Matt
Gulbin.
Matt
Gulbin.
Michigan State· 6'4"· 305 lb
R6 · #209 · Washington Commanders"Second-best graded center in the country and no combine workout — the tape says starter, the testing says backup."Pre-draft read
Gulbin aligns at center. He plays with a low base, absorbing bull rushes and creating stalemates once his hands are engaged. He wins with an anchor and leverage, rarely giving ground, making him effective against interior pressure. His pass-blocking technique relies on his base and hand strength to maintain pocket integrity, evident in his ability to allow few sacks.
His run-blocking style is that of a displacement blocker, excelling in a phone booth. He shows proficiency on down blocks and double teams where his power and hand placement are primary assets. Reach blocks, pulls, and second-level climbs reveal his athletic limitations, as his movement in space is more ordinary.
Gap/duo power run game that prioritizes internal run blocking, play-action passing, and short to intermediate routes with an agile offensive line.
Immediate backup interior lineman with the potential to develop into a reliable starting center in a pro-style system, excelling in pass protection and interior run blocking.
An offensive scheme that relies heavily on outside zone runs, pulls, or frequent second-level blocking assignments for its interior linemen.
Gulbin is a tenacious, phone-booth center with elite anchor and leverage, thriving in schemes that value strong interior play over athletic versatility.
Michigan State center Matt Gulbin: from injury to pro day
The recovery arc from the undisclosed injury that ended his 2025 season and kept him out of on-field combine testing.
Matt Gulbin | 2026 NFL Draft
Pre-draft film cut-up of the anchor, the hand placement and the interior pass-protection reps at Michigan State.
"The Goal Is To Win" — Commanders sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin
Post-draft feature with the Commanders covering the move from guard at Wake Forest to center in the Big Ten.
Gulbin projects as a phone-booth center who wins with anchor and leverage rather than athleticism. He presents as a potential swing interior lineman, capable of playing guard or center. A team is buying a player with a high floor in pass protection, particularly against power rushes, and a reliable presence in the interior.
He concluded his college career with one season as a full-time center at Michigan State following 22 starts at guard for Wake Forest. In his lone season at center, he earned an 87.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, fifth among FBS centers, allowing only two sacks. This shift in position and elevation in performance, including a team captain role, occurred in a new scheme and conference.
Evaluators were wary of his athletic profile, as evidenced by a 4.96 second shuttle and an 8.33 second three-cone drill, along with short arm length for the position. He did not complete on-field testing at the combine due to injury, which contributed to some teams moving him down their boards. Despite strong on-field production, these concerns led to him being drafted in the sixth round, 209th overall by Washington.
- 01
Elite Pass Protection
Allowed only two sacks with an 87.8 PFF pass-blocking grade at center in his final season.
- 02
High PFF Overall Grade
His 82.6 PFF overall grade ranked second among 307 FBS centers, with an 81.9 run blocking grade.
- 03
Exceptional Anchor Strength
He plays with a low base, absorbing bull rushes and creating stalemates once his hands are engaged, rarely giving ground.
- 04
Positional Versatility
He has positional flexibility with 22 career starts at guard and 12 at center, demonstrating real snap volume.
- 05
Consistent Production
He earned honorable-mention All-ACC in 2024 and honorable-mention All-Big Ten in 2025, without drop-off in production.
- 01
Subpar Athletic Testing
His 4.96 second shuttle and 8.33 second three-cone drill are below the NFL standard for the position.
- 02
Short Arm Length
His 31¾-inch arm length and 78¼-inch wingspan cause him to lose reps when defenders achieve first contact.
- 03
Limited Range
His movement in space is ordinary, making reach blocks and second-level climbs the weakest aspects of his game.
- 04
Combine Testing Concern
He did not complete on-field testing at the combine due to injury, contributing to some teams moving him down boards.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- —s
- Vertical
- 28inp50
- Broad jump
- 101inp50
- Three-cone
- 8.33sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.96sp50
- Bench
- 21repp50
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Wake Forest | 3 |
| 2022 | Wake Forest | 13 |
| 2023 | Wake Forest | 11 |
| 2024 | Wake Forest | 12 |
| 2025 | Michigan State | 11 |
| Career | — | 50 |
Offensive linemen have no counting statistics, so games, starts, snap counts and PFF grades are the production record. Games and starts per Michigan State athletics, Wake Forest athletics and Tankathon; snaps and grades per PFF. 2022 start total is not published — he was a backup left guard that season and the row records zero starts. Wikipedia lists 41 career Wake Forest games against the 39 that appear season by season; the season rows below are used.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- 2025 honorable-mention All-Big Ten at Michigan State
- 2025 Michigan State team captain and Rimington Trophy watch list
- 2025: 82.6 PFF overall grade, second among 307 FBS centers
- 2024 honorable-mention All-ACC at Wake Forest; second-graded ACC guard per PFF, one sack allowed
- 2021 All-ACC Academic Team
- 2026 NFL Combine invitee (measurements only, no on-field testing)
- 2026 NFL Draft: sixth round, 209th overall
Versatile interior lineman who spends a career as the first man off the bench at three spots and starts whenever someone gets hurt.
Undersized, short-armed center whose anchor and processing made the athletic questions irrelevant — the ceiling version of a grade-over-testing center.
Well-graded college center whose lack of length and movement keeps him on practice squads and game-day inactives.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Mel Kiper called him a sleeper in February and projected a third-to-fifth-round landing; he went 209th. The gap between the grade and the pick is almost entirely about testing — a lineman who does not work out at the combine, then posts a 4.96 shuttle and an 8'5" broad at his pro day, gets sorted into the backup bin regardless of what the film said. Washington gets the upside of that sorting.
The role is the swing interior lineman who has to be ready at three spots on game day, and the résumé fits it exactly: 22 starts at both guard spots in the ACC and 11 at center in the Big Ten, with a captaincy attached. He is not going to win a job on movement skills, so the path is a training camp where his anchor and his line calls make him the guy the staff trusts when the starting center goes down. If that happens once and holds, the pass-protection floor he showed at Michigan State is a starting-caliber floor. If it does not, he is a long-tenured OL7, which is exactly what a sixth-round pick is supposed to be.
Data note: Offensive linemen have no counting statistics, so games, starts, snap counts and PFF grades are the production record. Games and starts per Michigan State athletics, Wake Forest athletics and Tankathon; snaps and grades per PFF. 2022 start total is not published — he was a backup left guard that season and the row records zero starts. Wikipedia lists 41 career Wake Forest games against the 39 that appear season by season; the season rows below are used.