Neal Brown Believes Bryce Ford-Wheaton is 'Going To Be an Asset' in the NFL

Bryce Ford-Wheaton steadily increased his production each year while at West Virginia University and now, he'll get a chance to hear his name called in next month's NFL Draft.

On Monday, WVU held its annual Pro Day where Ford-Wheaton and several others had another opportunity to put their talent on display in front of NFL scouts, coaches, and GMs. After posting solid numbers at the NFL Combine in February, Ford-Wheaton opted not to run the 40-yard dash or any of the other individual drills.

Following his lightning-fast 4.38 40 and a vertical jump of 41 inches, BFW began drawing comparisons to DK Metcalf and Hall of Famer, Calvin Johnson. To be quite honest, I wasn't expecting his forty to be in the 4.3s. I was stunned, as were several others around the league. One person who wasn't taken by surprise? WVU head coach Neal Brown.

"It really didn't [surprise me]. He's jumped really well here every time we've tested him. We don't necessarily run 40s. But all our GPS data tracks their first ten [yards] and you really hit your top-end speeds once you get above 40 yards and he's gone over 22 [mph] consistently.

"If you look at his measurables, they're off the charts. His numbers for the Combine, I think they speak for themselves. I think you've seen some things that came out historically for what receivers' numbers are that are guys that size and who he compares to and he's in rare air. What I talk a lot about with Bryce is his growth and maturity both as a person and as a player. If you saw him in the spring of '19 compared to where he was in the fall of '22 or where he is now, it's night and day. It's not even close. It's not like he got a little better. Like if I showed you film from spring of '19 and told you that was Bryce, you wouldn't believe that was him. And then how he's worked over the last year. From January up until now, he's worked at a pro level. I think he's earned the opportunity. And he's going to get it. His best football is going to continue to be ahead of him. And he's going to be an asset, not just as a receiver, but he's going to be able to start on three special teams. He can play on the punt team, he can play on punt return team, and he can play on kickoff return team. I think that's why people are excited about him."

Ford-Wheaton saw a rise in receptions, yards, and touchdowns over each of the last four years, proving that he's only going to continue to get better. And then when you think about how inconsistent WVU's quarterback play has been during his career, it makes you wonder how differently Ford-Wheaton would be viewed if those issues didn't exist.

During his career at WVU, Ford-Wheaton hauled in 143 receptions for 1,867 yards and 15 touchdowns.

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