Steelers 2014 NFL Draft Player Profiles – Colorado State TE Crockett Gillmore

Good friend Dave-Te’ Thomas of Scouting Services has finished his player profiles of several of the top 2014 NFL Draft prospects and over the course of the next few weeks I will be posting the ones that the Pittsburgh Steelers will more than likely have interest in. While Colorado State TE Crockett Gillmore hasn’t been reported as making a pre draft visit to Pittsburgh, he’s a player that might interest them in the later round. Today it’s time to post his profile that was prepared by Thomas, who has done these for the NFL for several years now.

CROCKETT ALLEN GILLMORE
Tight End
Colorado State University Rams
#10
6:05.7-260
Bushland, Texas
Bushland High School

OVERVIEW

It is almost certain than one, possibly two National Football League teams will smile when they hear the name Bushland, Texas in the future. The Rams coaching staff certainly reaped the benefits from traveling to this tiny Lone Star town that has a population of 1,058, but it is a “boomtown” of sorts. In 2000, it was estimated 130 people lived in the town 14 miles outside of Amarillo. Now, thanks to George Strait, everybody knows about Amarillo.

Thanks to defensive end-turned-tight end Crockett Gillmore and quarterback-turned-center Weston Richburg, every Colorado State football player, coach and fan knows about Bushland, too. “We take a lot of pride in where we’re from and what football means to Bushland, Texas,” Richburg said. “Everybody on our team knows where Bushland, Texas is now because the way we do things. Like I said, we take pride in how we play, how we work, and you’ll find a whole bunch of kids back in Bushland who were raised the same way. It’s really special.”

As is the attachment the two Ram standouts have with their hometown. Neither one of them has to be coaxed, either. For them, it’s always been about representing Colorado State, the school that gave them each a chance, and Bushland, the town and upbringing that made it possible.

Two days after closing out the regular season in their senior years, Richburg and Gillmore sat side by side in the auditorium of the McGraw Center to talk about their selections to senior all-star games — Richburg to the Senior Bowl, Gillmore to the East-West Shrine Game, and later, as a replacement for an injured player on the Senior Bowl roster.

Gillmore has always been proud to tell people his work ethic was developed back home in Bushland, Texas. Now consider that when they played for the Bushland High Falcons, the school was only 250 students (now 497). Two players, same small town, same small Class 2A school in Texas, both reaching the big time in college and now coveted draft prospects with bright National Football League futures.

“How many schools, even 5A in this area, have had two kids selected to two big all-star games?” pondered current Bushland coach Steve Flowers, who assisted his father, David, when the two CSU standouts were in high school. “Nobody has, especially in the same year.” That’s not quirky at all. Back home in Bushland, that’s simply amazing. A point of pride, too, for both sides of the equation.

“That speaks about Bushland a lot, the type of things they’ve done down there and continue to do,” Gillmore said. “We continue to work up here, so we’re excited to represent Bushland and represent Colorado State.”

On senior day this year, the players felt the love in return. Their families were there, naturally. It was two days after Thanksgiving, always a tough time to fill a stadium. And while some students didn’t make it back, up in the stands, off away from the crowd sat their former coach David, along with his wife and a grandson.

Colorado State had pursued Gillmore quite a bit. He was a big, strong tight end/defensive end that put up numbers. And at the point Richburg signed his letter of intent, he was visually signing his, too. He never redshirted, playing defensive end his first season, then becoming a major offensive threat at tight end his final three years. But to see it all playing out the way it has, nobody saw that coming.

“It’s not something that you think about. It’s awesome that it’s happened,” Gillmore said. “It’s awesome because it’s what we’ve worked for, starting in Bushland. I can remember him signing his letter of intent to come here, and I was thinking, I’ll be doing that next year to the same school. At the time, nobody really knew we were going to go to school together. It’s something really special. It speaks a lot of our town of Bushland and what’s been accomplished, but we’re not done.”

For both of them, it always goes back to home. It was where the work ethic they have was created. It was where they found their initial drive to succeed, a trait that was further inspired at Colorado State. When they return home, they do so as Falcons. They go see their coaches to say hello and work out in the same weight room. Richburg even ran the offensive linemen through drills last spring.

It’s not just the Colorado State football team that knows where Bushland is located, either. Flowers said college coaches do as well now, and thanks to success of Richburg and Gillmore, the program is one to be given more than just a courtesy glance.

Gillmore garnered first-team all-district honors as both a wide receiver and defensive end, in multiple years at both positions, at Bushland (Texas) High School, near Amarillo in the Texas panhandle. He was a four-year starter for a program that began in his freshman year, helping that team win 34 of its 38 games over his final three seasons. He would become the first 1,000-yard receiver in school history, catching a Falcons record 22 touch-down passes as a senior, and also racked up 26 career sacks on the defensive front.

Gillmore saw limited action as a freshman on offense, but had six interceptions, three sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense. In 2007, he received first-team all-district and all-Golden Spread honors on defense, sparking the Falcons to a 9-2 mark with 67 tackles, five sacks, one INT and five forced fumbles.

As a junior, Gillmore was again first-team all-district and all-Golden Spread as a wide receiver, coming up with 35 receptions for 644 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding 81 tackles, nine sacks, eight passes batted down, three fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles as a defensive end. He caught at least one touchdown in thirteen consecutive games, from 2008-09 and served as team captain in 2009, guiding the Falcons to the Texas Class 2A Division II state championship game, where BHS sustained its season’s only loss to finish 15-1.

That season, Gillmore had 45 catches for 1,142 yards (25.4 avg) and 22 scores, one touchdown for every two receptions to earn the Golden Spread 2A-3A Player of the Year and the Amarillo Globe-News Offensive Player of the Year Award. A four-sport athlete, he also lettered three times in basketball, twice in track and twice in wrestling (had planned to continue participation in wrestling and track as a senior).

As soon as Gillmore arrived at Colorado State, the coaches changed their minds on where to use him. He entered August camp as a tight end, but when the defensive line’s depth was depleted by injuries, he was shifted to weak-side defensive end. He made his college debut vs. in-state rival Colorado. With friends and family from Bushland arriving in bus loads, he gave them something to talk about on the ride back home after recording a sack in the 2010 season opener.

Gillmore played in ten games as a reserve his first season as a Ram, finishing with eleven tackles, that 16-yard sack vs. the Buffs, two stops behind the line of scrimmage and a fumble recovery. Much like what happened when he arrived for preseason camp in 2010, Gillmore again saw his position change in 2011 spring camp – he was now back at tight end.

It was “off with jersey #99” as the defensive end-turned-tight end would wear #10 the rest of his career. And what a career it would be, securing the starting job before fall camp ended. He went on to become the first CSU tight end since Kelli McGregor in 1984 to lead the team, as he had 45 receptions for 468 yards (10.4 ypc), finding the end zone four times in 2011.

The All-Mountain west Conference second-team choice and mid-season Mackey Award Watch list member also got his defensive “fix” on special teams, recording three solo tackles. He even played Weston Richburg’s old prep position (quarterback), well, at least for one play, tossing a 27-yard touchdown vs. Boise State. He was forced to leave the season finale vs. Wyoming after suffering a knee injury. He was hoping to play the schedule alongside his older brother, Austin, also a Rams tight end, but Austin was sidelined after two games due to an anterior cruciate ligament that took multiple surgeries to correct.

As a junior, Colorado State stumbled to a 4-8 record and held almost weekly auditions to find a quarterback. The Rams finished 84^th in the nation with an average of 210.17 aerial yards per game. Gillmore managed only nineteen catches for 263 yards (13.84 ypc) and two touchdowns while starting ten games. His brother, Austin, played the entire schedule, filling in for Crockett in the starting lineup twice.

With Austin having graduated, Crockett returned to full-time duties as the Rams’ starting tight end, appearing in all fourteen games in 2013. He finished third on the team with 47 receptions, good for 577 yards (12.28 ypc) and two touchdowns, receiving consensus All-Mountain West Conference first-team honors. He finished ninth among the major college tight ends in receiving yards.

CAREER NOTES

Gillmore started thirty-six of the forty-seven games he played in at Colorado State, all as a tight end, appearing in thirty-seven games on offense and ten more as a defensive end…

Caught 111 passes for 1,308 yards (11.78 ypc) and eight touchdowns…Recorded eighteen tackles (12 solos) with a 16-yard sack that he recorded in his college debut, two stops for losses of 19 yards, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery that he advanced three yards…Also completed his only pass attempt for a 27-yard touchdown, vs. Boise State in 2011.

2013 SEASON

The consensus All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection started all fourteen games at tight end, as the former tight end caught a career-high 47 passes. His 577 yards gained receiving (12.28 ypc) rank fourth on the school season-record chart for tight ends…Added two touchdown catches and also assisted on a tackle…Invited to play in both the 2014 East-West Shrine Game and the 2014 Senior Bowl…Earned College Foot-ball Performance Awards Tight End Performer of the Week honors vs. Cal Poly and New Mexico and received weekly honorable mention vs. San Jose State…The Mackey Award Watch List member led all the conference’s tight ends and placed ninth among major college tight ends in receiving yards…Had a season-long 52-yard reception in a win at New Mexico, on which he threw four Lobo defenders off of him so he could gain another 20 yards…Added seven receptions for 83 yards vs. Cal Poly and in the San Jose State tilt, he hauled in five receptions for 76 yards and a 15-yard touchdown…In the win over Hawaii, he caught his eighth career touchdown pass, good for 20 yards…Closed out his career with four catches for 44 yards vs. Washington in the New Mexico Bowl.

2012 SEASON

In his second full season at tight end, Gillmore finished the year with 19 catches for 263 yards (13.84 ypc) and two touchdowns…Played in eleven games for the Rams, missing the Hawaii clash…Earned second-team All-Mountain West honors from three publications: Athlon, Lindy’s, and Phil Steele…Was one of 26 tight ends named to the John Mackey Award midseason watch list…On the third play of the Rams’ opening drive vs. North Dakota State (Sept. 8), hauled in a 69-yard touchdown, the longest by a CSU tight end since Joel Dreessen’s 85-yard score in 2003. He finished the home-opener with two receptions for 85 yards…In Colorado State’s first true road game at San Jose State, he recorded three catches for 26 yards…At Air Force, he recorded three catches for 36 yards, including a 13-yard score to pull the Rams within two touchdowns just before halftime…

Registered a season-high four catches for 41 yards vs. Fresno State and closed out the season with three catches for 46 yards at home vs. New Mexico.

2011 SEASON

Having shifted from defensive end to tight end just nine days before the spring game,

Gillmore secured the starting job, as he became the first Rams tight end since Kelli McGregor in 1984 to lead the team in receiving, hauling in 45 passes for 468 yards (10.4 ypc) and four touchdowns…Also completed a pass for a 27-yard touchdown vs. Boise State and recorded three solo tackles on the way to being named consensus first-team All-Mountain West Conference…In his offensive debut at New Mexico, he made his first career catch in the second quarter, followed by a leaping 33-yard touchdown, CSU’s first of 2010 and the initial score of his career, late in the first half…In the home-opening win vs. Northern Colorado, he helped open a hole for Chris Nwoke on a second-quarter touch-down run…In the loss vs. Colorado, he caught five passes for 84 yards, including a 23-yard fourth-quarter touchdown from WR Charles Lovett, off a Pete Thomas lateral, on the first CSU drive in the Buffs contest, as he took a screen 34 yards to set up the Rams’ first touchdown, and later, in the third quarter, converted a third-and-11 with a 12-yard grab, setting up his touchdown reception from Lovett.. Played a lead role in helping CSU to an exhilarating, 35-34 triumph in double overtime at Utah State – first, with 42 seconds left after CSU had just pulled to 21-19 with a Chris Nwoke touchdown run, even after the Rams committed a 5-yard false-start penalty, he essentially caught an 8-yard pass from Thomas for a two-point conversion that sent the game to overtime. Then, in the first overtime period, he caught a 7-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone that knotted the score again. On Nwoke’s score at the end of regulation, Gillmore somehow blocked two Utah State defenders at the point of attack…In the Boise State clash, he caught a lateral from Pete Thomas, then lofted a 27-yard touchdown pass to fullback Joe Brown to put the Rams on the scoreboard in the second quarter. On the next possession, he caught two passes for 30 yards, including a 25-yarder, on another touchdown drive.

2010 SEASON

Gillmore began August practice as a tight end but converted to defensive end shortly before the season opener, filling an injury void…Played in eleven games, as he totaled 11 tackles (eight solo), with two stops for loss, including a big sack in his first college game… Also recovered a fumble, broke up a pass, and had one QB pressure…Made his college debut, one of seven true freshmen to do so for CSU, in the season-opener vs. Colorado and despite moving to defensive end only three weeks earlier, he saw plenty of playing time in Buffs contest and threw QB Tyler Hansen for a 16-yard loss, his first career sack, to thwart a fourth-quarter drive nearing field-goal position and force a punt…Missed most of the week’s practice (respiratory illness) and played just one series at Miami-Ohio…

Played most of the game at Air Force and threw QB Tim Jefferson for a 3-yard loss on a third-and-5 run, forcing a fourth-quarter punt…In fourth quarter of 43-10 win vs. Nevada-Las Vegas, he recovered a fumble by QB Caleb Herring at midfield, setting up a CSU field goal.

INJURY REPORT

2010 Season…Missed most of the week’s practice (respiratory illness) and played just one series at Miami-Ohio (9/18).

2011 Season…Left the season finale vs. Wyoming with a knee sprain.

2013 Postseason…Did not lift at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine due to a left elbow strain.

AGILITY TESTS

4.89 in the 40-yard dash…1.69 10-yard dash…2.81 20-yard dash…4.44 20-yard shuttle…7.42 three-cone drill…33 ½-inch vertical jump…10’-0” broad jump…360-pound bench press…33 ¾-inch arm length…10 3/8-inch hands…80 ½-inch wingspan.

HIGH SCHOOL

Gillmore attended Bushland (Tex.) High School, playing football for head coach David Flowers…Garnered first-team all-district honors as both a wide receiver and defensive end, in multiple years at both positions…Four-year starter for a program that began in his freshman year, helping that team win 34 of its 38 games over his final three seasons…

Would become the first 1,000-yard receiver in school history, catching a Falcons record 22 touchdown passes as a senior, and also racked up 26 career sacks on the defensive front…Saw limited action as a freshman on offense, but had six interceptions, three sacks and three fumble recoveries on defense…In 2007, he received first-team all-district and all-Golden Spread honors on defense, sparking the Falcons to a 9-2 mark with 67 tackles, five sacks, one INT and five forced fumbles…As a junior, Gillmore was again first-team all-district and all-Golden Spread as a wide receiver, coming up with 35 receptions for 644 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding 81 tackles, nine sacks, eight passes batted down, three fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles as a defensive end…Caught at least one touch-down in thirteen consecutive games, from 2008-09 and served as team captain in 2009, guiding the Falcons to the Texas Class 2A Division II state championship game, where BHS sustained its season’s only loss to finish 15-1…That season, Gillmore had 45 catches for 1,142 yards (25.4 avg) and 22 scores, one touchdown for every two receptions to earn the Golden Spread 2A-3A Player of the Year and the Amarillo Globe-News Offensive Player of the Year Award…A four-sport athlete, he also lettered three times in basketball, twice in track and twice in wrestling (had planned to continue participation in wrestling and track as a senior)…Was the district high-jump champion in 2009, taking home first-team all-district honors in 2009, and second-team all-district in 2008.

PERSONAL

Gillmore is majoring in Communication Studies…Son of Rose and Phil Gillmore…His older brother was a teammate at Colorado State (2010-12) as a reserve tight end and had previously played at West Texas A&M and Bushland High School…Gillmore followed Colorado State teammate Weston Richburg from Bushland to the Rams…In June before the 2011 season, he assisted at a youth football clinic in Windsor, Colorado, for kids ages 8-12…Before 2011 spring practice, he spent an afternoon at the Boys & Girls Club of Larimer County, helping kids with after-school programs…Had worked construction during the summer months…Born Crockett Allen Gillmore on 11/16/91 in Amarillo, Texas…resides in Bushland, Texas.

PLAYER STATISTICS