West Virginia Football All Time Draft: Pick #12

With two of the most explosive offensive players in Pat White and Steve Slaton already on my team, it made sense to get one of the best playmakers from the defensive side of the ball in the long history of the West Virginia football program.

With the 12^th pick of the Smoking Musket’s West Virginia Football All-Time Draft, Team _CBH_ selects linebacker Grant Wiley.

Wiley is the most recent West Virginia player on defense to be named a Consensus All-American in 2003 from the defensive side of the ball. He was also named to the First-Team All-Big East in both 2002 and 2003.

In the West Virginia record book, Wiley is No. 1 in total tackles made in his career with 492, which is nine better than recent draftee Darryl Talley. He also ranks No. 1 in solo tackles with 298, and No. 1 with nine forced fumbles.

Wiley was No. 1 in most tackles for a loss in a career with 48, but Julian Miller overtook the category with 49 during his four-year career at West Virginia.

The Trappe, PA native Wiley also wasn’t too bad when it came to goal line situations in make-or-break moments in a close game either:

With the latest addition, Team _CBH_ now has three of the most decorated players in White, Slaton and Wiley to step on the field for the Old Gold and Blue.

That seems like a pretty good start to me.