Wyoming TE John Michael Gyllenborg is a freak athlete and deep sleeper in the 2025 NFL Draft class

Cory Kinnan | May 21, 2024

Sep 2, 2023; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Wyoming Cowboys tight end John Michael Gyllenborg (84) scores a touchdown in double overtime against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Wyoming TE John Michael Gyllenborg a freak athlete and deep sleeper

1. Finding football late
2. An athletic freak
3. Where John Michael Gyllenborg wins
4. Ways to improve his 2025 NFL Draft stock

Do you want a deep sleeper to watch for in the 2025 NFL Draft class? Let me introduce you to Wyoming tight end John Michael Gyllenborg.

Entering his true junior season with the Cowboys, Gyllenborg posted an impressive sophomore season as the backup tight end in the Wyoming offense. He racked up 360 yards and three touchdowns on 23 catches on the year. Now, with Treyton Welsh graduated and signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent, the starting job is Gyllenborg's to have.

What he put on tape in 2023 is extremely impressive given the lack of live reps he has had in his lifetime on the football field. There is plenty of reason to believe he is still years out from his best football, making him an incredibly enticing prospect when looking at his potential at the NFL level.

So let's talk about it.

Finding football late

What if I told you that Gyllenborg didn't start playing football until his senior year of high school? And what if I told you the only reason he played is because a newly-hired football coach identified his talent on the basketball court and convinced him to play football for the first time since the fourth grade?

That one year is all it took for Gyllenborg to get a Division I scholarship to the University of Wyoming. In fact, it only took three games for Gyllenborg to earn a scholarship from Wyoming after he suffered an injury, then COVID-19 shortened the season his senior season.

That's where it helps to know someone. His head coach, a former Kansas quarterback himself, was friends of 30 years with Wyoming's former head coach Craig Bohl. And the rest is history. Now, Gyllenborg is set to take over the starting role after a promising sophomore season looking to burst onto the scene.

An athletic freak

It's evident when turning on his tape: John Michael Gyllenborg is a freak. And in an article by Jeff Bugher of PokesNews, Gyllenborg has been a freak since high school. Participating in a combine-style workout before his senior season, Gyllenborg ran a laser-timed 40-yard dash at a blazing 4.69-second pace. He then leaped to a vertical jump of nearly 36 inches.

This is faster and higher than the average tight end tested at the NFL Scouting Combine this past March.

It makes a ton more sense watching Gyllenborg pull away from defensive backs in the open field, watching him glide out of his stance and eat up green grass in a hurry, and watching him elevated to reel in footballs high off of his frame. Now sit back and watch him explode onto the scene in 2024.

Where John Michael Gyllenborg wins

Mentioned above, Gyllenborg simply explodes off the line of scrimmage. There is no false step to his game as he glides in the open field. He is a fantastic athlete who creates mismatch nightmares all over the field. Playing both inline and in the slot predominantly, Gyllenborg gives the Cowboys a variety of ways to deploy him as well.

What is most impressive about the game of Gyllenborg is his ability to separate from defenders. For having such little exposure to football, Gyllenborg does some of the little things extremely well (which is a positive sign for continued growth). And one of those things is his ability to use his hands subtly at the top of routes to create another cushion.

That's not the only way he separates, however, as he is a fluid mover who gets in and out of breaks well for someone who is listed at 6-foot-5. There are reps where he legitimately looks like a wide receiver getting out of breaks. This translates to creating blindspots and stemming defensive backs as well. Gyllenborg is already savvy enough to get defensive backs to open up their hips before stepping in the opposite direction and turning on the gas.

It helps that he has a massive catch radius and snatches everything in his reach as well. He was charted with just two drops the entire season. Overall, there is a lot to love about the game of Gyllenborg, and all we really need to wait on is for him to get more live reps in and continue to grow as a football player.

Extremely fluid movement skills, good after the catch, and strong hands. Excited to see what John Michael Gyllenborg can do as the top guy on the depth chart his year. https://t.co/m5gMj6L6Gq pic.twitter.com/ew6D3k8kHz

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) May 19, 2024

Ways to improve his 2025 NFL Draft stock

I want to see him even play outside a bit more in 2024. Sure, he is a tight end, but I want Gyllenborg to prove he can win in ways that only a select few tight ends have been able to (Darren Waller, rookie Kyle Pitts, Mike Gesicki, Evan Engram are just a few examples). He's never going to be an elite inline tight end, although there is plenty of room to grow into his frame and become one, but he can beat up on linebackers and safeties. So why not let him use his size against outside cornerbacks down the field as well?

The blocking, however, is the main area for improvement with Gyllenborg's game. He gives the effort to go out and try to do some damage as a blocker, but his frame is too thin right now to make a difference. He is not physical enough and tends to get pushed around. I can work with the effort, however.

The sample size is still small for Gyllenborg, but he has big-time potential. Even if he never develops into a good blocker, he has the skillset that gets tight ends drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Still just a true junior, it's unknown if he will even declare for the 2025 NFL Draft, but he has the athleticism, potential, and now starting opportunity to explode onto the scene.