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A resourceful player with veteran instincts, though he lacks top-tier physical traits. A one-year starter at Michigan State (and three-year starter overall), Gulbin manned the center position (right-handed snapper) in former head coach Jonathan Smith’s zone-heavy scheme. He started to create some NFL buzz with the Demon Deacons before taking the Kenneth Walker III route — Wake Forest to Michigan State — and becoming a captain. He boosted his draft grade in his final season. Gulbin is the only offensive lineman in this draft class who can say he has double-digit college starts at all three interior positions. He plays with only average twitch and foot speed, which hurts his range, but is naturally smooth as a mover. Despite not having long levers, he can sit down versus power and gain the upper hand in the run game. Gulbin doesn’t have top-tier physical traits, and he gives defenders opportunities to break him down, but he is a resourceful player with veteran instincts. He projects as a backup center in a gap scheme, while offering guard versatility.
Advertisement Tap any column header to see its definition. Note: Combine: Position drills only (choice; left knee). Advertisement Tap any column header to see its definition. Matthew “Matt” Gulbin, who has two sisters, grew up in Fairfield County, Conn. (near the New York state line), with his parents (Jeff and Jo Ann). His father, an accountant, was a coach in the Wilton schools football program. His older sister (Claire) was a standout basketball player at Wilton High and then Connecticut College (2018-22). Gulbin started training with Division 1 Prep in Greenwich, Conn. Gulbin enrolled at Wilton High School (alma mater of actor Paul Dano), where he was a three-year varsity letterman on both offense and defense. After starting on the freshman team, he moved up to varsity as a sophomore in 2018 and earned all-conference honors as a right guard. As a junior, Gulbin moved out to left tackle and earned first-team all-conference and all-state honors, helping lead Wilton to its first playoff appearance in 24 years. He added two rushing touchdowns on goal-line packages and combined for 47 tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble over his sophomore and junior seasons. His senior season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic — instead, the football team held strongman competitions and seven-on-seven matchups. Gulbin also played basketball and lettered in track at Wilton. A three-star recruit, Gulbin was the 66th-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class and the No. 7 recruit in Connecticut. He picked up his first offer, from UMass, after his first season on varsity as a sophomore. He received his first Power 4 offers after his junior season, when Vanderbilt and UConn joined the mix. Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Wake Forest and Yale were among the schools soon to follow. Gulbin committed to Wake Forest in May 2020, and was the top-ranked recruit in former head coach Dave Clawson’s 2021 class. He started for two seasons with the Demon Deacons, then entered the transfer portal in December 2024 (shortly after Clawson announced his resignation). Having some prior familiarity with the Michigan State coaching staff, Gulbin transferred to East Lansing for his final season of eligibility. He graduated from Wake Forest with a degree in communication (December 2024). Gulbin received an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl but was unable to participate because of a knee injury. Advertisement Written by Dane Brugler; designed and produced by Junghye Kim, Thomas Oide and Yuriko Schumacher; illustrations by Mojo Wang; edited by Chris Burke and Skye Gould; art direction by Dan Goldfarb and Will Tullos; additional development by Elijah Soria, Laura Pelton, Matt Myers and Oliver Viehweger; additional production by Dan Goldfarb, Kelsea Petersen, Demetrius Robinson and Drew Jordan; additional editing by Ken Bradley, Adam Coleman, Alison Cotsonika, David De Chant, Jimmy Durkin, Gary Gramling, Adam Hirshfield, Cristina Ledra, Dave Niinemets, Mike Sansone, Dan Steinberg and Josiah Turner. Sources: Select data from footballreference. com and Pro Football Focus.