Former Wake Forest and Michigan State interior offensive lineman Matt Gulbin breaks down what he brings to the Washington Commanders.
The intrigue surrounding how the Washington Commanders would address a trio of positions in the 2026 NFL Draft was the fun storyline for fans heading into round one on Thursday, yet by weekend’s end, general manager Adam Peters and the front office filled several of those holes.
That includes the trenches after one of the two sixth round picks the Commanders owned was spent on interior offensive lineman Matt Gulbin, who adds versatility to the unit.
The 6-foot-3.625, 305-pound began his career at Wake Forest where he spent four seasons before transferring to Michigan State in 2025, ending his college career as a consistent contributor and two-time All Conference selection while starting in 34 games. Despite transferring into the program, Gulbin was also named a team captain in 2025 while notching a career-high 87.8 pass blocking grade per Pro Football Focus.
Through five seasons, Gulbin allowed just five sacks and quarterback hits across 1,318 snaps in pass protection. Yet it’s where he did it during his college career after playing three of the five spots with 11 career starts at left guard, 11 at right guard and 12 at center.
Gulbin admitted he feels “comfortable in all three interior positions” while assistant general manager Lance Newmark pointed to Gulbin’s “utility” experience along the offensive line as a plus during the evaluation process.
“Just like the way he plays the game. Kind of a physical, find a way to get it done, nasty, guy that’s just got grit and toughness to everything he does,” Newmark added.
The Commanders, including offensive line coach Darnell Stapleton, also met virtually with Gulbin during the draft evaluation process.
"I liked the whole offensive people that were on that Zoom. I knew that they knew about me, but I'm super excited that they believed in me and picked me,” Gulbin said.
The question now is how he fits into the depth chart with the obvious need at center. Head coach Dan Quinn pointed to Nick Allegretti, who re-signed this offseason, and practice squad signing Julian Good-Jones as candidates to become the starting center in 2026. Yet Gulbin now joins the Commanders with the strong possibility of entering the mix for the starting center competition through the offseason.
Washington already restocked the offensive line by completing the long awaited extension with Laremy Tunsil along with re-signing left guard Chris Paul to a one year deal, leaving Gulbin as the possible last piece to the 2026 rota
“It's cool. It’s very humbling but I'm not really focused on that," Gulbin said about the prospect of becoming the starter in 2026. "I'm focused on getting to work and doing whatever I can to be my best version of my best and do whatever I can to help the Commanders win.”