When Devin Lloyd was taken in the first round of the recent NFL draft, he became the 64th player drafted from the University of Utah since 1999 — almost double BYU’s total in that time — and the fifth Ute chosen in the first round.
At least 14 of them played in the Super Bowl, several of them more than once.
Mike Anderson, who famously played in the school marching band and did not play high school sports, was Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Steve Smith became one of the greatest receivers in NFL history during a 16-year career.
Los Angeles Rams defensive back Eric Weddle in coverage against the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl 56 Sunday, Feb.
Safety Eric Weddle probably produced the best professional career of any Utah player ever and is certain to be inducted into the Hall of Fame .
That doesn’t even count two sacks he made for the Ravens at critical times during Super Bowl 47, a 34-31 win over the 49ers.
Sean Smith, a cornerback, played nine seasons and had 14 interceptions and 427 tackles.
Malcolm Butler, who made a game-saving goal-line interception in the Patriots’ previous Super Bowl appearance and had been the starter throughout the season, was mysteriously benched for the game.
The jury is still out on the players taken in the more recent drafts, but of the 14 Utah players drafted from 2018 to 2022, 12 are still in the league .
