Right now, there are 83 players with Utah ties on active NFL rosters with NFL mandatory minicamps nearly wrapped up league-wide — there are five more taking place during the upcoming week, before all 32 teams won’t gather again in an official capacity until training camp
Of those 83, around 30 or more will be cut before the regular season begins.
Over the past five years, there have been an average of 51.2 players with Utah ties who make an initial 53-man active NFL roster ahead of the regular season.
Special Collector's Issue: "1984: The Year BYU was Second to None"
Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football's 1984 National Championship season.
Last year, that included 54 players who played at a Utah school at some point during their career who made an initial active roster.
Of those, how many could be in line to make a major impact for their team?
Earlier this month, Pro Football Focus gave at least one baseline to an answer for that question, as the news outlet made predictions on the starting lineup for all 32 NFL teams for the 2025 season.
There were 24 players with Utah ties that showed up on the list, and that didn’t account for special teams. Matt Gay, an Orem native who kicked for the University of Utah, is the only kicker on the Washington Commanders roster.
Count Gay as a starter, and that would be a projected 25 starters with Utah ties this season — or nearly half of the 51.2 average number of players with Utah ties who’ve made an initial regular-season roster in the past five years.
That list of projected starters from PFF includes seven who played at the University of Utah (eight if you count Gay), followed by BYU with six.
There’s also three who played at Utah State, two who played at Weber State, one at Southern Utah and 12 others who also played at Utah high schools.
There were five linebackers with Utah ties who made PFF’s projected starters list, while four wide receivers played at Utah schools.
Which Utah ties is PFF projecting will start for their respective teams this season?
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell jogs before an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. The Bills won 48-42.| David Dermer, Associated Press
Utah ties on Pro Football Focus’ projections of NFL starters for all 32 teams in 2025
NFL teams listed in alphabetical order
Atlanta Falcons
Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
Kaden Elliss, LB, Judge Memorial High
Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Van Noy, Edge, BYU
Buffalo Bills
Taron Johnson, CB, Weber State
Chicago Bears
Braxton Jones, LT, Southern Utah and Murray High
Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
Cincinnati Bengals
Zack Moss, RB, Utah
Denver Broncos
Garett Bolles, LT, Utah, Snow College and Westlake High
Devaughn Vele, WR, Utah
Detroit Lions
Tim Patrick, WR, Utah
Penei Sewell, RT, Desert Hills High
Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
Houston Texans
Dalton Schultz, TE, Bingham High
Jacksonville Jaguars
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
Kansas City Chiefs
Kingsley Suamataia, LG, BYU and Orem High
Las Vegas Raiders
Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Corner Canyon High
Los Angeles Chargers
Alohi Gilman, S, Orem High
Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua, WR, BYU and Orem High
New England Patriots
Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU and Granger High
New Orleans Saints
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Weber State
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren, RB, Utah State, Snow College and East High
San Francisco 49ers
Fred Warner, LB, BYU
Tennessee Titans
Cody Barton, LB, Utah and Brighton High
Washington Commanders
Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State
Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Minneapolis. The Vikings won 30-12.| Abbie Parr, Associated Press