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SALT LAKE CITY — The latest addition to the NFL talent pool is two months away from being unveiled at the 2022 NFL draft in Las Vegas.
Who from the state of Utah will be joining the group?
On Wednesday, the league published the full list of 324 invited players to the NFL Combine, and it includes five players from or with ties to the state of Utah. The annual combine is scheduled to run March 1-7 in Indianapolis and includes skills tests like 40-yard dash, three-cone runs and position-specific drills, as well as on-site interviews with representatives from all 32 NFL teams.
Here's a look at the players from Utah invited to the big event, in alphabetical order.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
The fourth-year sophomore from Fontana, California, enjoyed arguably the top breakout career in Provo since the turn of the century when he went from walk-on running back to part-time linebacker to 1,000-yard rusher in consecutive seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Allgeier, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, finished his dynamic career with 2,899 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns, as well as 437 yards receiving and another score in the passing game. That includes 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2020, when he teamed with current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson to lead the Cougars to an 11-1 record and No. 11 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.
But the Kaiser High School all-time leading rusher did one better a year later, returning for the 2021 season and rumbling 1,601 yards on 276 carries with 23 touchdowns as BYU went 10-3 with a 6-1 record against Power Five opponents and the first back-to-back top-20 ranking since 2006-07.
Braxton Jones, OL, Southern Utah (Murray HS)
An unheralded recruit out of Murray High who appeared in just one game as a true freshman in 2017, the former Offensive MVP and two-time All-Region standout for the Spartans eventually anchored the Thunderbirds' offensive line for three seasons, including the truncated 2021 spring campaign.
The 6-foot-7, 310-pound lineman was a three-time All-Big Sky selection and earned All-American status from Hero Sports, the Associated Press and Phil Steele Magazine during the 2021 double campaign that included a 1-5 mark during the COVID-19 impacted, conference-only spring season and a 1-10 campaign in 2021.
Jones was also named to the roster of the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Thankful for everyone and the great support! Opportunity of a lifetime❤️ @JimNagy_SB@seniorbowl@SUUFB_pic.twitter.com/EFtvYPJIlm
— Braxton Jones (@braxtonjones742) February 6, 2022
Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
Another Senior Bowl invitee and two-time Butkus Award finalist, Lloyd was a consensus All-American in 2021 — the 10th player in Utah football history to receive the distinction — when he ranked third in the Pac-12 with 110 tackles with a league-high 22 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
The only Power Five linebacker with multiple pick sixes in 2021 (he finished with two on four total interceptions), Lloyd was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection with first-team honorees in 2020 and 2021, and named Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 en route to a handful of other national honors.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound native of Chula Vista, California, has started in 32 of the past 33 games at linebacker since his sophomore season, when he burst on the scene with 91 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, including a season-high 10 stops against Northern Illinois.
Nephi Sewell, LB, Utah (Desert Hills HS)
A former all-state running back, cornerback and return specialist at Desert Hills High, Sewell returned home to walk-on at Utah after playing two seasons with older brother Gabe Jr. at Nevada, and rose to become a full-time starter in each of the past two seasons.
The 6-foot, 228-pound younger brother of Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell was a first-team AP All-Pac-12 selection in 2021, when he ranked second on the team with 89 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. His 6.8 tackles per game ranked eighth in the Pac-12, wrapping up his career with eight tackles in the program's first-ever Rose Bowl appearance against No. 6 Ohio State.
In all, Sewell appeared in 21 games for the Utes, including 18 starts, and was an All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2020 and 2021.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Oklahoma State (Utah State/Snow College/East HS)
Born in North Carolina, Warren starred at East High under head coach Brandon Matich, leading the Leopards to an undefeated 14-0 season and second consecutive 4A state championship in 2016, when he was named Deseret News Mr. Football with 3,099 yards and a state record-tying 38 rushing touchdowns.
The 5-foot-8 tailback played two seasons at Snow College, piling up 1,435 yards and a JUCO-leading 159.4 yards per game en route to NJCAA National Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2018 and first-team All-American status.
Warren transferred to Utah State ahead of the 2019 seasons, when he appeared in all 12 games and finished the year with 569 yards and five touchdowns on 112 carries (5.1 yards per carry. He added 252 yards and three touchdowns in three games while redshirting in 2020, including a season-high 136 rushing yards against Fresno State that included an 86-yard touchdown run.
In his lone season in Stillwater, Warren led the Cowboys with 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, helping Oklahoma State to a 12-2 record, an 8-1 mark in Big 12 play and a spot in the Big 12 title game. He also ran for 86 yards on 19 carries in the Cowboys' 37-35 win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, punctuating a season picked to finish fourth in the conference with the programs third-best final ranking at No. 7 in the AP poll.
