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William Gholston | Defensive Lineman

Team: Michigan State Spartans
Age / DOB:  (21) / 7/31/1991
Ht / Wt:  6'6' / 280

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Recent News

Bucs selected Michigan State DE William Gholston at No. 126 overall.
Gholston (6-foot-6 1/4, 281) recorded 30 career tackles for loss and 10 sacks across 36 games for the Spartans, making 24 starts. Big Ten coaches voted him honorable mention all-conference last year. The cousin of former megabust Vernon Gholston, William is a pure five-technique, 3-4 end prospect who ran 4.96 at the Combine with a plodding 1.73 ten-yard split. He offers little natural edge-rushing ability, but possesses long arms (34") to control blockers. Gholston could line up at end on early downs before kicking inside on passing downs in Tampa Bay. Apr 27 - 1:36 PM

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Date:
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

NFL Network's Mike Mayock said Michigan State DL William Gholston could be better in the NFL than he was in college.

Mayock said that Gholston is "intriguing" and could be a third-round selection. There have recently been reports about Gholston's stock slipping, as there are questions with his mental makeup, but he does indeed have an intriguing skill-set that could lead to him being drafted earlier.
Source: Aaron Wilson on Twitter
Apr 18 - 5:00 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State DL William Gholston visited the Detroit Lions.

Gholston is an intriguing talent because of his massive size, checking in at 6'6" and 281 pounds. However, he struggled this past season and teams have questioned his mental makeup. Last month, the National Football Post's Russ Lande reported that teams questioned whether he could be a physical five technique that can anchor after a workout. At the workout, he reportedly lacked "aggressiveness, intensity and passion," according to Lande.
Source: The Detroit Free Press
Apr 15 - 7:14 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

National Football Post's Russ Lande writes teams question Michigan State DL William Gholston's mental makeup.

"...he did not show good flexibility to maintain leverage to be an effective two gap player. Most concerning however was the lack of aggressiveness, intensity and passion that Gholston displayed during the workout," Lande wrote. "An NFL source in attendance told me that Gholston’s demeanor throughout the workout made them question if he has the mental makeup to handle being a five technique who has to anchor and physically control blocker."
Source: National Football Post
Mar 16 - 8:12 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Former NFL scout Russ Lande tweeted that Michigan State junior DE William Gholston is now likely to enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Lande added that Gholston appeared ready to return for his senior year all season long, but the large defensive end had had a change of heart. Due to his size and length, Gholston projects as a possible end in a three-man defensive line, a position that is usually selected earlier than expected.
Source: Russ Lande on Twitter
Jan 3 - 1:04 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston does not project as a consistent pass rusher in the NFL, according to ESPN's Mel Kiper.

"He's disruptive because he's so big," Kiper said. Instead of Gholston making an impact by penetrating the backfield, Kiper believes the junior does his best work by blocking throwing lanes. He then added that Gholston would benefit from another year in college, technique-wise, and is currently graded as a third-round pick.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Wed, Dec 12, 2012 08:31:00 AM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston and junior TE Dion Sims are expected to request an evaluation from the NFL Draft Advisory Board.

Linebacker Max Bullough and cornerback Darqueze Dennard are two others that may test the NFL waters, as well. If he declares, Gholston will be one of the few pure five-technique prospects, and those players are usually drafted earlier than expected. Sims is a large bodied inline tight end that possesses excellent blocking skills, however, since the Spartans struggled in pass protection he was frequently used as a blocker rather than a receiver.
Source: MLive
Sun, Dec 9, 2012 09:26:00 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State head coach Mike Dantonio believes that his draft-eligible players should only consider the NFL Draft if they are projected to go in the top three rounds.

Jerel Worthy left early as a second-round pick last year, but so did Edwin Baker who lasted until the seventh-round. The possible early declarers for the Spartans include defensive end William Gholston, tight end Dion Sims, running back Le'Veon Bell, and linebacker Max Bullough.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Wed, Nov 21, 2012 09:46:00 AM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston expressed that he isn't thinking about his future NFL career at this time.

"I think about getting to a bowl game, and these midterm finals are about to come up," Gholston stated. "That's all I can think about." The junior possesses excellent size and flashes tremendous power, therefore Gholston is one of the few draft-eligible prospects that projects well to five technique defensive end. Those types are usually drafted higher than expected.
Source: MLive
Wed, Nov 14, 2012 06:42:00 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State defensive coordinator Ted Gill revealed that he is considering moving junior DE William Gholston inside to NT in nickel pass rush situations.

Evaluators love this kind of move because it puts a prospect in a situation scouts would have to otherwise project. Gholston is a power rusher with strength and length, so the move inside would be intriguing. He has taken a step back in recent weeks, but when he is on Gholston is a force on the edge.
Source: Joe Rexrode on Twitter
Wed, Oct 10, 2012 01:20:00 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston expressed frustration of his average start to the season.

Gholston gave himself a "C" grade after registering 18 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack in five games. "I'm going to try to be unstoppable. I know my teammates are going to do the same thing," Gholston stated. When asked if an injury was limiting him early in the season, Gholston said, "I don't talk about injuries."
Source: MLive
Thu, Oct 4, 2012 11:09:00 AM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston will not start today's contest against Eastern Michigan after he missed he missed a practice earlier in the week.

Sophomore Shilique Calhoun gets the start in Gholston's place. It has not been reported why Gholston missed practice, but he will likely play at some point in the game.
Source: Chris Solari on Twitter
Sat, Sep 22, 2012 03:25:00 PM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State junior DE William Gholston is hoping to continue last season's momentum into Friday's contest against Boise State.

Gholston registered two sacks and five tackles for loss in the Spartans' bowl game. Along with claiming he has gotten faster and stronger during the offseason, Gholston learned the responsibilities of everyone around him on each snap, which will hopefully heighten his awareness. There is no doubt Gholston is a strong, power edge rusher, but we worry a bit about his stiffness and a consistent physical nature.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Thu, Aug 30, 2012 09:41:00 AM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

William Gholston, Michigan State’s leading tackler among the linemen, is revved up for the Big Ten title game after missing the first encounter against Wisconsin.

Gholston, in fact, was suspended and unavailable for the Spartans’ Hail Mary-win over the Badgers. His over-exuberence the previous week against Michigan cost him. He will not be a spectator Saturday. Rather, he will attempt to slow a prolific Wisconsin offensive machine with the playmaking ability that has him leading MSU linemen with 59 tackles and 11 TFLs.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Fri, Dec 2, 2011 11:40:00 AM
William Gholston - DL - Spartans

Michigan State defensive end William Gholston was suspended for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin as a result of personal fouls against Michigan last week.

In a week in which coach Mark Dantonio needs everybody on board for Wisconsin, he now has to make do without Gholston. The huge (6-7,280) sophomore had 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks this season.
Source: Mark Snyder via Twitter
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 03:20:00 PM