The Green Bay Packers hosted Mississippi State outside linebacker Tyrus Wheat on an official top-30 visit before the 2023 NFL draft, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Wheat (6-2, 243) produced 129 tackles, 27.0 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, nine pass breakups and three interceptions over 34 games, 33 starts and three seasons at Mississippi State. He transferred from a Mississippi community college before the 2020 season and went on to lead the Bulldogs in sacks each of the last three seasons, including an All-SEC season in 2022 (10.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks).
At the combine, Wheat ran the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, hit 28.5″ in the vertical leap, covered 9-5 in the broad jump and finished the short shuttle in 4.54 seconds. His wingspan measured over 80″ at Mississippi State’s pro day. Wheat’s Relative Athletic Score is 7.19 out of 10.0, and his biggest knock athletically was poor jumping numbers.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranks Wheat as the 19th best edge rusher in the class and a likely early Day 3 pick.
Wheat participated in the East-West Shrine Game. He turns 24 in December.
Although the Packers return both starters at edge rusher (Rashan Gary, Preston Smith) and Kingsley Enagbare, last year’s fifth-round pick, the premium position is still one the team is expected to address at some point in the 2023 draft. The class is deep, and the Packers will have 10 (or more picks) to make.
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