Which BYU players could be selected in the 2027 NFL draft?

BYU running back LJ Martin (4) runs in a touchdown against Iowa State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Matthew Putney, Associated Press After the 2025 NFL draft was a big-time disappointment for the BYU Cougars, who were shut out in the seven-round selection process last year, the program bounced back nicely last week with linebacker Jack Kelly and tight end Carsen Ryan getting picked by the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns, respectively.

Additionally, eight other former BYU players from the program that has gone 23-4 the past two seasons received NFL opportunities . Most notably, receiver Chase Roberts, safety Tanner Wall and offensive lineman Isaiah Jatta signed free-agent deals with the Las Vegas Raiders, while cornerback Mory Bamba, kicker Will Ferrin and long snapper Garrison Grimes inked with the New York Jets. Defensive lineman John Taumoepeau (Kansas City Chiefs) and offensive lineman Austin Leausa (Raiders) will go to rookie minicamps and are even bigger long shots to make an NFL roster.

That BYU has had only two players drafted despite being one of the winningest programs in the country the past two years is a testament to what head coach Kalani Sitake and his staff have done since joining the Big 12. Remarkably, they did it this past year with a true freshman quarterback, Bear Bachmeier , after projected starting QB Jake Retzlaff left the program last July in the face of a seven-game suspension for violating the school’s honor code. Getting two players drafted among the 257 college football players who heard their names called is nothing to scoff at; no fewer than 10 Power Four programs did not have a single player drafted, including Colorado, Oklahoma State and West Virginia of the Big 12.

North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin were also shut out. In 2025, BYU was one of six Power Five (the Pac-12 was P5 in 2024) programs that didn’t have a player drafted, along with Duke, Wake Forest, Baylor, Houston and Mississippi State. The Cougars went 11-2 in 2024 and finished ranked No.