Mountaineers in the Pros: Former players making a mark in the NFL
Every offseason, West Virginia football puts former Mountaineers into the professional ranks, where these players go to show their skills on the largest stage of football, the National Football League.
This is a comprehensive list of every former West Virginia player making an impact in the NFL, which will be updated every week as games are played. Now that Week 13 of the NFL regular season has passed, here's every former Mountaineer who's active on an NFL roster, with some players growing into professional stars.
-- DE Bruce Irvin - Detroit Lions
After being elevated from the practice squad in Week 13, Irvin showed out in his first appearance of the 2023 season and his 12th professional season for the Lions.
Irvin practically came out of retirement and shot out of a cannon, recording one tackle, one tackle for loss and one sack all on the same play, making his impact in limited time. Detroit went on to defeat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, 33-28.
-- QB Geno Smith- Seattle Seahawks
On Thursday Night Football, Smith faced off against his third-straight opponent with an impeccable defense, keeping Seattle in the game up until the final drive before they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys in a high-scoring 41-35 affair on Thursday.
Smith finished the contest with a strong stat-line, passing 23-for-41 for 334 yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception. The former Mountaineer quarterback also added six yards on two carries and another rushing touchdown to his total.
-- DL Dante Stills - Arizona Cardinals
Despite two significant weather delays in Pittsburgh due to lightning, the Cardinals defense stepped up to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-10 on Sunday and Stills was a factor.
The former WVU defensive lineman and state native had his hands all over the win, after he recorded two solo tackles, but more importantly, recovered a late-game fumble that iced the contest for good.
-- LB David Long Jr. - Miami Dolphins
In dominant fashion, Miami racked up the points in its win on Sunday, defeating the Washington Commanders 45-15 on the road with a strong defensive performance that was led by this former Mountaineer.
Long finished the blowout win with the team-high in total tackles at eight, including five solo stops, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
-- OT Colton McKivitz - San Francisco 49ers
While also being involved in some pre-game and mid-game skirmishes, McKivitz showed out once again by leading one of the NFL's hottest offenses in Week 13, as San Francisco dominated the Philadelphia Eagles 42-19 on the road.
In his squad's third-straight game with over 400 yards, the former West Virginia tackle led the 49ers to 456 total yards of offense and 8.0 yards per play in the victory.
-- TE Trevon Wesco - Tennessee Titans
Wesco is primarily a backup for the Titans, playing with a role as a blocker. He recorded one target in Tennessee;s 31-28 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
-- QB Will Grier - New England Patriots
Grier was resigned onto the Patriots practice squad ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Players who are rostered but did not appear or record a statistic in Week 13:
-- CB Rasul Douglas - Buffalo Bills - Buffalo is on a bye week in Week 13.
-- CB Daryl Worley - Baltimore Ravens - Baltimore is on a bye week in Week 13.
-- LB Tony Fields II - Cleveland Browns - Fields is a rotational and backup linebacker for Cleveland and did not record a statistic in the Browns' Week 13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, 36-19.
-- OG Mark Glowinski - New York Giants - This season, Glowinski has shuffled around into the starting lineup and is currently a backup guard for New York.
-- WR David Sills V - Denver Broncos - He is no longer on Denver's active roster but remains on the team's practice squad.
-- LB Kyzir White - Arizona Cardinals - White remains on injured reserve in Week 13.
-- OG Adam Pankey - Dallas Cowboys - He remains on the Cowboys' practice squad.
-- OT Yodny Cajuste - New York Giants - He remains on the Giants' practice squad.
-- WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton - New York Giants - Ford-Wheaton will miss the season for the Giants on the team's injured reserve with a torn ACL.
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