Mountaineers Have Six Players Sign With NFL Teams After the Draft
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MORGANTOWN -- After the conclusion of the NFL Draft, multiple West Virginia players signed with NFL teams.
West Virginia's tight end found a spot on a professional roster. Kole Taylor signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in undrafted free agency.
Taylor spent two seasons at West Virginia after three years at LSU. Taylor had the second-most receiving yards for the Mountaineers with 448 yards and 43 catches. He had three scores. Taylor was quarterback Garret Greene's second option aside from Hudson Clement.
"I feel like I was super consistent at West Virginia," Taylor said to Draft Network. "I carved out a role for myself early, and I was able to consistently help the offense however I could. I ranked first on the team in receptions in 2023. This past year, I was second in receptions and receiving yards."
Taylor wasn't invited to the NFL Combine, but he participated in the Big 12 Pro Day. Taylor logged metrics of a 4.93 40-yard dash, 31.5 vertical jump and 21 reps on bench.
Taylor's performance at the Big 12 Pro Day and what he's done in his five years at college impressed the Bengals, and will look to make the roster this fall.
Taylor was the first of many Mountaineers to sign deals after the draft.
West Virginia defensive lineman Fatorma Mulbah has signed with the New York Jets after the conclusion of the NFL Draft.
Mulbah is a weathered defender and played in 45 games with 13 starts. Last season, Mulbah was used on 504 defensive plays where he had 50 tackles, one sack, 4.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.
Before WVU, Mulbah played for Penn State, where he committed as a three-star prospect out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the ninth-ranked player in the state.
Mulbah wasn't invited to the NFL Combine, but performed well at the Big 12 Pro Day, which piqued interest from New York.
Corner Garnett Hollis Jr. is joining Mulbah in the AFC.
Hollis signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent with a shot to make the 53-man roster or practice squad this fall.
Hollis played just one season for the Mountaineers after transferring from Northwestern. He played in 13 games and started in 12. In those games, Hollis had 46 tackles, including 27 solo, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and six pass breakups.
The Nashville, Tennessee, native has a lot of football experience under his belt, having spent three years with the Wildcats. He played in 39 games and made 29 starts.
Now, Hollis will continue his football career, attempting to make an impact on his home team the Titans.
On the specialist side, the Moutaineers' long snapper found a spot on a roster.
West Virginia long snapper Austin Brinkman signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent to help boost their long-snapping depth for the next season. Brinkman will battle to make the active roster come fall, but he receives a shot at the pros.
Brinkman played for the Mountaineers for five seasons, playing in four of them. He was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Conference team numerous years and played in 12 games last season long snapping on punts, field goals and extra points.
Rounding out the Mountaineers to sign deals were defensive lineman T.J. Jackson and quarterback/wide receiver Garrett Greene.
Greene signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it's unclear if he'll play quarterback or wide receiver. Greene was the starting quarterback for the Mountaineers, but he went to the Big 12 Pro Day as a receiver.
Jackson signed with the Seattle Seahawks with an undrafted free agent deal.