Updated May 1
One of the greatest pass rushers to ever pull on the maroon and silver will continue to ply his trade in the NFL, as Tyrone Holmes was selected in the sixth round as the 181st overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Holmes joins former Grizzly Jordan Tripp in Jacksonville, who is currently on the Jaguars roster as a linebacker.
Holmes, considered small for the defensive line in the NFL, was drafted as an outside linebacker, instead of the defensive end position where he excelled for the Grizzlies.
Following a stellar pro day where Holmes ran a 4.5 40-yard sprint and put up a whopping 28 reps in the bench press, the Montana graduate has been traveling the country training and interviewing with several teams before being picked up by the Florida franchise.
Holmes’ outstanding senior season helped improve his draft status as well, leading all of division one football with 18 sacks.
The 6-4, 250-pound defensive end from Eagle Point, Ore., finished his four-year career at with 34.5 sacks, second on the Grizzlies’ all-time career list. He also sits second on UM’s all-time career tackles-for-loss list with 49.5 during his illustrious career.
As the 181st overall pick in the draft, Holmes joins other Big Sky conference players to be drafted on Saturday.
Miles Killebrew from Southern Utah was the first Big Sky player to be drafted, going in the fourth round to the Detroit Lions as the 111th overall draft pick. LeShaun Sims of the Thunderbirds was also drafted in the fifth round by the Tennessee Titans as the 151st overall pick.
The Jaguars made big plays to shore up their defense in this year’s NFL Draft. Holmes joins cornerback Jalen Ramsey out of Florida State who was drafted in the first round. Also being drafted by Jacksonville is outside linebacker Myles Jack from UCLA in the second round, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue out of Maryland in the third round, defensive tackle Sheldon Day out of Notre Dame in the fourth round.
Montana’s all-time leading receiver Jamaal Jones will get his chance to prove himself at the next level, as will former Griz linebacker Herbert Gamboa, with the two reaching agreements with NFL teams following the completion of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
Jones has signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers, while Gamboa has accepted an invitation to attend a rookie mini camp with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jones entered the NFL Draft after setting Montana’s record for most career receiving yards in just three years of action for the Griz with 3,021 yards in the air. Jones was Montana’s leading receiver in his senior year campaign, catching passes for 1,217 yards, earning a first team All-Big Sky selection and was recognized as a first team All-American.
Gamboa, a 2015 first team All-Big Sky selection, finished his senior campaign as UM’s fifth-leading tackler, with 76 total takedowns. His draft stock rose after a strong performance at Montana’s pro day, running a 4.5 40-yard sprint and logging the team’s highest vertical jump and broad jumps, with a 38.5” vertical, and a 10’3” broad jump.