LARAMIE – Chad Muma would be the newest Wyoming participant to experience for the model within the NFL.
Members of the Cowboys teaching workers will attend a draft social gathering on the star linebacker’s household dwelling within the Denver space Friday evening.
The primary spherical of the NFL draft will probably be held Thursday. Muma is predicted to come back off the board in both the second or third spherical Friday.
UW led the Mountain West with 16 gamers on NFL rosters on the finish of the 2021 season, headlined by Buffalo Payments quarterback Josh Allen and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson.
“It’s one other nice instance of a Wyoming participant that has come right here, has developed, that’s going to be an enormous participant on the largest stage in soccer,” head coach Craig Bohl mentioned. “So we’re going to be excited to see the place Chad goes.”
Muma led all gamers in tackles on the Senior Bowl in January in Cell, Alabama, carried out effectively on the NFL Scouting Mix in February in Indianapolis and labored out once more for 29 of the 32 NFL groups throughout UW’s professional day final month in Laramie.
The 6-foot-3, 239-pound All-American backed up his on-field manufacturing with the Pokes – Muma completed second within the FBS in tackles (142) and returned two interceptions for touchdowns final season – by recording a 40-inch vertical and working the 40-yard sprint in 4.63 seconds in the course of the draft course of.
UW linebackers coach Aaron Bohl is assured Muma will succeed on the subsequent degree at center linebacker like his faculty mentor, Wilson, who led the AFC champion Bengals in tackles and interceptions final season.
“He has so many traits when it comes to his size and his explosiveness and his intelligence that he’s going to thrive extra on the inside conventional Mike spot,” Aaron Bohl mentioned of Muma. “However he’ll be capable of nonetheless do effectively on the outdoors backer spot.”
Wilson and Cassh Maluia handed their information all the way down to Muma earlier than getting drafted two years in the past. Muma continued the custom the final two seasons.
Easton Gibbs, who will substitute Muma at center linebacker this season after enjoying beside him on the weak facet in 2021, was paying consideration.
“He’s very about enterprise,” Gibbs mentioned. “No matter he’s doing is about placing it again into the sport, whether or not that’s watching movie or being within the inns within the street video games together with his pregame rituals. I actually regarded on the approach he prepares and I’m going to attempt to switch what he did.
“Mentally, Chad is a really robust man. That’s most likely the largest factor I’m going to take from him is easy methods to put together for stuff and actually dissect movie and issues like that.”
Muma racked up 266 tackles in 33 profession video games for the Pokes whereas navigating his Kind 1 diabetes and ending a level in mechanical engineering.
Even whereas making ready for the NFL draft, Muma made time for UW’s linebackers this spring when he was coaching in Laramie.
“The final couple months I received to hang around with him somewhat bit and he’s an A-plus dude,” walk-on freshman linebacker Nic Talich mentioned. “He’s a fantastic scholar, he’s a fantastic linebacker and he’s nice within the movie room as effectively. Then off the sphere he’s even a greater man.
“I believe what I take essentially the most from him is outdoors of the soccer how a lot preparation it’s worthwhile to put into soccer.”
The loudest roar of the weekend might be contained in the Excessive Altitude Efficiency Heart when Muma’s identify known as on the eve of Saturday’s spring sport at Conflict Memorial Stadium.
“Muma was the sort of individual that you just see and aren’t like, ‘Oh, NFL man,’” sophomore linebacker Shae Suiaunoa mentioned. “He was simply such a fantastic man that he was only a pal first and a soccer participant after.
“It’s simply going to be thrilling for him, his household, us as buddies and the Wyoming neighborhood.”