Wyatt Milum suspected he might wind up with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"I was just sitting around with my family and friends waiting," said Milum, a former Spring Valley High School and West Virginia University star selected by Jacksonville in the third round of the NFL draft last week.
"I had talked to Jacksonville at the Senior Bowl. I really didn't know, but I can't think of a better place than Jacksonville. I'm glad I got picked to go there."
Milum said he enjoyed his interview with the Jaguars staff at the Senior Bowl, as well as with offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett, a Beckley native, at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
"It went great," he said. "We had a guy at West Virginia who's on the Jaguars staff now. The one I had with the offensive line coach in Indy went great."
Milum credited former Mountaineer offensive linemen Doug Nester and Zach Frazier, both of the Pittsburgh Steelers, for helping prepare him for the NFL. Nester also played at Spring Valley.
Former WVU coach Neal Brown said he is a fan of all three of those players.
"All three of those guys are among the hardest workers that I’ve ever coached, and so they all three have high-level ability, but they also have earned this opportunity with how they worked," Brown said. "And so I’m happy for them."
Milum also thanked his coaches at WVU.
Protecting Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the top priority for Jaguar blockers.
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"I don't want to let anyone touch him," Milum said. "I promised him that. That's my goal, to not let anyone touch Trevor. I'm excited about that."
Milum said he'll give his all.
"They're going to see somebody who loves to play football," Milum said. "Someone who loves the game. Someone who enjoys it. I love this game. I wouldn't know what to do without football. I'm a hard worker."
Brown said he expects nothing less of Milum.
"He can play at a really high level as a rookie, and he’s going to play in the NFL for a really long time," Brown said.Â
Milum is projected by many as a guard in the NFL after playing tackle in college. ESPN analyst Michael DiRocco wrote Milum will challenge left guard Ezra Cleveland in Jacksonville. Several other analysts touted Milum's versatility as a plus.
Brown said Milum can excel wherever he plays.
"He’s a smart player, first of all, so he can play all five positions," Brown said. "He can play tackle, guard, center. I know this, tackles are at a premium in the NFL, and he’s played tackle at a high level, especially in pass protection, against some first-round draft picks. Abdul Carter [the third overall pick out of Penn State by the New York Giants], [Milum] got hurt and didn’t play the second half against Penn State, but in the first half, the kid had no pressures and no sacks."
Brown said Milum's pass protection stands out, as does his loyalty. During the draft, former Alabama coach Nick Saban said the Crimson Tide tried to lure the former Timberwolves star to Tuscaloosa via the transfer portal but was unsuccessful.
"Wyatt Milum could’ve [gone] anywhere in the country," Brown said. "He chose to come play at West Virginia and to play for us. At any point in his career, he could’ve entered the portal and gone anywhere in the country and probably made more money, but he chose to stay at West Virginia and play for [former WVU offensive line] coach [Matt] Moore and myself. I greatly appreciate that."
