Potential second round left tackle, anyone?
The Houston Texans need a reliable, dependable, and studied left tackle and they need one now. Enter West Virginia’s three year starting LT Wyatt Milum.
Milum is the third draft prospect I’ve analyzed in this series. The original goal was to showcase players across multiple positions, but with the frenzied changes across the offensive line, there isn’t much value in highlighting other positions.
Past Prospects:
Milum is PFF’s number two graded offensive tackle in college football. What stands out the most? Zero. Sacks. Given. Up. What’s most important is his true pass set grade – true pass sets are non-play action or screen throws where he has to perform a legitimate, pro-style pass set. Milum’s true pass set grade is phenomenal.
His lowest graded game in 2024 was against Penn State where he faced off against future top 5 pick Abdul Carter. If you want to watch along, here is the video. Milum is number 74, Carter is number 11. This folks, is what the scouts call “impact film”. AKA, it has a major impact on how you grade a player.
Wow – his PFF grade doesn’t include getting pulled from this game right before halftime. Abdul Carter single-handedly disrupted the game. Carter hit Milum with a crossover at 3:41 in the video above and Milum wasn’t the same. This singular tape doesn’t bode well for Milum in space against NFL-level athletes.
Unfortunately, he didn’t face another elite defensive end all season. This makes the remaining film review less impactful even though he scored extraordinarily well for blocking metrics.
Let’s talk about the good. Milum makes pass blocking look simple. He is well balanced and rarely over extends. He is athletic in the open field and blends patience with aggression in zone run concepts. West Virginia would occasionally pull Milum to isolate him on linebackers and it’s a thing of beauty.
However, Milum suffers from two chronic issues – slow foot speed and short arms. His pass set is more of a backpedal than a true kick slide and that is a mandatory learning curve if he plans to stay at tackle. Physically, Milum lacks length; his 32 1/8 inch arms are just 8th percentile for offensive tackles and 14th for guards. The lack of elite defensive end opposition doesn’t illicit much quality film. This has led to Milum’s stock being a complete roller coaster throughout the scouting process.
BATTLE RED ANALYSIS:
As an analyst, I abhor the “oh if he’s not a good tackle, just move him into guard” moniker. Its lazy scouting and works way less than you’d expect. Plus, asking a 6’6’ frame to get under a stout, 6’2 defensive tackle who weighs 20+ pounds heavier doesn’t pass the Physics test. Low man with more weight wins. HOWEVER, Milum’s short arms, powerful build, and demeanor in the run game lend themselves to an immediate starting guard with flexibility to shift outside.
THE COMPARISON:
I was looking hard to find a comparison and saw someone mention Trevor Penning and it was a match. Penning was the 19th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Northern Iowa with great tape and while Penning has long arms, both have the tendency to get on their toes in pass set. It took Penning until his third season to crack the starting roll at tackle where he’s shifted to the right side.
THE FIT:
The Texans could draft Milum at 58 and confidently know they have a starting left guard. With a year of development, Milum can shift to left tackle. I very much wouldn’t fling Milum out at left tackle protecting C.J. Stroud’s blindside without some NFL scars on his body. Milum was a dam at the Big 12 level, but the NFL is a different beast.
Tough, strong and assignment-oriented, Milum possesses the frame and mentality of an NFL player. It’s hard to get excited about his prospects as a tackle due to his shorter arms, but there is no reason to believe Milum can’t bump inside to guard and offer tackle depth in a pinch. He plays with heavy hands in pass protection and has ideal instincts to sniff out twists and stop them in their tracks. He’s hard to bull-rush or push around in the running game but he will slip and slide off sustain blocks at times due to a narrowing base. His physical profile, play strength and football intelligence could have him ready as an early starter for gap-scheme teams.
Projected Draft Range: Mid round two to three