From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Michigan State C Matt Gulbin.
No. 51 Matt Gulbin/C Michigan State 6040/305 (Fifth-year Senior)
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Matt Gulbin 6040/305 9 1/2″ 31 3/4″ N/A
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
The Good
– Has extensive starting experience at all three interior line positions
– Exceptional leg drive in the run game
– Capable of washing heavy mass defenders out of their gap assignments
– Good functional strength
– Shows flexible knee bend
– Effortlessly sinks his hips to stall bull rushes
– Resets his base when he’s knocked off balance
– Takes a calculated approach when reaching the second level
– Understands how to seal off scraping linebackers
– High-effort player who plays through the whistle and doesn’t take a play off
The Bad
– Less than ideal arm length, which can hurt his initial engagement with longer linemen
– Plays too upright in pass protection
– Exposes his chest plate to defensive tackles and loses natural leverage
– Lacks twitchy foot speed
– Delayed explosion out of his stance
– Struggles to execute reach blocks on wide zone assignments
– Late response when picking up loops and twists
– Catches contact rather than delivering it
– Older prospect, which potentially limits his development
Stats
– 2025 stats: 2 sacks allowed, 1 hit allowed, 5 total pressures allowed, 4 penalties committed, 11 games played
– Career stats: 5 sacks allowed, 5 hits allowed, 43 total pressures allowed, 12 penalties committed, 51 games played
– Wake Forest Career stats: 3 sacks allowed, 4 hits allowed, 38 total pressures allowed, 8 penalties committed, 40 games played
– PFF’s #1 graded run blocking center with an 81.9 grade (2025)
– 87.8 pass blocking grade per PFF (2025)
– 98.1 percent efficiency on true pass sets (2025)
Injury History
– Suffered an undisclosed injury that kept him out of the season finale against Maryland and from participating in combine drills (2025)
Background
– Born in May 2002 (23 years old)
– Spent four years at Wake Forest before transferring to Michigan State for his graduate season
– Three-star recruit and top five-ranked prospect in Connecticut after being named first team All-State
– Two-time first team All-FCIAC as a sophomore and junior
– Selected as a team captain despite opting out due to the COVID-19 pandemic
– Played offensive and defensive line
– Recorded two rushing touchdowns in his final playing season
– Maintained Honor Roll status throughout high school
– Big Ten Honorable Mention and Rimington Trophy Watch List for the nation’s top center (2025)
– Played both guard positions at Wake Forest before switching to Center at Michigan State
– All-ACC Honorable Mention (2024)
– All-ACC Academic Team (2022)
– Served as a recreational basketball coach for youth players in his community
– Stated the reason for his transfer was wanting to be around “good people”
– Known for spending extra hours with coaches to master the playbook
– Credits his development to playing alongside childhood friends that he grew up with
Tape Breakdown
After four years at Wake Forest, where he primarily played both guard spots, his transfer to Michigan State opened a new NFL pathway for him. In his first season there, Gulbin quickly established himself as one of the better, more well-rounded centers in the country. His success starts with his frame. At 6’4″ and 305 pounds, Gulbin offers ideal size for an NFL center and naturally carries a lower center of gravity.
Like with most linemen, the main talking point with his physical profile will be arm length. With shorter arms, his margin for error narrows. However, that limitation hasn’t stopped him from performing at a consistently high level.
Gulbin compensates for his reach disadvantage with tight hand placement, staying square to his target, and maintaining a strong grip that allows him to latch onto his matchup. He also provides a stout, unyielding anchor in pass protection. He can quickly drop his weight and sink his hips while maintaining a wide base. Not only can he halt a defender’s momentum, but he can also reset his base and recover when a defender initiates contact.
For a stable and dependable pass protector, Gulbin stands out even more as a run blocker. He’s at his best in zone schemes, though he’s fully capable of operating in gap concepts as well. He’s highly polished in this phase of his game, yet still plays like a physical mauler who looks to finish and play through the whistle.
His dominance on the ground stems from how calculated he is. Having played all three interior spots, he brings a broad perspective and understands blocking from every angle. He leverages that experience by being highly precise with his angles. Although Gulbin doesn’t have the quickest feet in this draft class, his zone blocking is outstanding because of the paths he takes to his targets. He consistently maintains the inside hip and drives his matchup out of their assignment.
He’s arguably even better on true vertical drive blocks. Gulbin’s piston-like leg drive generates enough churn to displace defenders off the line of scrimmage, and his grip strength makes it extremely difficult for them to shed once he’s locked on.
Gulbin also has an exceptional feel for working to the second level. Just as with his angle selection in zone blocking, the same precision shows up when he climbs the defense. He understands how to take calculated intercepting angles to meet scraping linebackers.
Rather than trying to win a footrace with linebackers, he relies on his refined spatial awareness to intersect their pursuit paths. Much like at the point of attack, Gulbin targets the near hip of the defender, sealing off open pursuit lanes and creating favorable cutback lanes for his ball carrier.
In space, he isn’t the most fleet of foot. Closer to the line of scrimmage, his mentality is to “engage and sustain,” but that shifts once he’s asked to work in the open field. Instead of trying to stay attached to defenders, he shifts into more of a “hit-and-run” approach. While that can be effective against smaller defenders, it also leaves him more susceptible to whiffing when lead-blocking.
Conclusion
Overall, Gulbin is yet another center prospect projected for the middle rounds who I can see carving out a starting role early in his career. In his first year at the position, he played well above expectations and proved himself to be a legitimately balanced prospect. His athleticism isn’t top-tier, but he brings more than enough functional movement skills and play strength to hold his own.
As both a pass protector and run blocker, you can’t reasonably ask for much more from a center. He consistently operated at a high level in each phase and displayed enough clearly transferable traits to feel confident in his projection.
While he can fit into any scheme as a plug-and-play option, his best football should come in a zone-heavy offense. Gulbin’s game is defined by his calculated angles, and building the scheme around that strength would maximize his impact.
A strong stylistic and ceiling comparison for Gulbin is Ted Karras. A Day 3 pick out of Illinois, Karras shares a very similar physical profile and skill set. Both win in tight quarters and bring a brawler’s mentality in the run game. Karras also developed impressive eye discipline and timing when passing off stunts — an area where Gulbin still has room to grow, but has the tools to eventually reach a similar level.
NFL Draft Projection: Early – Mid Day Three
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 (Spot Starter)
Grade Range: 7.2 – 8.1
Games Watched: @ NC State (2024 – Wake Forest), @ Indiana (2025), vs. Michigan (2025), vs. Penn State (2025)
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