Former Mississippi State LB Tyrus Wheat signs UDFA deal after 2023 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys have signed Mississippi State EDGE Tyrus Wheat as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. According to NFL Network’s James Palmer, Wheat is taking home a $20,000 signing bonus on top of $185,000 in guaranteed salary.

Wheat began his college football career at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi where he went on to become the nation’s top junior college linebacker after two seasons in the JUCO ranks.

After staying in-state and transferring to Mississippi State in 2020 where he was productive from the stop. He led the Bulldogs with five sacks in nine games. He went on to record 30 tackles, six for loss, one interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles during eight starts in his first season in the SEC.

He has continued his upward trajectory ever since, which earned him second-team All-SEC honors this past season. He totaled 53 tackles, 10.5 for loss with a team-high six sacks, one interception and two pass breakups before declaring for the NFL Draft in January.

One of Wheat’s most viral plays came after making an impressive play against Georgia that saw him bat the football with one hand and reel in an interception off Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett.

Wheat ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last month. He also turned in a 28.5-inch vertical jump, a 9′ 5” broad jump, 1.59-second 10-yard split and a 4.54-second 20-yard shuttle.

What NFL Draft Analysts are saying about Tyrus Wheat

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided the following analysis of Wheat but did not offer a historical comparison for the Mississippi State LB.

“Wheat, a three-year starter for Mississippi State, offers decent versatility and good play strength. He has the physicality to go toe-to-toe at the point of attack, but he is lacking the football instincts to anticipate and make more plays,” Zierlein said of the former Mississippi State standout. “Wheat tends to play from Point A to Point B instead of consistently reading and engaging as the play develops.

“He might benefit from a clearly defined role in defense with more structure than the one he played in for the Bulldogs. His ability to drop in space or play with power could help him earn a spot as a backup 3-4 strong-side linebacker with special teams value.”

Zierlein noted some of Wheat’s biggest strengths as well, including being flexible, his ability to drop into space and read the quarterback. Getting off the ball with quickness, the ability to blend and flatten into the pocket and turn his speed into power.