Which BYU Players Will Be Selected in 2024 NFL Draft?

Three former BYU football players were taken in the 2023 NFL Draft — Blake Freeland, Jaren Hall, and Puka Nacua were all selected in Day 3 of the draft.

This year, a new crop of Cougars seek to have their names called when the NFL Draft begins April 25.

Round 1 will be Thursday, with Rounds 2-3 on Friday, April 26. The draft finishes up on Saturday, April 27, with Rounds 4-7.

There are a handful of players who donned the stretch Y helmet in 2023 that are looking to realize their NFL dreams this weekend.

Which ones have the best chance at being drafted?

Granted, several Cougars will likely get looks from around the NFL as undrafted free agents. We will focus on those who have the best chance to be drafted.

Kingsley Suamataia, OT

Before the 2023 football season began, BYU’s left tackle got some first-round buzz from draft experts. Unfortunately, the poor finish to the season as a team seemed to torpedo his draft hype. It certainly didn’t help that the offensive line severely underperformed as a unit.

However, Suamataia ranked ninth overall in pass block grading per Pro Football Focus among the roughly 600 qualified tackles around the FBS level of college football. His size and athleticism is tantalizing for any NFL team in need of a tackle on either the left or right side. Suamataia played both sides at BYU.

CBS’ seven-round mock draft has the former BYU tackle being taken 40th overall, in the second round, by the Washington Commanders.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter slates the former Cougar at No. 64 overall, still in the second round, to the Los Angeles Rams. In that scenario, he is helping protect Matthew Stafford so he has time to throw to former BYU and current NFL star Puka Nacua.

It seems like Suamataia should hear his name fairly early on Day 2 on Friday.

Isaac Rex, TE

Rex battled back from a brutal lower body injury in the latter half of his BYU career. Let’s not forget, he tied Kyle Pitts for most touchdown receptions by a tight end in 2020. He totaled over 1,300 yards and 24 touchdowns during his BYU career.

The injury history might scare off some NFL teams. He did not test as well as other tight ends during the pre-draft process. However, his size and athleticism should be enough for him to either get a late call on Saturday or as a priority undrafted free agent.

CBS’ mock draft has him nearly becoming Mr. Irrelevant (the last pick of the entire draft), at 253rd overall in the seventh round, to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Kedon Slovis, QB

If there is anyone that has “won” the pre-draft process this offseason among BYU NFL hopefuls, it’s Slovis. His season sputtered and stalled due to injury after a solid start to his 2023 campaign. He threw for 1,716 yards and 12 touchdowns with a 122.1 QB rating in eight games.

He set the NFL Combine media world ablaze with his blazing 40 time.

His official 40 time was 4.55, which ranks in the 94th percentile for QBs tested. That is faster than Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen and right around Jalen Hurts’ time.

That certainly came as a shock to all who watched Slovis at BYU. While a decent athlete, he never made anyone in Provo forget about Taysom Hill.

His positive testing alone garnered him more draft buzz than before. At 6-foot-2, 223 pounds, he has decent NFL size.

NFL.com’s seven-round mock draft has him being selected in the seventh round, at pick 255 to the Green Bay Packers. That is just a few picks higher than where the 49ers took Brock Purdy.

That about wraps it up for any players who played for BYU in 2023 in regards to having a chance to be drafted.

That doesn’t mean undrafted players can’t make an impact. Taysom Hill, Michael Davis, and Daniel Sorensen have all received second contracts in the NFL after going undrafted out of BYU.

Ryan Rehkow, Punter

Rehkow and his booming right leg got a combine invite. Punters are kind of a crapshoot to project, but a recent mock draft from The Athletic has Rehkow going in the 7th round to the Bengals.