Wingard is no “lock” but impresses McShay
Andrew Wingard entered the interview rounds of the NFL scouting combine in February expecting to face difficult questions. The former Wyoming safety had preconceived notions to bust. Let’s begin with the most pressing topic.
“A lot of people,” Wingard said, “asked me about my hair.”
Can you blame them? Wingard thrive earned first-team all-Mountain West honors, tied the conference career tackles record (454) and made all of Colorado proud when named the 2014 Gatorade player of the year as Ralston Valley High School’s do-it-all star. On nearly every snap, a thick mane of cascading golden locks has spilled from the back of Wingard’s helmet and down past his shoulders. A blond flash before a big stop.
“The hair is his calling card, and he takes pride in it,” said Wyoming defensive coordinator Jake Dickert, who served as Wingard’s position coach. “I’m not going to lie to you. He likes it a little too much.”
Just don’t confuse style with substance. Wingard packs both. His mechanics of balance, flexibility and vision were developed growing up on the ski hill, and with technical refinement at Wyoming, they transitioned beautifully to football. Wingard described his tackling process simply: wrap, squeeze and twist. But Dickert called him a “human computer” who utilizes leverage, speed and smarts to shed blockers and secure ballcarriers. It led to crazy tackle totals: 17 at Colorado State, 15 at Boise State and 12 at Missouri.
Wingard impressed at the combine, too, with a 4.56second 40-yard dash. He fell short with nine benchpress repetitions. And, on paper, it seems Wingard will get lost in a deep NFL draft safety class. Wyoming mostly utilized him near the line of scrimmage, opening questions about his cover skills, in addition to size concerns at 6-foot and 209 pounds. Feedback received by Wingard suggests he’ll be drafted from Rounds 4-7 or not at all. So why not ask ESPN analyst Todd McShay?
His answer might surprise.
“I actually was just putting together our book, if you will, of rankings and I wound up putting (Wingard) a lot higher than I expected because I watched his tape late,” McShay told reporters on a recent conference call. “I think he’s a better player than people are giving him credit for. I’m giving him a fourth- or fifth-round grade. I had him in the top 20 safeties, and I think he’s going to wind up being a good pro. And I think he’s going to be a really good special-teams player early because he’s got some juice, he’s got that mentality and he’s a really good tackler. I liked his tape. I liked it a lot more than I expected.”
Wingard assessed his own potential at the next level: “I truly believe I can play free and strong safety. I think I have the speed to cover sideline to sideline. And I told every single scout that I can play special teams.”
His former college coach also disputed any notion Wingard lacks strength after his lackluster combine bench press.
“You look at his functional strength on the field,” Dickert said. “He’s played so much in the box. Just turn the tape on and you’ll see him throwing around 300-pound linemen.”
Wingard will spend the final days of his draft prep living back home with his mother in Arvada to also continue rigorous … hair preparation? Blond strands down the middle of Wingard’s back might require several pages of instruction within an NFL playbook. It all takes place before Wingard puts on pads.
“It’s tough,” Wingard said. “You definitely need shampoo and conditioner every other day for sure. My mom gave me her best comb, because my hair in the football helmet gets some pretty big knots. You’ve got to get that stuff out. If you don’t condition it after three days, it looks all greasy and really bad. It’s a chore, for sure. But I’ve got to do it.”
Many NFL scouts and executives inquired about Wingard’s atypical hairstyle. Why not cut it to save the hassle? Wingard might give it a quick flip before his response.
“I let it start growing out one day and I left it since,” Wingard said. “It is a trademark, and I’m known by it. Maybe people seeing a dude with long, blond hair helps me more. You never know.”