Takeaways and observations of the 2026 NFL draft from a BYU perspective

UCF Knights tight end Dylan Wade (0) is tackled by BYU linebacker Jack Kelly (17), left, and BYU safety Tanner Wall (28), right, during the first half of the game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News This article was first published in the Cougar Insiders newsletter Tuesday.

Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each week. The NFL draft found linebacker Jack Kelly and tight end Carsen Ryan taken in late rounds of the draft last week, which fostered discussion on how the Cougar program is producing more wins in relation to players drafted than anyone else in the country. A study shows BYU football is an outlier when it comes to talent drafted compared with appearances in the AP Top 25 Poll the past six seasons.

BYU is doing more with fewer NFL draftable players. Next year, BYU should increase draftable numbers from this year’s two to at least three and possibly four. Those candidates will come from among safety Faletau Satuala , running back LJ Martin , linebacker Cade Uluave , center Bruce Mitchell , linebacker Isaiah Glasker , offensive tackle Andrew Gentry , defensive lineman Keanu Tanuvasa , corner Evan Johnson and tight end Walker Lyons .

Another traceable statistic in terms of BYU’s progress is the fact that seven teams since 2010 have made the jump into Power Four football, including BYU, Utah, TCU, Houston, UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati. BYU has won more conference games the quickest (three seasons) than any of those as they transition, according to Cougarstats. com .