BYU Football: Khyiris Tonga Invited to the NFL Combine

On Friday afternoon, BYU's Khyiris Tonga was invited to participate in the 2021 NFL Combine. Tonga, who could have entered the 2020 NFL Draft, opted to return for his senior season where he was a critical part of the Cougars' success in 2020. Tonga had 36 tackles, 3.5 sacks (including two against Troy, see highlights above), and 3.5 tackles for loss last season. Over the course of his career as a four-year starter, he had 130 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. There's been a handful of defensive ends drafted out of BYU over the past few decades, but Tonga is hoping to become the first true defensive tackle drafted out of BYU since Daren Yancey was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Grateful to be invited to the NFL Combine! #DreamsIntoReality ✨
— Khyiris Tonga (@khyiristonga) January 29, 2021

Khyiris Tonga was a two-star recruit out of Granger High School that was recruited by Kalani Sitake while he was at the University of Utah. Tonga followed Sitake and defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki to Provo.

Due to COVID-19, the NFL Combine will look different in 2021. The pre-draft workouts will be held at the individual college campuses:

A copy of the memo sent to NFL teams today that means the traditional Indianapolis scouting combine is off this year and there will be no in-person workouts. pic.twitter.com/yrvsqlljN5
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 18, 2021

Here is a selected quote from the letter:

"Any workouts will take place on individual pro days on college campuses. We will work with the schools to encourage consistency in testing and drills across pro days and ensure that all clubs have access to video from those workouts, irrespective of whether the club is represented at a particular workout."

Tonga joins Chris Wilcox as the second BYU Cougar to announce their invitation to the 2021 NFL Combine. Wilcox and Tonga make up a 2021 NFL Draft class that could be one of the best in BYU history.

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