BYU Football LT Brady Christensen Declares For NFL Draft
Dec 30, 2020, 10:56 AM | Updated: 11:01 am
BYU offensive lineman Brady Christensen poses for a photo at the Indoor Training Facility at BYU in Provo on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU star left tackle Brady Christensen is officially headed to the NFL. Christensen announced on Wednesday that he has declared for the NFL Draft in a post he shared on his personal social media.
THANK YOU BYU!! pic.twitter.com/Igv89VkZz1
— Brady Christensen (@Brady_BYU) December 30, 2020
“After much thought and prayer, I am proud to announce that I have decided to declare for the 2021 NFL draft. I am ready to fulfill my dream of playing in the NFL,” wrote Christensen.
Christensen was named a first-team AP All-American earlier this week. The first BYU football player to receive that honor since Luke Staley in 2001.
“My decision is bittersweet because I must leave my teammates, coaches, and friends at BYU,” said Brady Christensen. “My time at BYU has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you Cougar Nation!
“I am so grateful for all the great coaches that have mentored me up to this point. I want to thank my amazing teammates and I am grateful for friendships that will last a lifetime! I want to thank my beautiful wife and family for their unwavering support. No matter where this journey takes me, I will always be a BYU Cougar.”
Brady Christensen was one of college football’s best at OL
The 6-foot-6, 300-pound Christensen started at left tackle in the last 38 games.
Christensen was enrolled at BYU for four seasons. He had the chance to return next year, but after displaying a dominant level of play in the trenches this season.
A dual-sport athlete at Bountiful High School, Christensen became a star at BYU once offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes arrived on campus in 2018. Christensen immediately became a starter at left tackle.
Brady Christensen's rise from undersized two-star recruit who played football and baseball to nation's best left tackle is one of the best stories the #BYU football program has seen in awhile. Excited to see watch his NFL career blossom. #BYUFootball @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 30, 2020
When Christensen took over the starting role in 2018, coaches and players said Christensen had a knack for being a quick learner who could apply coaching in film study onto the field of play.
He continued to get better over the course of his BYU career. Pro Football Focus graded Christensen as the No. 1 offensive lineman in college football for the 2020 season. Christensen’s 96 grade was a higher grade than Penei Sewell’s play at Oregon in 2019.
The last time BYU has produced an offensive lineman who was selected in the NFL Draft was Scott Young in 2005.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.
