The BYU football program produced three NFL draft picks in 2023: Blake Freeland (4th round, 106th overall), Jaren Hall (5th round, 164th overall), and Puka Nacua (5th round, 177th overall). That's a pretty strong performance by BYU standards—since 2000, the Cougars have only equaled that total twice (2000 and 2005) and surpassed it twice (2002 and 2021). Predicting who on a roster will be drafted a full season in advance is always tricky, but hey, it's the offseason—I can only update the transfer portal tracker just so many times, and I like having things to write about. And in any case, I happen to think BYU has some serious NFL-caliber talent on this roster and that the 2024 draft might be very exciting for Cougar fans if everything goes according to plan. So let's dive in and look at which BYU players I think are most likely to be drafted in 2024.
Kingsley Suamataia, OL - Arguably the best player on BYU's roster right now, Suamataia is the only Cougar I feel confident in calling a draft lock (provided he stays healthy). Several mock drafts have him listed in the first round, with the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus being that he'll likely be taken about 22nd. Josh Edwards of CBS even pegged him as high as 9th overall. If Kingsley lives up to expectations this year, he is almost certain to join the exclusive club of Cougars taken in the first round. But even if he gets dinged up or loses some of his luster because the team underperforms, he should still be drafted relatively high. Barring a truly catastrophic injury, I expect his floor to be the third round.
Tyler Batty, EDGE - Tyler Batty has had a very up-and-down career at BYU. A lot of his lows, though, have been beyond his control—at times, poor schematic and rotational decisions by Ilaisa Tuiaki and Ed Lamb limited the effectiveness of the defensive line and made Batty appear less impactful than he might have in a more aggressive scheme. But Batty is still really talented, and he has an outside shot at becoming a late round selection if he has a good year. Shane Hallam of Draft Countdown is perhaps the highest on Batty of any analyst thus far, slotting him in at 135th overall. Chicago Bears reporter Ryan Heckman isn't too far behind, predicting that Batty will be taken by the Bears somewhere in the 5th round, while USA Today's Jared Mueller predicts that the Browns will take him in the 7th. The NFL Mock Draft Database consensus ranks Batty 229th overall, which would make him a mid-7th round pick.
Ben Bywater, LB - My pick for BYU football's defensive player of the year in 2022, Bywater technically has two seasons of eligibility remaining. However, I find it unlikely that he will stay for both—if he can maintain his production from the last two seasons and the Cougar defense as a whole performs better, I think Bywater has a serious shot at being a late-round pick in 2024. In fact, I think it's almost certain he'll get an NFL shot of some kind, even if that's as a UDFA. I do wonder, though, if he might choose to use that second year of eligibility and try to get himself drafted if he doesn't like his odds of being picked in 2024.
Eddie Heckard, CB - Eddie Heckard is arguably the only player on this list—Kingsley Suamataia included—who can make a case for having been a legitimate NFL draft prospect last season. An FCS All-American at Weber State and one of the best defensive backs in his division, Heckard was seen as a viable late round prospect by many analysts last year and even declared for the draft at one point. He quickly reversed course, though, and returned to college, opting to follow Jay Hill to BYU for his final year of eligibility. Provided he avoids injury, I still think he has good odds of being drafted in the 6th or 7th round. His absolute floor is to be one of the first UDFA's signed. He may well prove to be the Cougars' best defensive player in 2023, and that should mean a decent shot at the next level.
Connor Pay, OL - Connor Pay has had a solid, if quiet, BYU career. Somewhat overshadowed by more prominent NFL-bound teammates, he's done his job with steady reliability even as he's changed positions at times to fill holes caused by injuries. Steelers analyst Curt Popejoy and Raiders analyst Khaled Abdallah both predict that Pay will be drafted by their respective teams in the 7th round. That's almost certainly his ceiling, and he's more likely to go undrafted barring some kind of breakout season.
Aidan Robbins, RB - I was a little hesitant to put Robbins on this list simply because he still has two seasons of eligibility left, but he's a running back, which means there's no time like the present for him to chase an NFL opportunity while he has the chance. And as one of the most talked-about offensive skill players in the portal this offseason, Robbins certainly has enough national clout to be in the draft conversation. He already has one 1,000-yard season under his belt; if he can add another one this year, particularly against Big XII competition, it's not unrealistic to imagine him being drafted.
Kedon Slovis, QB - Slovis is a bit of a draft enigma—it's pretty obvious that Pitt's moribund offensive scheme last year was not a fair platform for demonstrating his talents, but that also means that we really don't know for certain what kind of quarterback this post-injury Slovis actually is. I've placed him in this tier (as opposed to the one below it) for one simple reason: Aaron Roderick is perhaps the greatest quarterback whisperer in college football right now. In Roderick's QB-friendly scheme, Slovis's big arm and experience running an offense should put him significantly ahead of the curve compared to Roderick's last two primary QB's, Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall. And in case you forgot, both of those guys were drafted. While he certainly won't generate the kind of hype that Zach Wilson experienced, a ceiling of the 5th round (which is where Jaren Hall was taken) doesn't feel all that unreasonable if Slovis puts up a strong performance.
Masen Wake, FB/TE - Perhaps best known for hurdling anything that will stand still long enough, Masen Wake has become a fan favorite for the Cougars. But his sneaky athleticism aside, Wake has a lot of things going for him. Though his usage rate in the passing game isn't enormous, he has great hands and is a solid route runner both out of the backfield and from the tight end position. He's also a tremendously gifted blocker who forms a key component of the Cougars' pass protection scheme in certain formations. And it's in that area, above all others, where he has the chance to really stand out this year. Kedon Slovis is a talented passer, but he lacks Jaren Hall's mobility. This means that pass blocking, already a priority and a strength for the Cougars, has become even more important. Regardless of where Wake plays, if he can provide Slovis with consistent protection and occasionally catch a pass or two, there's a chance a team might take a flyer on him late in the draft. Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network has Wake going 227th overall, which puts him in the middle of the 7th round. However, the consensus from the NFL Mock Draft Database is still that he's most likely to go undrafted.
This list consists of upperclassmen who I expect to be starters and strong contributors in 2023 but who probably won't be prominent enough to get serious draft consideration. If all goes well, though, they might still attract attention at the next level as undrafted free agents. And of course, an especially strong performance out of any of these guys could vault them into draft consideration (I'm looking at Malik Moore and Max Tooley, for example).
Chaz Ah You, S
Jackson Cravens, DT
Caleb Etienne, OL
Atunaisa Mahe, DT
Paul Maile, OL
Malik Moore, S
Max Tooley, LB
AJ Vongphachahn, LB