Here's a short article looking back at last weekend's NFL Draft and breaking down Mountain West-related things into winners and losers. This is obviously not a complete list, but some trends and observations from the draft.
winner
Mohamed Kamara
The Colorado State edge rusher was the first Mountain West player off the board. He was selected on the third day, which was the lower end of his expectations, but it's still a big deal to get drafted. It's not bad for him to play in a position he admires. Kamara should be in a good position to make the team and develop over the next few seasons.
trey taylor
Taylor was the second (and final) Mountain West player drafted this year. It was a big win for the current Thorpe Award winner, as being drafted this season wasn't necessarily guaranteed. Taylor hasn't necessarily had a lot of draft buzz in recent weeks, so hearing his name called means it exceeded his expectations. Thanks to the rules for academy players, Taylor will be able to play in the NFL right away.
UDFA
Mountain West players were drafted this year, meaning there were a much higher number of undrafted free agents. This weekend, at least 18 of his MW players (as of this writing) signed with his NFL team as free agents, confirming that their NFL hopes and dreams will live on for the foreseeable future. . Notably, Fresno State leads the way this year with the most of his UDFAs in the Mountain West.
seattle seahawks
Five of those players signed with Seattle, making it the team that signed the most players from the Mountain West. They have a chance to build a roster with the best players coming out of the conference and perhaps some hidden talent that could pay dividends down the road.
Evan Williams, Darius Muasau, Jonah Raul, Patrick McMorris, and Solomon Byrd were all drafted this weekend. Also, they all began their college football careers playing at schools in the Mountain West before transferring. Even just 50 years ago, most of these players likely would have been drafted directly out of Mountain West schools, and the conference would have had a much more respectable pool of draftees in this class. It had become. Rather, they are a product of today's transfer portal era and create “what ifs.” Questions throughout the conference.
loser
The Mountain West
The NFL Draft by conference continues to be sluggish, with only two players selected in this year's draft. This was more than last year's draft total, but not in a good way. This draft class had a down year in terms of talent, but on paper it looked like at least four players would be drafted, with a good chance of two or three more. Instead, a minimum number of players would be hired and the rest would be signed as undrafted free agents. Part of this can be explained by the transfer portal, where some of the best Mountain West talent is lured to other schools before being drafted. However, this does not help the recognition of the meeting.
boise state
The Broncos have selected players in the NFL Draft every season since 2009 until this season. George Holani was considered a long shot to be drafted, but he was Boise State's top prospect on a winning streak. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't the intention, and they will join most other Mountain West schools without draftees in 2024. It is very likely that we will start a new record next year.
Colorado and Wyoming
Both of these schools were the most anticipated representatives of the Mountain West in terms of drafting multiple players into the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, neither of these schools was able to fulfill that wish. Colorado State had two draft picks and three outside chances, but ended up with just one. As for Wyoming, there were two players that looked good to be taken, including a player who seemed like a late-round lock, but neither player ended up being drafted. It may not be entirely fair to single out these two schools, but it's worth noting that no team had more than one player selected, and his two schools were the best choices.
Your turn: What did we do right and what did we do wrong? Which winners and losers would you add to this list? Comment below.
