NFL Draft expert: Boise State’s Curtis Weaver is ‘first-rounder’; 4 earn Combine invites
Former Boise State pass rusher Curtis Weaver showed why he’s attracting attention from so many NFL scouts and got a shout-out from a draft expert on national television last week at the State Farm All-Star Football Skills Challenge.
Weaver took the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 27 and won the strength competition after completing an obstacle course in 25.8 seconds. He was followed by North Carolina linebacker Jason Strowbridge (26.2) and Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae (26.4).
The event aired Friday on ESPN2. Before Weaver took the course, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay gave his take on the Mountain West’s career sacks leader.
“He’s going to be one of the top edge players drafted in this year’s class, I think as a first-rounder,” McShay said. “When you look at his game, it’s built for the NFL. It’s not just speed, it’s not that long, angular guy. It’s power and quickness and relentlessness. … I think he’s going to make an immediate impact and everyone will know his name two or three years from now.”
The obstacle course tested the competitors’ strength with a tractor tire they had to flip for 5 yards before clearing a line of tackling dummies and pushing a blocking sled.
The final two obstacles — a chute and a ring meant to gauge a pass rusher’s ability to bend and get around an offensive tackle — tested their agility, and the course ended with participants scooping up a fumble and sprinting to the finish line.
Weaver competed for the Wild Card team, which was made up of four players outside of Power Five conferences. He was joined by Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant and Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger. They competed against teams from the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12.
Weaver’s win pulled the Wild Card team into second place, but in the end, the Big Ten won, followed by the SEC. The Wild Card team finished third, followed by the Big 12 and the ACC. The Pac-12 finished last.
Weaver led the Mountain West and ranked No. 5 in the country last season with 13.5 sacks, and his 34 career sacks ranks No. 2 all-time at Boise State. The redshirt junior declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 28.
Four earn Combine invites
Weaver is one of four former Broncos who have received invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine, which is scheduled for Feb. 23-March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Weaver and left tackle Ezra Cleveland will attend the event, according to their agent Ron Slavin. Cleveland announced on Christmas Eve that he would forego his senior season and enter the draft.
They’ll be joined by offensive lineman John Molchon, according to his agent Ross Jones, and wide receiver John Hightower, according to a report from KTVB. Hightower led the Broncos last season with 943 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He did not respond Monday night to a message seeking confirmation.
Molchon has jersey retired
It has been a big couple of weeks for Molchon. On Jan. 27, he had his high school jersey retired at Faith Lutheran School in Las Vegas.
Molchon was a two-time all-state pick and, in 2013, he was named the Nevada 1-A offensive lineman of the year. He also won a state title with the Crusaders.
At Boise State, Molchon was a three-time All-Mountain West pick. He earned first-team honors in 2018 and 2019, a season in which he started games at guard and tackle.
The 6-foot-5, 318-pounder has been back home in Las Vegas training since the season ended. He accepted an invitation to the NFLPA Bowl, but he said he opted not to play in the game.
Boise State’s Pro Day is scheduled for April 2 and the NFL Draft is April 23-25.
Women’s basketball: Broncos host Cowgirls
The Wyoming women’s basketball team will visit ExtraMile Arena on Wednesday (7 p.m., 1350 AM) looking for a season sweep of Boise State.
Using their elbow motion offense, the Cowgirls aim to control the pace and keep the Mountain West matchup from becoming a high-scoring affair.
Not if the Broncos can help it.
“We’re gonna try to be as up-tempo as we can,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “We’re going to leak out some people and see if we can get into an up-tempo game with them.”
The senior duo of Jayde Christopher and Braydey Hodgins will spearhead the Broncos’ fast-paced game plan against Wyoming. Christopher’s 177 assists are the second-most in the nation this season behind only Oregon phenom Sabrina Ionescu (190). Hodgins has dished out 73 assists of her own to help the Broncos (15-8, 7-4 MW) rank 15th overall in the category among Division I teams.
“We’ve known for four years now that they play slow and they play methodical,” Hodgins said. “Being able to play our pace and not falling into that trap of just kind of lackadaisical basketball. We have to be on point and pushing the ball whenever we can just to try to put them on their heels a little bit and then see what we can get from there.”
Wyoming (11-9, 7-4) defeated Boise State 73-68 on Jan. 1 in Laramie in a game the Broncos led by as many as 15 points. The two teams are currently tied for fourth in the league standings.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
