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Utah had a successful NFL draft in 2026 with two first-round selections in offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu and a seventh-round pick in tight end Dallen Bentley.
Fano, who was selected No. 9 by the Cleveland Browns, and Lomu, picked No. 28 by the New England Patriots, made University of Utah history by becoming the first pair of teammates from the school selected in the first round. It was just the third time in NFL draft history that two offensive tackles from the same school were selected in the first round.
Following the draft, four other former Utes signed as undrafted free agents, and one received a minicamp invite.
Center Jaren Kump (Chicago Bears), guard Tanoa Togiai (Washington Commanders), linebacker Lander Barton (Los Angeles Chargers) and defensive end Logan Fano (Cleveland Browns) all signed free-agent deals, while running back Bryce Duke received a minicamp invite from the San Francisco 49ers.
Utah has had at least one player selected over the past five NFL drafts, including linebacker Devin Lloyd and tight end Dalton Kincaid, who were selected in the first round.
Which Utes could make the jump to the next level in next year’s draft? Here are four potential candidates.
Wayshawn Parker, running back
At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Wayshawn Parker already has ideal NFL running back size, now it’s about continuing to show the production to get drafted.
Last year, Parker wasn’t the sole feature back for the first half of the season, instead splitting carries with NaQuari Rogers and toting the ball no more than 11 times per game. In October, Parker separated himself in the eyes of Kyle Whittingham with a 145-yard performance against Colorado, which started a streak of four straight 100-yard games, with Parker just missing making it five with a 95-yard performance against Kansas.
Parker closed the 2025 season with an impressive 6.6 yards per carry. If he can have another successful season as Utah’s lead running back, he’ll likely draw NFL interest.
For its part, Utah plans on getting him the ball often this season.
“Wayshawn to me brings a bell cow, a kid that rushed for almost a thousand yards, is someone that you can really lean on, is someone that can take extended carries. And I think he’s even capable physically of getting more carries than what he got last year,” offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven said.
Johnathan Hall, linebacker
Utah has a proud history of exporting linebackers to the NFL, and Hall could be the next Ute linebacker to be drafted.
This year will be big for Hall as he takes on the LB1 role in Colton Swam’s defense. Hall was one of the Utes’ most productive defensive players last year, receiving a 70.1 Pro Football Focus grade after totaling 67 tackles, an interception, five pass breakups and a forced fumble. He received a spot on the All-Big 12 team for his play.
The 6-foot-1, 226-pound Hall originally played safety upon arriving at Utah, but switched to linebacker due to need ahead of the 2024 season. Since then, he has flourished at the position and has improved each season.
This year, he’s taken on a bigger leadership role.
“Since last year, I’ve definitely been focusing on being a great leader and taking that next step. I feel like this year for sure, just being more vocal, being more vocal and being a team player for sure,” Hall said. “Having everybody on the same page on the defense, I definitely feel like we got a team full of dogs and we can fly around and if we have that good connection, I feel like the sky’s the limit.”
Hall was a big priority for the Utes to retain in the offseason and is expected to have a big season. If he can improve in coverage and lead Utah’s defense, he could be one of the top Ute prospects in next year’s draft.
Devon Dampier, quarterback
Dampier may very well turn out to be a productive college quarterback that doesn’t get a shot at the next level.
That happens with a lot of good college quarterbacks, as only 10-15 quarterbacks are drafted each year. At 5-foot-11, he doesn’t have the height of a model pro quarterback, but there are always exceptions in the league — Kyler Murray, Bryce Young and Russell Wilson are all 5-foot-11 and under.
To be drafted, though, Dampier would have to put together a season that would have him in the Heisman conversation like Murray, Young and Wilson were.
Last year, Dampier threw for 2,490 yards and 24 touchdowns with five interceptions on 63.75% accuracy and also rushed for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns, all while playing through multiple injuries.
He was helped by a stellar Utah offensive line, and he had a great partnership with former offensive coordinator Jason Beck dating back to his time at New Mexico, but Dampier was impressive in his first season at Utah.
Now healthy, Dampier can draw at least some NFL attention by producing as good or better numbers as he did last season while making improvements in reading the defense and improving his deep ball.
“It’s a goal of his to go to the NFL and so, OK, how do we need to develop you to get you to the next level?” McGiven said. “We need to get you more in tune with protection. We need to get you more in tune with certain types of reads, with certain types of concepts so that you can become more of a complete player.”
Dampier’s goal is to make the NFL, and he needs a huge 2026 season to pull it off.
“He’s preparing me the right way for the NFL and that’s all I want. The next goal is to get to the NFL and with my senior year coming up, that’s a huge priority,” Dampier said of Morgan Scalley.
Lance Holtzclaw, defensive end
Like linebacker, defensive end is a position Utah has found success in during the NFL draft, from Jonah Elliss to Bradlee Anae.
Former Ute John Henry Daley, with a healthy and successful season at Michigan, could become the latest export to the NFL draft, but among current Utes, Lance Holtzclaw has a shot at the league.
With Daley (Michigan) and Logan Fano gone, Holtzclaw has an opportunity to start after playing in all 13 games last season and totaling 26 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss. He had a 73.8 PFF grade while playing 162 snaps, eighth-best on Utah’s defense last year.
At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, Holtzclaw has NFL size. With a breakout season, he could get on NFL team’s radars.
In case you missed it
There are 40 players with Utah ties making their first impressions in rookie mini-camps, but these 5 stand out, including Spencer Fano and Lander Barton.