CHEYENNE — A representative from one of the NFL’s 32 teams will step up to some sort of virtual podium at the end of the week and utter these words into a microphone: “Logan Wilson, linebacker, Wyoming.”
For Wilson, it’s still surreal to think about. Five years ago, he strolled on to campus in Laramie as a 180-pound defensive back.
Fast forward to the biggest weekend of his life.
Wilson, now 6-feet, 2-inches tall and weighing in at 241 pounds, has 409 tackles under his belt. Tack on 10 career interceptions, seven sacks and five forced fumbles. That equates to a second-team All-American nod, first-team All-Mountain West selection, a finalist for the Butkus Award and a three-time team captain for Craig Bohl’s Cowboys.
Now, the pro football media is claiming the Casper product could be drafted anywhere from the third round to the fifth. Just today, Wilson was called a “sleeper.” He could sneak into the first round, according to some.
Why?
Because he has all the intangibles. All of those impressive numbers above, coupled with a blue-collar attitude and work ethic.
Wilson said the nerves haven’t set in yet, but the Natrona County grad knows they are coming.
He will likely become the 83rd Wyoming football player to hear his name called at the draft.
Wilson will be the first Cowboy linebacker selected since Mark Nzeocha went in the seventh round in 2015. Wilson will also be the first UW player from the Cowboy State to get that phone call since Buffalo’s Chris Prosinski went to Jacksonville in the fourth round of the 2011 draft.
If anyone understands the significance of this, it’s Wilson.
He proudly displays a headband with the Wyoming state flag plastered across it. He sported it at the Senior Bowl in Alabama and the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Wilson also wore it to UW’s Pro Day in Laramie, where he worked out in front of 23 NFL scouts.
“That’s what makes Wyoming so special,” Logan said, referring to the fan support behind his course to professional football. “It’ll always be my home and I can’t wait to represent Wyoming the right way in this next part of my journey.”
Wilson knows he has an entire state behind him.
He’s watched his former teammate, Josh Allen, turn Wyoming — traditionally a Denver Broncos state — into the newest member of Bills Mafia. That’s another reason Wilson wants to let fans know Buffalo is a team that has been in contact with him.
Former Wyoming basketball player, Larry Nance Jr, knows all about the “Wyoming treatment,” too. When his Lakers traveled to Denver in 2015, hundreds flocked south of the border to Pepsi Center to see him.
“I felt like I was back playing in the Arena-Auditorium in Wyoming,” Nance told NBA.com that night. “It was really cool getting to hear the ‘Larry! chants, the fans screaming. It was awesome.”
Wait until the Bills visit Mile High Stadium this fall. And imagine if Wilson is on either team?
Wilson said he has had conversations with 17 NFL teams since his Wyoming career ended with a 38-17 Arizona Bowl victory over Georgia State. He got in one official visit to Philadelphia before COVID-19 shut the world down. He also met with four teams in Birmingham and four more in Indy.
Denver has called. So has Dallas, Atlanta, New Orleans and plenty of others.
Like he always does, Wilson is quietly going about his business, getting in workouts across from his father’s house at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper. He runs drills daily. He lifts weights. Sometimes his girlfriend joins him. Other times, his father will.
Wilson will take his 4.63 40-yard dash and laser focus to any team that calls. With him, what you see is what you get.
What we’ve seen is pretty darn good.
“It’s all in God’s hands,” he said of his upcoming selection. “I’ve done what I’m supposed to do in these steps leading up to the draft, so, we will see where I end up. I’m relying on the fact that God will put me where I’m meant to be.”
