STUMP STORY OF THE DAY
Gabe Stevenson: The Buffalo Bill
The Bills made headlines late yesterday afternoon for the signing of Gabe Stevenson, a not so typical NFL prospect.
There’s a chance you may have heard of Gabe Stevenson before, but if it was before yesterday, I’d bet it had nothing to do with football. That’s because Stevenson has not only never played professionally, he’s never played at all. That’s right, never put on shoulder pads, no football cleats, nothing.
So why then is he on an NFL roster? Well, Gabe is a big guy. So big, he’s an Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler. Not only that, he’s a two-time NCAA National Champion, and a three-time Big Ten Champion.
Gabe attended the University of Minnesota (Go Golden Gophers!) and managed to go 85-2 in his career there, the highest win percentage in Minnesota history. He is a two-time Dan Hodge Award winner, the trophy given to the best wrestler in the country, which has only happened six times in NCAA history. Gabe graduated in 2021.
So what’s he been up to? Upon graduation, Gabe started a 2-year stint with the WWE. This is not uncommon for football players, as we’ve seen The Rock, Brock Lesner, Roman Reigns, and others live both the NFL and WWE life. However, typically, these guys become pro wrestlers after their failed NFL careers. Gabe was released by the WWE earlier this May. He went off and had a try out with the Bills, and they went ahead and gave him a contract.
Stevenson will try to earn a spot on the defensive line, specifically at defensive tackle. The two sides agreed to terms on a standard three-year rookie contract. This feels like to me it is not some publicity stunt, no are the Bills just taking a flier on a guy with some size and strength. A three-year deal makes it feel like they are confident this guy can figure it out.
It’s obvious he is talented in many facets, and very good wrestlers often make very good lineman. It takes strength, flexibility, movement skills, and toughness, all traits that are consistent with highly successful wrestlers.
The Gabe Stevenson WWE → NFL transition project is officially underway. I’d love to see Stevenson out there on the field come preseason, it’s always interesting to see these kind of trials play out in real time against real competition. Good luck to Gabe, he’s got an uphill battle and he’s swimming against the current. but if anyone can do it, I’d put my money on the Olympic Gold Medalist Wrestler!
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