Spencer Fano, Caleb Lomu, Dallen Bentley among former Utes who shined at Utah’s pro day

Likely first-round NFL draft pick Spencer Fano was all smiles after Utah’s pro day Thursday.

The former Ute offensive tackle was one of 15 players to participate at the pro showcase, which gave players a chance to run drills in front of scouts ahead of April’s draft. 31 of the 32 NFL teams had scouts in attendance at the event, held in Utah’s indoor practice facility.

For Fano, fellow offensive lineman Caleb Lomu, defensive end Logan Fano, tight end Dallen Bentley and linebacker Lander Barton, who all attended the NFL combine in February, Thursday’s event was the final chance to show their athleticism in front of a large group of scouts, though teams will host private workouts with players they are interested in during the lead up to the draft.

It was also the first chance for receiver Luca Caldarella, cornerback Blake Cotton, receiver Ryan Davis, running back Bryce Duke, center Jaren Kump, guard Michael Mokofisi, running back NaQuari Rogers, receiver Otto Tia, guard Tanoa Togiai and defensive tackle Aliki Vimahi to showcase their skills in front of scouts.

Fano had an excellent showing at the NFL combine, with his overall “combine score” of 91, per Next Gen Stats, ranking first among offensive tackles.

But one of the storylines that emerged post-Combine was about Fano’s arm length, which measured 32 1/8’’ — the minimum arm length for an NFL offensive tackle is usually 33 inches

However, Fano’s arm length was measured at 32 7/8″ at Utah’s pro day, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, which could help ease some concerns in front offices.

Fano has played tackle his whole career, but there’s a chance he may be asked to play guard in the NFL, depending on which team drafts him.

“I think I’ll play my best ball at tackle, but if you want me to go run routes, I’ll run routes. I’m fine playing anywhere on the field,” Fano said.

The pre-draft process has been enjoyable for Fano, who has been able to completely focus on football since declaring for the draft.

“It’s been awesome. I’ve just been able to just get bigger, faster, stronger, and work on football. It’s the dream. I get to just do football — no school, nothing after that, just football every day, so it’s been awesome,” Fano said.

As for what he will bring to an NFL team, aside from his play?

“I would say I’m an energy bringer. I’ll be out there. I’ll be yelling my head off every play if you want me to, and if you want me to shut up, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll do what I need to do to be great,” Fano said.

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Fano is going through the pre-draft process alongside Lomu, his teammate and friend who bookended the line for the Utes in 2025. Like Fano, Lomu tested well at the NFL combine, ranking second among offensive tackles with a “combine score” of 81.

The two first met on a recruiting visit — Utah’s 43-42 win over USC at Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2022 — and hit it off right away.

“That’s where we kind of met, and ever since then he’s been my best friend, so to be able to go through all of this with him has been awesome,” Fano said.

Three seasons later, and the duo is projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft, according to some experts.

NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has Fano going No. 9 to the Kansas City Chiefs and Lomu going No. 24 to the Cleveland Browns.

Lomu has been laser-focused on preparing for the combine and pro day, which included drills such as the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, bench press and more.

Now that the testing is over, Lomu is excited to get back to actual football.

“Now I don’t have to worry about the sprints and all the stuff O-linemen probably won’t ever do again in the combine,” he said. “Now I can focus on football, which I’m excited for. I’ve missed actually playing and so I’m happy to get that going again.”

Meanwhile, Bentley had a productive day and likely improved his draft stock with some scouts in attendance.

Bentley looked to have one of the fastest 40-yard dash times of the day — around 4.5 seconds, according to an unofficial stopwatch — and was impressive in the route-running and catching portion of the event.

Former Utah and Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes served as the quarterback at pro day, and his deep ball to Bentley, who proceeded to backflip after scoring the touchdown, was the highlight of the afternoon.

“I just tried to put out my best self and I think I did a pretty good job doing that today,” Bentley said.

Lander Barton, who attended the combine but did not participate in drills due to feeling less than 100%, got his opportunity to perform in front of scouts on Thursday.

The linebacker, who made a few appearances on offense last season, even got in on the pass-catching drills, though his future in the NFL is likely at linebacker.

“From what I hear, more linebacker. I didn’t know I was going to do tight end drills until a few days ago, so I mean, I’m open to doing whatever, though. However I can get on the field and contribute,” Barton said.

Across all of the players, one sentiment was shared — they feel like Utah has prepared them well for the next level.

“I know Utah prepares players to be in the NFL,” Lomu said. “We have so many great players in the NFL right now, and so I know all the teachings and the things I was taught here at Utah has prepared me for the NFL.”