UTAH UTES

Utah Receiver Devaughn Vele Declares For 2024 NFL Draft

Dec 3, 2023, 6:29 PM | Updated: Dec 4, 2023, 1:11 pm

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s been a long road, and while Utah receiver Devaughn Vele could have come back for one more year, he has instead announced his intention to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Vele was not highly sought after as a freshman. In fact, his journey with the Utes started as a walk-on in 2019 where he quickly turned heads.

However, despite the continual buzz around his abilities, Vele spent a good chunk of his career banged up and a bit of a mystery until fans got a glimpse of Vele’s abilities in 2021. From there Vele has had continued growth for the Utes.

Taking A Closer Look At Utah Receiver Devaughn Vele

In 2021 Vele ended the year with 23 receptions for 389 yards, and one touchdown while helping the Utes to their first Pac-12 Title and Rose Bowl appearance.

Vele’s role grew and was even more instrumental in Utah’s repeat Pac-12 Championship performance and Rose Bowl appearance accounting for 55 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns.

2023 was a bit of a letdown year, but not from a lack of effort on Vele’s part. In fact, Vele has been a very key piece of Utah’s offense down the stretch and one of the few weapons that hasn’t missed a significant amount of time this year due to injuries.

Vele’s 2023 stat line comes in at 43 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns.

While the stats are nice for Vele, he may have been even more impactful simply from a leadership standpoint and always knowing the right thing to say both to the media and his teammates.

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on XInstagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports

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