Submitted Photo Sebastian Gutierrez of Minot State helping clear the way for the Beavers in a victory over Concordia University-St. Paul last season. Photo courtesy of Sean Arbaut (Arbaut Photography).

The NFL draft is a weekend full of emotion for those prospects hoping to hear their name called. They spend their entire lives working hard to perfect their craft in hopes that an NFL team will see their potential.

For some, that opportunity never arises through the seven rounds of the draft. But even then, there’s still an opportunity that can come knocking. This proved to be the case for Minot State offensive lineman, Sebastian Gutierrez, who signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

Gutierrez becomes the first Minot State football player to get a chance to crack an NFL roster since 1977. How Gutierrez got to this point is a little different path than the average NFL draft prospect.

Upon arriving at Minot State, Gutierrez started his Beavers career as a tight end. He first saw action at that position in 2017, where he hauled in five passes for a total of 32 yards on the season.

In 2018, he went through a position change and made the transition to offensive line. A change that would prove to be very beneficial for him, as his success on the field began to grow.

It didn’t take long for Gutierrez to become a dependable part of the line. In his first full season as a lineman, he started all 11 games on the year.

2019 featured a lot of success for the Minot State offensive line. The unit helped running back Ali Mohamed rush for over 800 yards, which named him the NSIC Newcomer of the Year. Gutierrez was there for it all, starting in 11 games that season.

Sebastian Gutierrez concluded his final season with the Beavers by being named to the NSIC All-Conference team. The 6’6″, 195-lbs. Pasco, Washington, product will now look to prove himself to the Broncos brass.

The next step for Gutierrez will be to head to Colorado for Broncos rookie minicamp. The team is set to host the camp beginning the weekend of May 13.