(Quarterback Zach Wilson throws during BYU pro day in Provo on Friday, March 26, 2021. Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – It’s a big day for football fans as the 2021 NFL draft kicks off, today. Some Utahns are considered to be obvious choices for day one of the draft, but some writers believe other players with Utah ties are likely to get some attention, too.
Oregon’s Penei Sewell, who played at Desert Hills High School, is essentially a lock for day one of the draft according to several sportswriters. KSL Unrivaled’s Scott Mitchell said Sewell would have been placed near the very top of the draft a year ago, but he opted out of playing last season. Still, Sewell recently told The Rich Eisen Show he has been in contact with over two dozen teams.
Mitchell also said BYU Quarterback Zach Wilson is also getting a lot of attention from the league. He said Wilson had an amazing season and improved his game at exactly the right time.
“When a guy makes a drastic improvement, that tells people that he hasn’t reached his ceiling, yet,” Mitchell said.
Wilson reportedly created a lot of buzz during BYU’s pro day. Mitchell said scouts put a lot more stock into what they saw during pro days this year since the NFL wasn’t allowed to have their annual combine because of the pandemic.
“Teams didn’t get that up-close examination process as rigorously as they normally would. So, the pro days became a lot more important to teams,” Mitchell said.
While Wilson and Sewell may be drafted on day one, KSL Sports Writer Sean Walker said there are several players with Utah ties that could be taken on day two or three. Walker is writing a three-part series highlighting the players he believe will be drafted on each given day. One player he believes could be drafted is Wilson’s favorite target last season, Dax Milne. Walker said Milne was a very big reason why Wilson looked as good as he did.
“He’s six feet and just under 200 pounds, so he’s not a very big kid, be he has sure hands and averages 17 yards per catch,” according to Walker.
He also believes teams have their eyes on Stanford’s Simi Fehoko and USC’s Jay Tufele, despite the fact that Tufele opted not to play because of coronavirus concerns.
“His sister got really, really sick with COVID-19,” he said.
Walker also believes BYU linemen Brady Christensen, Tristen Hoge and Khyiris Tonga, along with cornerback Chris Wilcox are all “draftable” players.