It was a bittersweet senior season for Gibson, who concluded his college career as the school's all-time leader with 2,756 receiving yards and finished second in WSU annals with 182 receptions. He seriously considered leaving school after the 2007 season, but was convinced by the new coaching staff that he would greatly benefit returning to the university in 2008. Even though he led the team with 57 catches, the Cougars suffered through one of the worst seasons in the program, finishing 2-11 for the campaign.

The nephew of former NFL cornerback Vaughn Williams (49ers/Colts), Gibson struggled to grasp the new offensive system earlier in the 2008 season, and also struggled to grasp the football, as he was plagued by a slew of dropped balls in the early portion of the year. He saw his yardage total decrease from 1,180 yards in 2007 to 673 and his touchdown opportunities reduced from nine scores as a junior to two as a senior.

At Rogers High School, Gibson lettered in football and basketball. As a senior, he earned All-SPSL honors after compiling 946 all-purpose yards. He was rated the 17th-best player in the state of Washington by Scout.com and rated 38th nationally as an athlete by Rivals.com. He was named to the Washington Preps all-league first team as a receiver and second team as a defensive back, in addition to earning Tacoma News Tribune "Northwest Nuggets" honorable mention.

During his junior campaign, Gibson earned All-South Puget Sound League honorable mention at wide receiver. He also received league accolades on special teams as a punt and kick returner. That year, he was named second-team All-SPSL in basketball.

Gibson enrolled at Washington State in 2005, appearing in 10 games with five starting assignments as a true freshman. The flanker saw most of his action on special teams, where he returned 10 kickoffs for 186 yards, but also caught nine passes for 172 yards (19.1 avg.) and a pair of scores.

As a sophomore, Gibson took over flanker duties for the final nine games. He teamed with Jason Hill to give the Cougars one of the biggest receiving tandems in the West. He pulled down 49 passes for 731 yards (14.9 avg.) and four touchdowns, second on the team. He also saw brief action on the coverage unit, making a solo tackle while recovering a fumble and returning two kicks for 42 yards.

In 2007, Gibson had a banner campaign, earning All-Pac-10 Conference first-team and All-America third-team recognition. He started 11 games at flanker, sitting out the Oregon clash with a heel bruise. He was hampered early in the season by an August camp knee sprain, but still managed to haul in a career-high 67 passes for 1,180 yards (17.6 avg.), finding the end zone nine times. His 67 grabs placed third on the school season-record list and his 1,180 yards was the most ever by a Cougar, ranking 20th on the conference annual record chart.

With the new spread option offense in place, Gibson struggled at the "Z" (flanker) spot, where he started the first three games before shifting to the slot in 2008. He still led the team with 57 receptions, but only got to the end zone twice while recording 673 yards (11.8 avg.), adding 19 yards on 10 carries to earn All-Pac-10 honorable mention.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.15

Body Structure: Gibson has a typical NFL-type body, with lean muscular definition, good height and a frame that can carry additional bulk. He has broad shoulders, adequate arm length, average hands and adequate bubble. He has a tight waist and hips, showing decent strength in his thighs and calves.

Athletic Ability: Gibson has adequate-to-good athletic skills. He is not sudden, but is a smooth runner. He has the long stride to get into his vertical routes and shows functional agility and balance throughout his patterns. He has the change of direction and agility to sit down when working underneath and does a good job of using his body to shield defenders from the ball. He maintains body control through his stride or with the ball in his hands.

GRADE: 6.5

Football Sense: Gibson is an instinctive player on the field, with a good feel for boundaries and chains. He struggled later in his career with multiple dropped balls, but never let the bad plays linger too long. He has no problem taking the plays from the chalkboard to the field. He makes good body adjustments to locate the soft spot in the zone. His field awareness is sometimes hidden, as the team did not use a sophisticated passing game and he had to make adjustments too often to come back for the ball due to a lack of quality at the quarterback position. He still needs to know when to break off his routes and come back for the poorly thrown ball, but is making improvement in this area. GRADE: 5.9

Character: Gibson is a respectful sort with no known off-field issues. He has good bloodlines, as his uncle, Vaughn Williams, was an NFL defensive back (49ers/Colts) in the 1980s. He gets along well with his teammates and the coaches use his maturity and work ethic for the younger players to emulate. He is responsible for his actions and makes the extra effort to improve all areas of his game. GRADE: 6.5

Competitiveness: Gibson knows how to use his athletic ability to compete for the ball, but there are some concerns, as he has had more than a fair share of drops with defenders nearby (started early in 2008 and continued throughout the Senior Bowl practices). He is an adequate open-field runner who uses his body to shield defenders from the ball. He shows decent courage operating in traffic and is not the type that will back away from contact. He needs to use his hands with better force to chuck the smaller defensive backs out of the way through his line release. GRADE: 6.0

Work Habits: Gibson works hard to improve all aspects of his game, but has obvious strength/power issues. He will sacrifice his body to get to the ball and aggressively battles for the pass at its high point, but needs to get stronger, as he does struggle vs. a physical press. He goes all out in practices and does the little extras in the weight room. He is a leader-by-example type who is punctual, respectful and takes well to hard coaching. GRADE: 5.8

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.00

Release: Gibson compensates for a lack of explosion with precise moves in and out of his breaks. He has enough functional strength to negotiate past the jam, but can be rerouted when he fails to use his hands to get a strong push off the line. He is just never going to be an explosive mover, so he needs to improve his power in order to be effective at chucking cornerbacks to escape rather than try to blow past the opponent. He does not show much in regards to utilizing stutter-step moves and change-of-direction agility to come off the line with better quickness. He has the long reach and stride to push defensive backs out of their pedal early and once he gets into gear, but needs to be more effective at avoiding the opponent in attempts to weave off the line. GRADE: 5.7

Acceleration: Gibson is best served as a nice-sized target on slants and hitches, but based on all the dropped balls in 2008, his concentration and strength are suspect. He has the long stride to get under the ball and the size to reach and pluck away from his frame. He times his leaps well to get to the ball at its high point, but does not have the natural power to out-muscle linebackers when working underneath to get open in time for the quarterback to get the ball to him. He is effective on the bubble screen due to his athletic ability and timing on leaps. He is a big, rangy target who is effective on slant routes, as he does a nice job of finding open areas underneath. He needs to build to top speed, lacking consistency on deep routes, but will lay out and make the over-the-shoulder grabs. He does not appear to present the deep speed to be a threat making downfield catches at the next level and is more suited to move the chains on short-to-intermediate routes. He has good feet coming out of his cuts to compensate for adequate acceleration, showing good body control to get to most balls thrown to him. GRADE: 5.6

Quickness: Gibson needs to generate better explosion coming off the line, as he lacks the sudden burst to shock a lethargic defensive back. He needs to gather to build to top speed, but has good acceleration and leg drive once he gets into his stride. He is much more effective moving in and out of his cuts than he is with his initial move, but he has the agility and hand usage to prevent defenders from jamming him at the line. He takes long strides to get into his patterns, needing to run with more of a pitter-patter style to be more effective. GRADE: 5.5

Route Running: Gibson is a fairly smooth runner, but needs to be quicker in his routes. He is really just a strider who can stick, weave and leverage defenders, but must stay low in his pads to effectively create advantage. He must do a better job of planting and driving out of his cuts, as he sometimes gathers too much and gears down in doing this. He might not have the explosion coming out of his breaks, but he has the size and leaping ability to get to most underneath throws. He is better served on bubble screens, hitches and post patterns because he takes soft angles rather than sharp 90-degree cuts, but does have the loose hips to change direction and the weave to slip and avoid underneath tackles. As a junior, he showed much better ability to break down, reducing his wasted motion to a minimum at the cut point, but reverted to some bad habits in 2008, more out of frustration from his high amount of pass drops and the overall bad play of the team. By running at a lower pad level, he transitions well for a big receiver, and when motivated, he does a decent job of selling routes on double moves. GRADE: 6.2

Separation Ability: When used underneath, Gibson is capable of making better cuts than he does on deep routes. He has quick feet in transition, but just a modest burst to separate. He has more success getting open when he weaves and leverages to move defenders and create space. He is more effective on quick slants and bubble screens due to his long reach. He needs to compensate for a lack of explosiveness by using his hands with force to push off and out-muscle defensive backs to get open, something that he was very inconsistent in doing as a senior. He knows he's not going to get much explosion on his separation burst, but he can make the hard cut when needed (still needs to work on this, though). GRADE: 6.0

Ball Concentration: This used to be one of his best assets, showing true courage battling for the ball in a crowd, but based on his high amount of drops in 2008, he seemed to have concentration issues, especially hearing the defender's footsteps. He has good sideline awareness, but needs to do a better job of knowing when to work back to the ball. He will not hesitate to sacrifice his body to get to the jump balls and will mix it up with the defenders to get to the ball. With his size and reach, he is capable of taking the ball away from defenders, but must do a better job of adjusting in his routes when the quarterback is pressured. Still, he does a nice sideline toe dance to stay in and out of the route and is aware of boundaries and coverages. He just shows no flinch in him getting to the pass, especially when making the tough slant catch with defenders all over him, but must concentrate better. GRADE: 6.0

Ball Adjustment: Gibson looks athletic going for off-target throws, as he can turn, twist, jump or get on the ground, but must do a better job of securing the ball. You can see his ability to hang in the air on film, extending with above-average body control to get his hands on the bad pass. For a big receiver, he has natural adjustment agility working to the ball. GRADE: 6.0

Leaping Ability: Gibson does not show any fear getting vertical to attack the ball in flight. With his size and leaping ability, he shows consistency shielding the ball from the defender. He will hang in the air for a long time to make the catch, especially when having to lay out for the poorly thrown ball. You can see on film that he has no problem getting a good lift and rise to go up for the ball. GRADE: 6.3

Hands: Gibson has sure hands, but after a slew of dropped balls early in 2008, he began to revert to body catching, bringing about more drops than ever on plays over the middle. He has the ability to reach, pluck and secure the ball away from his frame. He will let the ball into his body too much, but in the past, he was generally consistent reaching for the ball without having to gear down much. He has good hand/eye coordination and his fingers act like spider webs bringing the ball in. He does a good job extending or diving to make the tough catch. What was lacking in 2008 was that he did not show a strong hand jolt to defeat the press and prevent defenders from rerouting him at the line. GRADE: 6.0

Run After the Catch: Gibson will never be confused for a racehorse after catching the ball, as he does not have that explosive separation ability, but he has the functional leg drive to get through initial tackles. He keeps his shoulders square to absorb blows, and while he is not a load to bring down in the open, once he gets his legs churning, he can power through some, but is best when using his weave to separate. He works hard to challenge the defender to generate enough leverage operating his stem. He also shows the loose hips and shiftiness to elude linebackers and safeties on bubble screens and seam routes. GRADE: 6.7

Blocking Ability: Gibson needs to keep his pad level low in order to face up to the bigger defenders at the line of scrimmage, but will not hesitate to sacrifice his body to make the hit. He is a better blocker on the move, as he is effective at delivering the cut block. He is aggressive taking on the opponent and won't back down, even though some linemen are capable of getting underneath to ride him off the snap. In the open, he will "go for the jugular" to neutralize second-level defenders and the smaller defensive backs hate coming up to meet him head-on during running plays. GRADE: 6.0

Compares To: MUHSIN MUHAMMAD, Carolina -- Gibson has become a capable underneath receiver and like Muhammad, he relies on his weave and savvy, rather than explosion, to gain positive yardage after the catch. He shows good aggression battling for the ball in a crowd, but did struggle lined wide in the spread offense, making a slot position a better fit for him at the NFL level.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.02

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Gibson started 38-of-46 games at Washington State, recording 11 games with at least 100 yards receiving, including a string of four consecutive contests to close out the 2007 campaign … Only Mike Levenseller (11, 1975-77) had as many 100-yard receiving games for the Cougars … Caught 182 passes at WSU, ranking behind Mike Bumpus (195, 2004-07) on the school career-record list … His 2,756 yards receiving broke the old school all-time record of 2,704 yards by Jason Hill (2003-06) … Caught 17 passes for touchdowns, ranking behind Jason Hill (32, second in Pac-10 annals), Hugh Campbell (22, 1960-62), Nian Taylor (18, 1996-99), Deron Pointer (18, 1991-93) and Devard Darling (18, 2002-03) … Snatched 67 passes in 2007, topped by Nakoa McElrath (72 in 2001) and Michael Bumpus (70 in 2007) on the WSU season-record chart … His 1,180 receiving yards in 2007 broke the previous school annual record of 1,163 yards by Nakoa McElrath in 2001 … His nine touchdown catches in 2007 rank eighth on the school season-record list … Caught 11 passes vs. Arizona in 2007, topped only by Doug Flansburg (12 vs. Houston, 1966) on the WSU game-record chart … His 91-yard reception in the 2006 Arizona game was the second longest in school history behind Nian Taylor (97 yards vs. Idaho, 1998) … Caught at least one pass in each of his final 36 contests.

Earned All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and named the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player … Named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List, given annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player … Started the first three games at "Z" receiver (flanker) before shifting to the "F" receiver (slot) position … Led the team with 57 receptions for 673 yards (11.8 avg.), but managed to score just two touchdowns … Gained over 100 yards receiving twice to tie the school career-record with 11 such contests … Attempted one pass and carried the ball on 10 attempts for 19 yards (1.9 avg.) … Finished second on the squad with 692 all-purpose yards.

Gibson, a 6-foot-1, 201-pound senior from Puyallup, Wash., finished the season with 57 receptions and 673 receiving yards, both led the Cougars and ranked sixth and ninth, respectively, in the Pac-10. Gibson added two touchdown catches and 19 yards rushing to his season totals. He finished his career with 182 receptions, second in school history and 20th all-time in the Pac-10 Conference. Gibson also ends his career as the Cougars all-time receiving yardage leader with 2,756 yards, 20th in Pac-10 history … Had at least two receptions in 10 contests.

Oklahoma State … Scored the team's only touchdown on a 9-yard toss from QB Gary Rogers to cap a 9-play, 75-yard third-quarter series, finishing with 63 yards on six catches and 14 yards on a reverse in the season opener.

California … All three of his catches were good for first downs, totaling 30 yards.

Baylor … Produced the ninth 100-yard performance for his career, as Gibson generated 128 yards on eight receptions, including a long of 40 yards.

Portland State … Scored for the final time as a Cougar, snaring a 43-yard third-quarter toss from Gary Rogers, as he collected 84 yards on three grabs.

Oregon … Pulled down a season-high 10 passes, including six for first downs, as he tied the school career record with his 11th 100-yard performance, gaining 103 yards, but lost 12 yards on a pair of rushing attempts.

UCLA … Gibson added three first downs for 62 yards on six receptions.

Southern California … Kept his consecutive game streak with at least one reception alive at 31 contests, but did not gain any yardage on his only catch, adding 4 yards on two carries.

Stanford … The senior receiver grabbed five passes for 64 yards while running once for a 1-yard gain.

Arizona … The offense continued to struggle, as Gibson managed just 37 yards on four receptions … Speaking to KXLY-TV after the game, Gibson stated, "I love this university and I really enjoy playing football on Saturdays. There is nothing like the college experience, and things haven't gone as planned, but I'm not too worried about it. I came back and I am just going to enjoy the season and work my butt off." … Expectations were high for Gibson entering this season after he set a school record last season with close to 1,200 receiving yards. But as the Cougars have struggled so have his numbers, but his work ethic has remained. It's a quality he preaches to the younger members on the team. "I just want them to understand that it takes hard work to get to where you want to be," he said. "Some people are born with it and just come out and are blessed, but as a guy coming in and not getting playing time, it takes from the bottom to get to the top so I think that's the biggest thing, I want people to come out and compete everyday."

Arizona State … Gibson was limited to three catches, gaining 41 yards with a long of 30, but was caught in the backfield for a 4-yard loss on a reverse … His 41 yards gave him 2,711 for his career, breaking the old school all-time record of 2,704 yards by Jason Hill (2003-06).

Washington … In a tough 16-13 overtime victory, Gibson caught five passes for 27 yards.

Hawaii … Gibson closed out his career with his 36th game catching at least one pass, good for 18 yards, as he also carried once for 17 yards.

Earned All-America third-team honors from Phil Steele … All-Pac-10 Conference first-team pick, starting 11 games at flanker … Received the team's weekly Cougar Claw Offense Award following play vs. both Stanford and Washington … Sat out the Oregon game with a heel bruise, but pulled down 67 passes, the third-best season total in school history, as he also set the WSU annual record with 1,180 yards (17.6 avg.) that included nine touchdowns, as he became just the eighth receiver in school history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season … Led the conference and ranked seventh nationally in receiving with 107.27 yards per game, becoming only the third Cougar in school history to average more than 100 yards per game in a season … Ranked second in the conference and tied for 31st in the nation with 6.09 receptions per game … His team-leading nine touchdowns are tied for third in the Cougars' single-season list … His six 100-yard receiving games rank second all-time in a single season … Added 32 yards on two kickoff returns and also recorded a solo tackle.

Wisconsin … Gibson opened the season with six receptions for 82 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

San Diego State … The flanker snatched seven passes for 116 yards, including a 6-yard score that ended a 67-yard, 5-play first-quarter drive.

Idaho … Gained 81 yards on seven receptions, scoring on a 21-yard first-quarter pass from QB Alex Brink.

Arizona … Hauled in a career-high 11 passes (tied for second on the school game-record list), good for 127 yards, as he capped an 8-play, 80-yard third-quarter possession with a 14-yard touchdown.

Arizona State … Scored on a 32-yard grab, finishing with five catches for 80 yards.

UCLA … Found the end zone for the third consecutive game on a 5-yard lob from Alex Brink, totaling 52 yards on six catches.

California … Began a string of four consecutive 100-yard receiving games, tallying 136 yards on four receptions, including a 60-yarder that set up a score.

Stanford … Gained 153 yards on seven grabs with a long of 35.

Oregon State … Gibson's 67-yarder led to a touchdown, as he generated five catches for 135 yards.

Washington … Closed out his junior campaign with six receptions for 137 yards, rallying the team to a 42-35 decision with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 35-yarder that capped a 7-play, 81-yard possession with 0:31 left to play.

Academic All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention … Gibson moved into the starting lineup at flanker for the final nine games, finishing second on the team with 49 receptions for 731 yards (14.9 avg.) and four touchdowns … Added 41 yards on a pair of kickoff returns, as he recorded a solo tackle and recovered a fumble.

Snatched eight passes for 130 yards vs. California … Added 92 yards and a pair of scores on eight grabs vs. UCLA … Totaled 120 yards on five receptions, including a 91-yard touchdown vs. Arizona, as his 91-yarder was the second-longest catch in school history … Made eight catches for 129 yards and a 33-yard score in the season finale vs. Washington.

Appeared in 10 games, starting at flanker vs. Stanford, UCLA, California, Southern California and Arizona State … Sat out the Oregon clash with a right hip strain … Caught nine passes for 172 yards (19.1 avg.) and a pair of touchdowns … Returned 10 kickoffs for 186 yards (18.6 avg.) and recorded a solo tackle.

Gibson's first career reception was a 44-yard touchdown vs. Nevada … Caught three passes for 78 yards and a 66-yard score vs. California … Gained 91 yards on five kickoff returns in the Oregon State clash.

2005: Did not play vs. Oregon (11/12) with a right hip strain.

2007: Was bothered early in the season by a knee sprain suffered in August camp … Sat out the Oregon game (10/13) with a heel bruise.

2009: Suffered a hamstring pull during practices in late January at the Senior Bowl. Did not play in the game and was unable to participate in agility tests at the NFL Combine or at Washington State's pro day.

Campus: 4.53 in the 40-yard dash … 1.53 10-yard dash … 2.56 20-yard dash … 4.22 20-yard shuttle … 7.15 three-cone drill … 33-inch vertical jump … 9'9" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 14 times … 31 3/4-inch arm length … 9 3/8-inch hands.

Combine: Did not participate in position drills or combine due to right hamstring injury.

Attended Rogers (Puyallup, Wash.) High School, playing football for head coach Gene Bowen … Lettered in football and basketball … As a senior, he earned All-SPSL honors after compiling 946 all-purpose yards … Rated the 17th-best player in the state of Washington by Scout.com and rated 38th nationally as an athlete by Rivals.com … Washington Preps All-League first team as a receiver and second-team pick as a defensive back, in addition to earning Tacoma News Tribune "Northwest Nuggets" honorable mention … During his junior campaign, Gibson earned All-South Puget Sound League honorable mention at wide receiver … Also received league accolades on special teams as a punt and kick returner … Second-team All-SPSL in basketball as a junior.

History major, with an emphasis on teaching studies, earning Pac-10 Conference academic honors … Uncle, Vaughn Williams, was a defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts in the 1980s … Son of Marlene Williams and Steve Gibson … Born Brandon Lewis Gibson on 8/13/87 in Germany … Resides in Puyallup, Washington.