After Zach Wilson, What BYU Football Player Will Have The Best Pro Career?

PROVO, Utah – The main focus for BYU and the upcoming NFL Draft is on quarterback Zach Wilson who is shooting up the draft boards and has cemented his place as the second quarterback in the Draft.

However, there are five other former Cougars who earned an invite to the combine in addition to Wilson in offensive tackle Brady Christensen, wide receiver Dax Milne, tight end Matt Bushman, nose tackle Khyiris Tonga, and cornerback Chris Wilcox.

Getting an invite to the NFL Combine does not 100 percent mean a player will get drafted but the odds are very high. Even though this year’s event is virtual, it still shines a light on these former Cougar players.

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Pro Football Focus has its top 300 list out and there are seven BYU players on the list.

• No. 2 Zach Wilson, QB
• No. 151 Brady Christnesen, OT
• No. 249 Tristen Hoge, OL
• No. 251 Khyris Tonga, DL
• No. 263 Dax Milne, WR
• No. 282 Chris Wilcox, CB
• No. 283 Matt Bushman, TE

The NFL Draft has 257 picks overall, so by PFF’s rankings, there would be a few players currently projected to not be selected but rather sign on as undrafted free agents.

Could It Be A Player Who Didn’t Play Last Year?

The draft picks coming from BYU haven’t been great with just seven players being taken since 2010 in the draft and one in the supplemental draft. Just because a player is not drafted does not mean they can’t have a productive NFL career.

KSL Sports’ BYU insider Mitch Harper predicted tight end Matt Bushman could be the best player. There is a chance that with Bushman sitting out 2020 with an injury he may not be selected.

“I think that Matt Bushman’s going to be a guy that he might not get drafted because he’s still recovering from the Achilles injury suffered last August,” Harper said. “I think that he’s going to be someone that’ll be a high priority, undrafted free agent if he doesn’t get selected. I think he’s going to be able to stick just because he’s what they call BYU called him honey hands. The guy was just automatic when the ball came to him.”

“He just had those soft hands and I think that he’s improved a lot as a blocker, too. So I would say Matt Bushman, I think he would be the guy that I would pick if we’re not going with Zach Wilson to have a decade-long career.”

Will "honey hands" Matt Bushman have a long #NFL career? #BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/abQc83Lfw5

— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) February 25, 2021

Bushman was considering entering the NFL Draft last year but elected to stay one more year despite being a player who was very likely to be taken in the later rounds. Returning did hurt his draft status with his Achilles injury it will come down to his interview skills.

“It’s all going to come down to the interviews and the medical. I think those are probably just as important as the position workouts,” Harper said. “I think that actually helps a guy like Matt Bushman, the fact that he gets an invite still to the combine coming off an injury, it speaks highly of how maybe NFL franchises view him, and I think he’ll hit it out of the park with interviews and just hope that his medical reports come back to these teams in a positive way.”

Bushman was considered a top prospect for BYU last year heading into the NFL Draft so there is a reasonable expectation that if he is fully recovered that he will still have an NFL career and could very well surprise people along the way.

The 2021 NFL draft takes place Thursday, April 29th, and runs through Saturday, May 1st, in Cleveland, Ohio. BYU football has its 2021 Pro Day scheduled for March 26th.

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