Way-Too-Early 2024 Utes NFL Draft Prospects
May 2, 2023, 12:45 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Another NFL Draft has come and gone which means it’s time to jump ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft and the Utes who could possibly make a splash.
Once again, Utah didn’t have a lot of players drafted in 2023 with only three being picked up, and one signing an undrafted free agent deal. The headliner was tight end Dalton Kincaid going 25th overall in the first round to the Buffalo Bills and becoming the Utes’ 10th NFL Draft first round pick in program history.
As good as the 2022 Utah football team was that fed a little talent into the 2023 NFL Draft class, it’s possible the 2023 team that will feed into the 2024 NFL Draft class could be even deeper. However, a lot of that will depend on what eligible underclassmen do on the field since there won’t be a lot of obvious out-going seniors again for the Utes.
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Two For-Sure Utes To The 2024 NFL Draft
There are two obvious names that were actually on last year’s list that I believe will hear their name called in the 2024 NFL Draft, though at the moment I don’t believe either of them will be high picks.
Cam Rising, Quarterback
Rising has been very good to the Utes the past two seasons and there is reason to be optimistic about his future in football moving forward after this season. While he may not be the highest priority quarterback coming out in 2024, with another good season, an NFL team likely would take a chance on him due to his intangibles and great work ethic while maybe letting him develop behind an established starter in a system that would work for his strengths. (Think Tyler Huntley at Baltimore.)
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Good health, continued development, and perhaps a third Pac-12 Title (and a little more) will likely go a long way to determining exactly where Rising could hear his name called in 2024.
Brant Kuithe, Tight End
Much like Rising, I believe Kuithe is interesting to teams, but may not go terribly high in the 2024 NFL Draft. Where Kuithe seems to get dinged a little in his evaluations is that he’s too big to be a traditional wide receiver and too small to be a traditional tight end and the NFL loves their measurables to determine next-level success.
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Obviously, there are outliers and teams willing to take those risks for the right guy- just look at the Eagles with Britain Covey or the Falcons with Clark Phillips III. However, Kuithe will need to stay healthy and have a productive 2023 season to make that happen for himself. If he can do that, Kuithe could see his value rise.
An Emerging NFL Draft Favorite
Rising and Kuithe have received a lot of NFL Draft talk over the years and for good reason. However, there is a new name emerging that has been growing in popularity with some draft experts since the 2023 cycle closed up.
Safety Cole Bishop has shown flashes of greatness in his first two seasons starting for the Utes and a few experts believe he could be their highest draft pick in the 2024 class if he has one more good season and chooses to leave early. Bishop’s name currently has been floated between being a late first-round pick to early second-round pick depending on who you ask.
The 2022/23 college football season, but make it album covers 🔥💿 pic.twitter.com/5mc9GKfMr1
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) February 14, 2023
Will Bishop really be that guy for the Utes in the 2024 NFL Draft? It feels a little early to me to be going there, but if he can ball out early and often like he did against Ohio State in the 2022 Rose Bowl, sky is the limit.
The Wildcard Utes
Trying to predict who might be interesting to the NFL when it comes to eligible underclassmen/early declares has gotten considerably harder with the emergence of NIL. Guys who once would have for-sure left after their third year of eligibility may not be as quick to jump now that they can make good money with their name, image, and likeness in college.
This next list includes underclassmen/early declares who could potentially enter the NFL Draft depending on the season they have versus the NIL they could receive if they came back, along with some seniors who need to have productive, healthy years to elevate their draft status.
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- Miles Battle, cornerback, senior transfer, Ole Miss
- Micah Bernard, running back, junior
- Keaton Bills, offensive line, junior
- JT Broughton, cornerback, senior
- Levani Damuni, linebacker, senior
- Chris Curry, running back, senior
- Jonah Elliss, defensive end, junior
- Van Fillinger, defensive end, junior
- Ja’Quinden Jackson, running back, sophomore
- Sataoa Laumea, offensive line, junior
- Connor O’Toole, defensive end, junior
- Junior Tafuna, defensive tackle, junior
- Zemaiah Vaughn, cornerback, junior
- Devaughn Vele, wide receiver, senior
- Thomas Yassmin, tight end, senior
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
