The Wyoming Cowboys were well represented in the 2017 NFL Draft with the selection of two players on Saturday. The first Cowboy to hear his name announced was Brian Hill, who was selected by the NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons as the 12th pick in the fifth round and the 156th overall selection in this year’s Draft. Center Chase Roullier was selected as the 15th selection in the sixth round and the 199th overall selection in this year’s Draft by the Washington Redskins.
The last time Wyoming had multiple players selected in the same NFL Draft was in 2014. Defensive back Marqueston Huff was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 Draft by the Tennessee Titans and wide receiver Robert Herron was selected in the sixth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 2017 Wyoming NFL Draft class helped lead the Cowboys to the 2016 Mountain West Conference Mountain Division title, a berth in the 2016 Mountain West Championship Game hosted by the University of Wyoming and the 2016 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
With the conclusion of the 2017 NFL Draft, several other Cowboys will now wait for free-agent opportunities.
As ESPN’s NFL Draft coverage was closing on Saturday, ESPN NFL Analyst Adam Schefter said that one NFL personnel director had already predicted that Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen would be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
This year marked the 70th anniversary of the first Wyoming Cowboys being drafted back in 1947. Jim Clayton, a tackle, was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 21st round of the 1947 Draft. His teammate, Hank Kolasinski, a back, was taken in the 23rd round by the Boston Yanks.
Brian Hill, Running Back, Belleville, Ill.
(Atlanta Falcons, 12th Pick in Fifth Round, 156th Overall Selection)
Hill became only the second junior in University of Wyoming school history to be selected in the NFL Draft. The first was defensive back Derrick Martin, who was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Hill is the first Wyoming running back taken in the NFL Draft since Ryan Christopherson was selected in the fifth round in 1995 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hill ranked No. 3 in the nation in rushing yards in 2016, with 1,860. He also ranked No. 4 in the NCAA in rushing touchdowns and No. 5 in the country in total TDs scored (22). Hill was one of 10 semifinalists for the 2016 Doak Walker Award, which honors the nation’s premier running back each season.
Hill was named to the 2016 College Sports Madness Third Team All-America squad as a running back, making him one of only six running backs in the nation selected to the College Sports Madness All-America First, Second and Third Teams for 2016. He was also voted a First Team All-Mountain West selection as a senior in voting by conference head coaches and media. Hill was invited to and participated in the 2017 NFL Draft Combine.
He concluded his Wyoming career as the Cowboys’ career rushing leader, with 4,287 career yards. The Belleville, Ill., native set that record in only three seasons as a Cowboy. He broke his own University of Wyoming single-season rushing record, rushing for 1,860 yards in 2016. Hill also ranked No. 7 in the nation in total points scored (132) in 2016 and ranked No. 12 in the nation in points scored per game, averaging 9.4 points per game.
Chase Roullier, Center, Savage, Minn.
(Washington Redskins, 15th Pick in Sixth Round, 199th Overall Selection)
Roullier became the first Wyoming offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft since Steve Scifres was chosen in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft. Roullier was named to the 2016 USA Today Sports Second Team All-America squad as a center, making him one of only 10 offensive linemen in the nation selected to the USA Today All-America First and Second Teams for 2016. He was voted a First Team All-Mountain West selection as a senior in voting by conference head coaches and media.
Roullier earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at UW in December 2016. He was a four-time Academic All-Mountain West Conference selection in 2013, ’14, ‘15 and ‘16.
In the fall of 2016, he was named one of the national semifinalists for the 2016 National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s (NFF) William V. Campbell Trophy. The Campbell Trophy is recognized as college football’s premier scholar-athlete award. He was also named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society in the spring of 2017.
Roullier was also selected to both the Outland Trophy Award Watch List and the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List in 2016. He was invited to and played in the 2016 East-West Shrine Game, and was invited to and participated in the 2017 NFL Draft Combine.
The Savage, Minn., native played in 46 career games and started 40 during his Wyoming career. He was voted a team captain by his teammates both his junior and senior seasons.
