path to the draft: byu draft history
BYU Football has had notable NFL players for decades. Back in 1938, John Stringham was the first BYU Football player selected in the NFL draft. Since then, BYU Football has had 145 players drafted to play at the professional level.
2021 NFL DRAFT
Last year, BYU Football had five players selected in the NFL Draft— which ties for the most since 2002 and 1995. The most BYU players selected in a draft were in 1981 and 1986 with seven players drafted.
Zach Wilson was selected by the New York Jets as the second overall pick, making him the highest NFL draft pick in BYU Football history. Jim McMahon (1982 Chicago Bears) and Ezekial Ansah (2013 Detroit Lions) held the previous record as the highest BYU draft picks - both taken fifth overall.
Along with Wilson, four other players were drafted in 2021: Brady Christensen, Khyiris Tonga, Chris Wilcox, and Dax Milne. Seven other Cougars signed undrafted free agent deals: Zayne Anderson, Isaiah Kaufusi, Chandon Herring, Matt Bushman, Troy Warner, Tristen Hige, and Zac Dawe.
FORMER BYU PLAYERS CURRENTLY IN THE NFL
There are currently 18 former BYU players playing in the NFL. The majority of those players have BYU Pro Day and the NFL Combine to thank for increasing their stock and bringing attention to their skills.
Zach Wilson was already a high projected draft pick in 2021, but after his 60-yard throw at his BYU Pro Day, social media was buzzing. In fact, SportsCenter reposted a video of Wilson’s throw and NFL Network analyst Rhett Lewis referred to it as “the throw of the Pro Day season.” Wilson had an impressive Pro Day workout, completing 67 of 68 passes. In his first NFL season, Wilson was named starting quarterback for the New York Jets. He was also awarded the NFL’s Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week three times.
Taysom Hill ran an impressive 4.44-second 40-yard dash at his BYU Pro Day, which caught the eye of scouts. However, he went undrafted in 2017. Originally signing with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent, he was later waived and picked up by the New Orleans Saints. In his NFL career, Hill has displayed versatility and has been described as a “Swiss Army Knife” — after playing 10 different positions during the 2019 season. During the 2021 season, Hill played quarterback for the Saints and has become a well-known name in the NFL .
In 2018, Fred Warner was the only BYU player invited to the NFL Combine. Warner showed his versatility and athleticism to NFL scouts and teams and was a consistent top performing linebacker at the Combine. His most impressive drill was his vertical jump of 38.5 inches. This ranked Warner among linebackers and tied for among all players at the Combine that year. Warner was selected in round three of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. As of 2021, the 49ers made Warner the NFL's richest linebacker with a five-year extension, potentially worth $95 million ($40.5 million guaranteed).
2022 COMBINE AND PRO DAY
For wide receivers Samson Nacua and Neil Pau’u, defensive lineman Uriah Leiataua, and offensive lineman James Empey, BYU’s Pro Day was the biggest interview of their life. For running back Tyler Allgeier, his big moment was the NFL Combine.
Scouts and team personnel from 29 out of 32 NFL teams came to Provo to continue their evaluations of the players as they participated in combine drills and position workouts.
With the 2022 NFL Draft in just two weeks, continue reading to follow Allgeier, Nacua, Empey, Pau’u, and Leiataua’s Path to the Draft.