Utah had a successful April, with five former players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Saftey Cole Bishop (No. 60 overall pick, Buffalo Bills), defensive end Jonah Elliss (No. 76, Denver Broncos), safety/running back Sione Vaki (No. 132, Detroit Lions), offensive tackle Sataoa Laumea (No. 179). , Seattle Seahawks) and receiver Devaughn Vele (No. 235, Denver Broncos) achieved their NFL dreams.
It was the most players drafted from Utah since 2020, when Kyle Whittingham’s program had seven players drafted.
Looking ahead to the 2025 draft — almost a year from now — here are five Utes who have a chance to be selected.
Cam rising, QB
After missing the 2023 season following knee surgery, Rising is back in 2024, eager to prove he is back to full health and his former self.
Rising threw for 5,572 yards and 46 touchdowns throughout his Utes career, and in 2021, he threw for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 championships.
Anyone who has doubts about the Rising’s importance need only look back to last season, when Utah’s offense ranked 98th in Division I football in points per game (23.2), 92nd in total yards per game (348.4) and 117th in passing yards per game. (165.8) in the absence of the veteran quarterback.
Utah has, on paper, the most talented receiving room since Rising was in Utah – it includes Money Parks, Dorian Singer, Damian Alford, Mycah Pittman, Daidren Zipperer and Munir McClain. Helping in Rising is a tight room that features the return of top target Brant Kuithe and emerging talent Landen King, plus UCLA transfer Carsen Ryan.
If Rising leads Utah to a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff berth while throwing for more than 3,000 yards this season, he could get some buzz in the NFL draft. The factors working against him are his injury history and his age – he will be almost 26 before next April’s draft.
Dorian Singer, W.R.
Like every player on this list, Singer’s draft chances will depend on what year he has in 2024. In Arizona in 2022, the former walk-on burst onto the scene and became one of the best receivers in the Pac-12, with 66 receptions. for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns.
After transferring to USC last season, Singer didn’t have the same success he had in Tucson and was on the field for 405 fewer snaps in 2023 compared to 2022. The 6-foot, 180-pound receiver had 24 receptions for 289 yards with the Trojans last year, but coming off spring football in Salt Lake City, is the leading candidate to be WR1 for Rising this season.
He made some impressive catches during spring training, and his chemistry with Rising was evident during the Utah spring game. Singer caught Rising’s first pass of the afternoon, and the veteran quarterback kept looking his way. Singer finished with 92 yards on five receptions to lead all receivers, including a 40-yard deep ball and a 25-yard reception. Singer ran sharp routes and had good hands in his first action in front of Utah fans.
“We can do many things. We have a very good connection. A lot of that is because we know each other outside of football, we always hang out together, just building our relationship so we can have good chemistry on the field,” Singer said of his connection with Rising.
If Singer can return to 2022 production, he will have a chance to be the second Utah receiver to be selected in the NFL draft in as many years.
Brant Kuithe, T.E.
Kuithe has not taken the field since September 24, 2022, when he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus. Recovery from surgery — and another surgery for a Cyclops injury — has kept him off the field for the entire 2023 season, so by the time Utah’s opener against Southern Utah arrives on Aug. 29, it will have been almost two seasons since he played in a game.
In practice and the spring game, Kuithe looked good and moved well.
“It’s awesome. It’s great to have him and you remember everything he’s done since 2021,” tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham said of Kuithe this spring.
With great hands, big-play ability, smooth route running and speed after the catch, Kuithe has proven to be invaluable in Andy Ludwig’s offense. In his last fully healthy season, 2021, he had a team-high 611 yards receiving and six scores on 50 receptions.
A productive season would help prove to NFL scouts that the injuries are behind him and that he’s ready to take the next step, and if he can put up numbers like he did in 2021, he could hear his name called.
Like Rising, age could be a factor — Kuithe will be 25 before the 2025 NFL Draft — and Kuithe is undersized compared to the prototypical NFL tight end.
Zemaiah Vaughn, C.B.
Vaughn had some NFL scouts looking at him last season, but he opted to return to Utah for one more season.
Last year, he was Utah’s second-highest-rated defensive player among those who played more than 100 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He started every game and had 53 tackles (five for loss), 0.5 sacks, one interception and seven pass breakups, and his 58.3% reception percentage when targeted was one of the best on the team.
His length and speed — at 6-foot-4 and 187 pounds, Vaughn has above-average size for an NFL cornerback — combined with his knowledge of the game (he was a quarterback in high school), make him an intriguing NFL prospect.
“Being 6-2 and a half, 185, legitimately running a 4.37, 4.39 (40-yard dash time) and being really smart. Your level of erudition is truly impressive. Zemaiah (is) the kind of player who comes into the meeting, having been a former quarterback, he’s asking me such deep questions,” cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah said last fall.
“… Zemaiah does everything you want. Not only does he look like an NFL cornerback, but he’s starting to play like one.”
Lander Barton, L.B.
Barton is still young in his football life.
Although he played all 14 games in his true freshman season in 2022, he started just three, and in 2023 he started the first seven games before suffering a season-ending injury against USC in late October.
What Barton showed in those seven games was impressive – he contributed 34 tackles, two interceptions (including a pick-six), two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Barton took a huge leap from his freshman year to his sophomore year, flying all over the field and making some game-changing plays. Continued improvement from sophomore to junior — and playing a full season — could see him move up in the draft.
With a family NFL pedigree (brothers Jackson and Cody are in the league), great size for the position (6-foot-4, 236 pounds) and the ability to play linebacker at a high level, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Barton declare for the draft if he has a good season.
