Gable Steveson made his NFL debut with the Buffalo Bills almost four years to the date after winning a gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo. He actually looked pretty good despite having zero experience!
With that being said, the two-time D1 national champion wrestler, and three-time All American still has a long way to go.
Steveson, 24, graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2022 as one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers in the history of the sport. In addition to his well-decorated collegiate resume, he won a gold medal at the Olympics in 2020/21 in the 125kg competition as time expired. It was electric.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED! 🥇@GableSteveson grabs the GOLD as time expires. #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/yqMc3wbXsu
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
After a brief return to college for his fifth-year senior season, Steveson signed a contract with the WWE. He made a few appearances at SummerSlam and SmackDown but it ultimately did not work out and he was released from his contract in May.
With wrestling behind him, Steveson decided to try something new and tried out for the Bills. It was his first time wearing cleats— ever.
Even though the Indiana-native did not play football as a kid or in high school, Gable Steveson is 6-foot-1, 265 pounds of muscle and knows how to use his leverage. Buffalo has nothing to lose from trying to teach him how to play defensive line so it decided to offer him a contract as an undrafted free agent.
Steveson joined the team for training camp. His teammates love what he brings to the locker room.
His debut was an overwhelming success!
Steveson played eight snaps against the Chicago Bears on Saturday and finished with one tackle. For someone who has never played the sport before, his ability to pressure the quarterback and hustle downfield was impressive.
Here are Gable Steveson's 8 snaps at DT (61) in his NFL debut
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 11, 2024
The Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Champion wrestler is attempting to make the Bills at 24-years-old pic.twitter.com/rC94hKnjfp
He might be too small to play the interior and struggled to get off of blocks, but that is a learned skill. Experience will be crucial to Gable Steveson’s NFL learning curve and the Buffalo Bills seem willing to give him the necessary in-game opportunities.