Gallup being compared to Boldin
FORT COLLINS» Colorado State receiver Michael Gallup had to put on the tape when coach Mike Bobo first made the comparison. If Colorado State’s star receiver had an NFL counterpart whose game resembled his own, then why not see if it checks out? So, he typed in the search bar: Anquan Boldin.
Both are former high school quarterbacks, each stands at 6foot-1, and the longer Gallup watched the highlight reel, the more he came to appreciate the association. Boldin recorded seven 1,000-yard seasons in the NFL, helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII and did it all with a playing style familiar to the Rams’ most dynamic weapon.
“Boldin doesn’t run out of bounds as a wide receiver, he’s going to run somebody over,” Gallup said. “He’s a deep ball threat, but also in the screen game he’s not scared to take a hit if it comes his way.”
Said CSU cornerback Kevin Nutt: “I think it fits perfectly.”
It’s premature to predict Gallup will enjoy similar success to Boldin as a pro, but when CSU hosts Nevada at 8:15 p.m. Saturday, a bevy of NFL scouts will be checking him out.
According to Pro Football Forunning cus analytics, Gallup is currently the highest rated Football Bowl Subdivision receiver in the nation (89.4). He ranks second in receiving yards (685), No. 11 in average receptions (7.7) and seventh in yards per game (114.2). Gallup arrived at CSU listed at 190 pounds and has since bulked up to 200.
“You can be at the line of scrimmage to jam him up, and you think you’re good for the rest of the route because you threw off the timing,” CSU junior cornerback Kevin Nutt said. “But he’s so good with his hands and he’s so strong that he can get you out of position so quick to where he stacks you up and he’s gone. … He’s gotten better at his routes consistently to where you don’t know what he’s going to run.”
Gallup points to his big-play connection with quarterback Nick Stevens as his greatest development this fall. In CSU’s recent win at Utah State, three of Gallup’s seven receptions went for 15 yards or more, a marked improvement over last season when Gallup said on deep throws he “wasn’t turning around quick enough and (Stevens) had already thrown the ball.” Stevens added Gallup is “focused on running and knowing that the back-shoulder throw is coming, but not telegraphing it to the defensive backs.”
Nevada comes to Fort Collins touting the nation’s fourth-worst pass defense with 316.5 yards allowed through the air per game in addition to having allowed 16 touchdown passes. The matchup should provide ample opportunity for Gallup to showcase Boldin-esque flashes of what he might accomplish someday. NFLDraftScout.com currently ranks Gallup as its No. 5 overall receiver prospect, which would likely make him a third- or fourth-round draft pick in April.
“He’s got that big strong body and has that explosive play-making ability,” Stevens said. “I think you could compare him to a lot of really, really good receivers.”