According to Mendenhall, BYU has more alumni in the NFL than any school "in the West" except USC.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3717470
From byucougars.com in 2006:
BYU football is a great place to launch an NFL career. Over the past 20 years BYU has had 61 players taken in the NFL draft, including 31 players over the past 10 years. BYU also has had nine first-round draft picks. Last year 27 former BYU players dotted NFL rosters—That’s second most of any team in the West behind USC.
http://byucougars.com/football/why_byu.html
The "more former players in the NFL" used to be part of BYU's recruiting arsenal. When coaches recruit I think it's safe to say they "boast" about their respective schools achievements. BYU was no different.