Round 3, Pick 96 – Mississippi State LB Willie Gay Jr
If there was one guy that helped himself immensely with his on-field performance at the combine, it was Mississippi State LB Willie Gay Jr. At 6-feet-1 and 243 pounds, he posted elite scores in the broad jump (136 inches), vertical jump (39.5 inches) and the 40-yard dash (4.46). Those numbers are as impressive, if not more impressive than those posted by Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons who is universally praised as a top 5 draft pick in this class.
Brett Veach is a former SEC Scout, so grabbing a player from his old stomping grounds wouldn’t be unheard of. Gay Jr doesn’t have top production at the position compared to others in this class. In fact, he only has one season where he’s played 12 games. I’d expect he would be available in the middle rounds of the draft, despite his impressive showing at the combine.
What might turn out more important is how Gay Jr was in team interviews. He was suspended for eight games in the 2019 season for violating an undisclosed team rule at Mississippi State. The Chiefs aren’t a team that is afraid to take a chance on a player with a past, but they’ll have to do their homework here. If he was able to ace his team interviews, this is a player that could see a shocking rise.