The NFL draft has come and gone, and, to the surprise and consternation of BYU fans everywhere, no Cougars were taken—this was the first draft since 2015 not to include a single BYU player. Tyler Batty was widely expected to be a late-round pick, with Caleb Etienne and Jakob Robinson as fringe possibilities, but none of that came to pass in the end. Still, there was plenty for Cougar Nation to cheer about; in the aftermath of the draft, several BYU players signed undrafted free agent contracts, and I'll summarize them here. Then, I'll list every BYU alum currently on an NFL roster and give updates on any players whose status has changed since the last time I published one of these updates.
Tyler Batty, DE, Minnesota Vikings: Batty was the only BYU player considered a likely draft pick this year, and that didn't happen. But he's found his way into a solid situation with the Vikings, who feature one of the best run defenses in the league. Batty was a tremendous leader on and off the field, one of the best players and people on BYU's 2024 roster. He will be missed in Provo but has a very real chance to make a viable pro career for himself.
Caleb Etienne, OL, Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb was viewed as a bit of a dark-horse draft prospect but a surefire bet as a free agent. While he doesn't have the sharp technique or insane mobility that characterized BYU's previous drafted left tackles—Brady Christensen, Blake Freeland, and Kingsley Suamataia—he has one thing that none of them do: utterly ridiculous physical and athletic measurables. Etienne is the most imposing physical specimen in every way (with the possible exception of Freeland's insane vertical) to come out of BYU since Ziggy Ansah. You can't teach pure, freakish size and speed, and particularly in the Bengals' rather shallow O-line room, I expect him to have some staying power.
Darius Lassiter, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Thanks to an NCAA ruling about the eligibility of athletes who began their careers at the JUCO level, Darius could have applied to stay at BYU for one more season, and he seems to have at least considered it. Ultimately, though, he decided to move on and pursue a pro career. He was initially offered a minicamp invite by the Philadelphia Eagles, but shortly thereafter, the Jaguars picked him up as a free agent. He's a polished route-runner with good size and certainly has a chance to carve out a role for himself.
Blake Mangelson, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers: Blake is a fantastic example of the power of working harder than everyone else. Barely recruited out of Juab High School, he signed with BYU as a preferred walk-on but earned rotational snaps relatively quickly by virtue of his sheer hustle. He earned the nickname "The Mangler" with his nasty, forceful playing style, and though injuries limited his impact at times, he had a fantastic 2024 season for the Cougars. Like Darius Lassiter, Mangelson was originally invited to a minicamp tryout—in his case, with the Minnesota Vikings, where he might have joined teammate Tyler Batty. But then, the Steelers swooped in and signed him to a free agent contract. Of all the players in this section, Mangelson is honestly the one I'm least sure about—he's a great player, no question, but he doesn't have prototypical size or athleticism for an NFL defensive tackle. He will have to bulk up significantly or perhaps even consider a change in position. But his work ethic is unquestionable, and it's gotten him from a tiny high school to a walk-on spot at BYU to Big 12 stardom and an NFL opportunity. Not bad at all.
Jakob Robinson, CB, San Francisco 49ers: If I had to pick who out of BYU's 2025 free agent class will have the best NFL career, I think I would go with Jakob Robinson. He has the most pro-ready skillset of any of these guys in my opinion, and has a case for being the best cornerback in BYU football history, which is an extraordinary achievement. His performance against Arizona might have been good enough to get him drafted all on its own—he held the draft's WR1, Tetairoa McMillan, to zero catches when they were matched up—but he has one glaring weakness that ultimately seems to have scared off some GMs: his size. Standing at just 5'10" and without a lot of bulk, Robinson is speedy and surehanded but not particularly physically impressive. He's going to have to outplay his stature in order to stick in the NFL, but his game is so polished that I expect him to be able to contribute.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Zayne Anderson, S, Green Bay Packers: On March 5, the Packers signed Anderson to a new one-year, $1.17 million contract, a few weeks after extending an exclusive rights tender which functionally made him a restricted free agent. All indications are that the Packers liked what they saw from him last season and intend to increase his role in 2025.
Chris Brooks, RB, Green Bay Packers
Brady Christensen, OL, Carolina Panthers: I had predicted before the draft that Christensen might seek another opportunity in free agency given the dysfunctional state of the Carolina offense, but he ultimately decided to stay with the Panthers, signing a one-year, $2.78 million deal on March 11.
Blake Freeland, OL, Indianapolis Colts
Kaleb Hayes, CB, Green Bay Packers
Taysom Hill, Everything, New Orleans Saints: Despite his horrific December ACL tear, Taysom doesn't seem ready to call it quits just yet. All indications are that he is actively rehabbing towards a return to action for New Orleans, though how long that will take is anyone's guess. Taysom is already 34, and his role with the Saints is incredibly physically demanding, so while I hope he is able to continue playing, I would not be shocked if he has seen his last NFL snap.
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Puka has made a couple of important announcements recently: he is changing his jersey number from 17 to 12 (which he wore at BYU), and he is going to be a new dad!
Ryan Rehkow, P, Cincinnati Bengals
Kedon Slovis, QB, Houston Texans
Kingsley Suamataia, OL, Kansas City Chiefs: Despite his rather up-and-down rookie season, it's clear that the Chiefs broadly like what they're seeing from Kingsley so far, as he is now listed as their starting left guard after spending most of 2024 in a backup role. I've said from the beginning, and I still maintain, that I think Kansas City is the perfect place for Kingsley and gives him the greatest possible chance of sustaining NFL success.
Khyiris Tonga, DT, New England Patriots: On March 14, Tonga signed a one-year, $2.7 million deal with New England in free agency. He is currently projected to be the Patriots' starting nose tackle after contributing prominently for the Cardinals in 2024. His career seems to be trending in the right direction, and he joins a formidable Patriots defense that should give him an opportunity to shine.
Max Tooley, LB, Houston Texans
Kyle Van Noy, LB, Baltimore Ravens
Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers: On May 19, Fred Warner made history by signing a three-year, $63 million contract with the 49ers that makes him the highest-paid NFL linebacker of all time. He earned that contract in 2024: even after fracturing an ankle in week 4, he played in every game for San Francisco—and played every down in seven straight—all despite his team never being a serious playoff contender. And while playing most of the season on a fractured ankle, he still put up 131 tackles (his fourth straight season over 130) and earned Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro honors. Warner is pretty much indisputably the best linebacker in the NFL right now, the centerpiece of San Francisco's defense, and one of the two key players—along with Brock Purdy—on whom the Niners have hung their future championship hopes.
Zach Wilson, QB, Miami Dolphins: On March 10, Wilson agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with Miami, where he will likely be QB2 behind Tua Tagovailoa. I really like this as a landing spot for Zach; he will have an opportunity to get meaningful practice reps (he appears to have mostly been QB3 in Denver), and given Tagovailoa's injury history, it wouldn't be surprising to see him step into the starting role at some point in 2025. Either way, this could be a good opportunity for him to show his potential and audition for a starting job somewhere.
In addition to Jamaal Williams and Sione Takitaki, who I mentioned in my March 6 update, Michael Davis, Dax Milne, and Jaren Hall have been waived by the Commanders, Panthers, and Seahawks, respectively, since that post was published. Putting it bluntly, Michael Davis's NFL career is probably over. He had a bad final season with the Chargers in 2023 and an even worse 2024 campaign in Washington, and it seems likely that he will retire at this point. Still, despite how his career is ending, he deserves credit for putting together an incredibly respectable eight-year run in the NFL—including multiple seasons as a productive starter—after being cut by BYU at one point and entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent. As for Jaren Hall, Dax Milne, Jamaal Williams, and Sione Takitaki, it is certainly possible that all of them could sign with new teams—in Hall's case, I would say it is likely. If they do, I will add them to the list above.