BYU linebacker Jack Kelly (17) hypes up the crows during the first quarter of the game against Utah at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News Despite going 11-2 and finishing in a four-way tie for the Big 12 football regular season championship in 2024, the BYU Cougars did not have any players selected in last year’s NFL Draft.It was a bit of a blow to the program, which had produced at least one draft pick for four straight years before that, starting with Zach Wilson, Brady Christensen, Khyiris Tonga, Chris Wilcox and Dax Milne hearing their names called in the 2021 draft.“That’s my job, trying to help as many of our guys get drafted and (get) opportunities in free agency,” 11-year BYU coach Kalani Sitake said during pro day on March 20.Wilson (New Orleans Saints), Christensen (Carolina Panthers) and Tonga (Kansas City Chiefs) are still in the league.Running back Tyler Allgeier was BYU’s only drafted player in 2022, by the Atlanta Falcons. Allgeier recently signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2023, Blake Freeland (Indianapolis Colts), Jaren Hall (Minnesota Vikings) and the great Puka Nacua (Los Angeles Rams) went in the first seven rounds. Freeland is still with the Colts and Nacua is considered one of the best players in the NFL, despite some well-publicized off-the-field issues.In 2024, BYU’s only draftee was offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia, picked in the second round by the Chiefs and their head coach with strong BYU ties, Andy Reid.Although the 2025 NFL draft was disappointing for the Cougars, at least seven players got free agent opportunities. Tyler Batty, Darius Lassiter, Blake Mangelson, Jakob Robinson and Caleb Etienne signed free agent deals and Connor Pay and Brayden Keim received mini-camp invites.

Batty, a defensive end who really should have been drafted, made the Minnesota Vikings’ roster and saw some playing time last fall.Robinson is still with the San Francisco 49ers after signing a free agent deal last April. The Orem High product was reportedly in good position to make the 49ers roster before he fractured his forearm in the final exhibition game last August and spent the season on the injured reserve list.At last count, 17 former Cougars are on NFL rosters heading into next week’s draft in Pittsburgh. BYU’s best prospects for the 2026 NFL draft and free agencyThe Annual Player Selection Meeting for 2026 — the NFL Draft’s official name — is set to begin on Thursday with one round of selections.

Rounds 2 and 3 will be held Friday, while Rounds 4-7 will be held Saturday.BYU does not have a sure-fire NFL draft prospect this year, although all-Big 12 linebacker Jack Kelly comes close. The former Kearns High and Weber State standout quite likely will be the only player who finished his college career at BYU to hear his name called this weekend.Utah defensive end Logan Fano, who was enrolled at BYU in 2022 but never played due to a knee injury before transferring to Utah, is a likely mid-round pick. And Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who played two seasons at BYU and returned to Provo to participate in pro day last month, is viewed as a possible late-round pick.Like Kelly, BYU’s Chase Roberts was also invited to February’s NFL combine in Indianapolis, so the big receiver has to be considered as the Cougars’ second-best prospect to be picked and play in the league this fall.

BYU long snapper Garrison Grimes and kicker Will Ferrin received invitations to the 2026 NFL Specialist Showcase, part of the evaluation process for the NFL combine.Somewhere between 30-40 players who do not receive an invitation to the combine are drafted each year, according to NFL.com. Roughly 85% of drafted players over the past six years were combine invitees.Perhaps BYU’s biggest combine snub was tight end Carsen Ryan, who had 45 catches for 620 yards and three touchdowns and has prototypical NFL tight end size and blocking ability.BYU’s other possibilities to get NFL opportunities — free agent deals or mini-camp invites — include cornerback Mory Bamba, offensive linemen Weylin Lapuaho, Austin Leausa and Isaiah Jatta and safety Tanner Wall.Here’s a closer look at several former BYU players with the best chances of being drafted:Linebacker Jack KellyAs the Deseret News reported Friday, Kelly is the only former Cougar consistently showing up in major mock drafts.Chad Reuter of NFL.com has Kelly going in the third round, No. 95 overall, to the New England Patriots; Dane Brugler of The Athletic has Kelly going in the fourth round, No. 135 overall, to the Pittsburgh Steelers.Ayrton Ostly of USA Today and Josh Edwards of CBS Sports have Kelly going in the sixth round.After two highly productive seasons at BYU, Kelly did what he was supposed to do in Indianapolis, posting a 4.57 40-yard dash (eighth among linebackers) and a 4.19 in the 20-yard shuttle, which tied for first in that agility drill.“The versatility that Jack used here at BYU is going to be something t