arm, and his mobile legs, some key attributes he brought to the NFL when the Buffalo Bills traded up to grab him with the 7th overall pick in the draft. He's now doing even better in upstate New York than he did with the Pokes, having a found a system that works for him and his rough and tumble style of play. With nearly no receiving corps and a rookie running back, Josh and the Bills D took the team to the playoffs in 2019, and will look to repeat the trend in 2020.





RB/KR - Brian Hill (Round 5, Pick 12, 2017) - Atlanta Falcons

Disheartening for Pokes fans, Brian Hill is currently listed as number three on the Falcons depth chart behind new acquisition Todd Gurley and backup Ito Smith. The silver lining is that both Gurley and Smith are injury prone, and that he's currently number one on the depth chart as a kick returner. He's not as fast Xazavian Valladay, but the third-year pro has good size and burst through the tackles, showing that he's one to be trusted when the team needs him.





WR - Malcolm Floyd (UFA, 2004) - San Diego Chargers (Retired)
Malcolm Floyd is a strange entry to the list, as he's probably the only one not still on an active roster. The NFL has not been kind to Cowboy receivers through the years, though Floyd, coming in as an undrafted free agent, saw a nice, long career with the San Diego Chargers, playing second fiddle to behemoth Vincent Jackson as a WR2. These uniforms look like they're from the '70s, but crazily enough, this is only sixteen years ago. The Poke switch from gold gold to yellow gold was a good change.





WR - Rico Gafford (UFA, 2018) - Las Vegas Raiders
Rico is the most interesting entry on this list. At UW, he played on the defensive side of the ball as a cornerback, and his blazing speed earned him a spot on the Raiders practice squad. Boasting a team stacked with cornerbacks, Raiders head coach John Gruden decided to try Rico out at receiver instead and eventually tossed him onto the regular roster. At the end of the 2019 season, Gafford even caught a pass from QB Derek Carr for a 49-yard touchdown, the first of his career. He's now listed as a WR3, which only alludes to a more active role in the Raiders offense.





TE - Jacob Hollister (UFA, 2018) - Seattle Seahawks
Hollister mostly did a lot of blocking for the Patriots, but once he had a nice change of scenery to Seattle, he became a major contributor about midway through the 2019 season. Against the Tampa Bucs, he was the hero of the game, catching the winning touchdown. Against the 49ers, he caught eight passes for 62 yards and a score, proving chemistry with quarterback Russell Wilson. He will likely become a major contributor as a second option behind receiver Tyler Lockett.





TE - Austin Fort (UFA, 2019) - Denver Broncos
Fort is currently number three on the Broncos depth chart behind Noah Fant and Jeff Heuerman, thanks to a torn ACL that kept him sidelined his entire rookie season. He'll have an uphill climb after the injury, and to work his way up the depth chart. A new coaching direction will lead to more two tight end sets, which will give Fort more opportunities than he got sitting on injured reserve. There's no reason why the former Poke can't show off his stuff to a rebuilding Denver squad.





C - Chase Roullier (Round 6, Pick 15, 2017) -Washington Redskins
When you find a good center, you better keep the sucker, as there aren't seemingly that many around. The Redskins did exactly that, making Roullier their guy from the get-go. Along with Josh Allen and a couple of linebackers who later make the list, Roullier has been the most successful Poke in the NFL, proving his worth to become a three-year starter.





NT - Mike Purcell (UFA, 2013) - Denver Broncos
Purcell has played a lot of catch and release since leaving Wyo after the 2012 season, playing stints with the 49ers, the Rams, the Bears, the Panthers, the Patriots, and the Chiefs before landing with the Broncos. As of April of 2020, Purcell has resigned with the team for a second year, giving him a more permanent home and a roster spot next to the ailing Austin Fort.





DE - Carl Granderson (UFA, 2019) - New Orleans Saints
After a solid career with the Pokes, Granderson took the bumpiest road he possibly could to the NFL. An absolute stud in college, the edge rusher wasn't drafted, but signed with the Saints a month later. At the time, he was in the midst of a sexual assault charge from a year earlier, and two months after attempting to begin his NFL career, Granderson was sentenced to six months in prison. After serving a month and a half in jail, his sentence was suspended and he was reinstated to the league, and to New Orleans. Like Austin Fort, Granderson has a hard fight ahead of him, but if he conjured the fight he brought to the 2018-2019 college season, he could become a real contributor to an improving defensive unit.





DE - Eddie Yarbrough (UFA, 2016) - Minnesota Vikings
Yarbrough signed as a free agent to the Broncos, but was released after a few months. Almost a year later, he signed with the Bills and stayed on the roster for two years, playing in all sixteen games with six starts, recording 34 tackles. Most recently, he has signed with the Minnesota Vikings.





LB - Logan Wilson (Round 3, Pick 1, 2020) - Cincinnati Bengals
Wilson was an absolute stud at Wyoming, and the Cincinnati Bengals knew it, selecting him at the beginning of the third round and making him the second highest Poke player ever drafted after Josh Allen. He joins some highly talented freshmen company in LSU's Joe Burrows and Clemson's Tee Higgins, and will look to revitalized a struggling Bengal team. He's already atop the depth chart at linebacker for the team.





LB - Cassh Maluia (Round 5, Pick 24, 2020) - New England Patriots
Cassh had a stellar career with the Cowboys, a hardworking linebacker from Compton, CA. His entire college career saw to 167 tackles, and 16 of them for a loss. The Patriots spent heavily on defensive players in this year's draft, likely to rekindle last year's magical defensive season, and the compensate for a Brady-less offense. Cassh is thickly-built and quick, a nice combination for such a late draft prospect. He was overshadowed by teammate Logan Wilson, but Maluia makes for a solid pick here.





LB - Mark Nzeocha (Round 7, Pick 19, 2015) - San Francisco 49ers
Like several of the other Poke big men on this list, German-born Mark Nzeocha has had an injury-riddle career. Even though he didn't even start playing American football until he was fourteen years-old, the 49ers signed the linebacker off of the Dallas Cowboys, who had drafted him, practice squad. His claim to NFL fame is an interception against Jameis Winston in the season opener last season. He is still currently with the 49ers.





CB - Tyler Hall (UFA, 2020) - Atlanta Falcons
Tyler is not a big guy, but he's fast and physical, receiving enough Mountain West Conference accolades to draw the attention of the Atlanta Falcons. He's versatile, and could probably be another converted receiver like Rico if the Falcons weren't in such desperate need at cornerback. He only had one interception this past year, but 10 pass breakups, and earned honorable mention as a kick returner.





FS - Marcus Epps (Round 6, Pick 18, 2019) - Philadelphia Eagles
One of only seven Poke players to have been drafted, free safety Marcus Epps failed to make splash with Vikings and dropped to the waiver wire, where he was picked up again by the Eagles. In his rookie season, he played in 15 games between the two teams. Epps hasn't always had the easier road, but had the fight to succeed, walking on at UW to become a four-year starter for the Pokes. The Eagles need more help at the back end than the Vikings did, so Epps should be more successful in the City of Brotherly Love.





FS - Tashaun Gipson (UFA, 2012) - Chicago Bears
Probably one of, if not the first Poke player I'd followed from college to see hit the big show (we both graduated in 2012), Tashaun Gipson, like Mike Purcell, has become a journeyman in the league. He started his adventure by making a struggling Cleveland Browns squad (he couldn't avoid a brown jersey I guess), were he stayed for four years. He spent three with the Jaguars, and 2019 with the Houston Texans. He was recently cut by the Texans, but just yesterday, he was picked up by the Chicago Bears, as there is simply too much talent there to let go of for good.





SS - Andrew Wingard (UFA, 2019) - Jacksonville Jaguars
There are three things that define Wingard's career as a football player thus far - he looks like a Viking, he was part of the most fun defensive squads I've seen at UW, and he's simply just everywhere, a latter day Troy Palamalu. Wingard enters his second year as a Jaguar, and was the only undrafted free agent to try out with Jacksonville to actually make the team. Wingard's work ethic keeps him driving toward his goal, and that goal is to rise above his humble beginnings.