NFL mock draft roundup: Will Utah or BYU have more NFL draft selections this year?

All three days of this year’s NFL draft are expected to be busy for Utah ties, if mock drafts are to be believed.

There are close to a dozen prospects with Utah ties who could hear their name called when the draft takes place later this month in Kansas City (April 27-29).

A look at recent mock drafts helps give a better perspective of when players from Utah, BYU and a few Utah high schools may come off the board.

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For this roundup, the Deseret News found mock drafts of varying lengths.

There are 10 first round only mock drafts released in the past week from various national writers: The Athletic’s Diante Lee, CBS Sports’ Will Brinson, NFL.com’s Charles Davis, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, For The Win’s Christian D’Andrea, Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson, NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis, Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso and NBC Sports’ Eric Froton.

Eight other mock drafts of varying lengths were also used: there are two two-round mock drafts (ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Draft Network’s Jack McKessy), two three-round mock drafts (Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling and The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Eddie Brown), a four-round mock draft (NFL.com’s Chad Reuter), a five-round mock draft (Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell) and two seven-round mock drafts (Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer and Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings).

Here’s a look at the results:

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

Of note: There’s an emerging group of teams that many experts see being in the market for Kincaid, chief among them the Cowboys, Packers and Lions.

Of the 10 first round only mock drafts used for this article, two of them didn’t include Kincaid, but he is largely seen as a mid first-round to early second-round selection.

Blake Freeland, OT, BYU and Herriman High

Of note: The five-round mock draft from Walter Football didn’t include Freeland. Otherwise, the others see the 6-foot-8, 305-pound lineman as a solid candidate to go on Day 2 of the draft.

Clark Phillips, CB, Utah

Of note: Phillips is seen as a strong Day 2 draft candidate, and in one instance — with Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer — he is the first Ute to come off the board.

Siaki Ika, DT, East High

Of note: The former Baylor and LSU defensive tackle is a popular pick to be a Day 2 draftee.

Noah Sewell, LB, Orem High

Of note: The former Oregon standout, similarly, is seen as a likely Day 2 selection, with NFL.com’s Chad Reuter predicting he will be paired in Detroit with brother and offensive tackle Penei Sewell, a first-round selection in 2021.

Braeden Daniels, OL, Utah

Of note: Where Daniels will be selected is tough to pin down — some projections have him going off the board on Day 2, while others believe he is a mid-to-late-round selection.

Jaren Hall, QB, BYU and Maple Mountain High

Of note: Hall is largely seen as a Day 3 prospect — from these projections, both the Seahawks and Commanders are places where he could back up the team’s starter for awhile with the chance to take over down the line.

Cameron Latu, TE, Olympus High

Of note: The former Alabama tight end, who was recruited as a linebacker out of Olympus, is now projected to be a Day 3 pick at an offensive skill position after growing into the position with the Crimson Tide.

Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High

Of note: A fourth-round selection seems high for Nacua, though the former Cougar is an intriguing prospect who could come off the board sometime on the draft’s final day.

Mohamoud Diabate, LB, Utah

Of note: The transfer from Florida could give Utah another late-round selection after impressing at Utah’s pro day.

Kaleb Hayes, CB, BYU

Of note: Hayes ran a 4.31-second 40 at BYU’s pro day, and that performance could be enough for a team to take a late-round flier on him.

One final note

One mock draft, from Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer, had former Utah running back Tavion Thomas being selected in the fourth round (No. 103 overall). Earlier this week, Thomas, the Utes’ leading rusher the past two seasons, was arrested for investigation of two incidents of domestic violence. He is scheduled for a hearing April 21.