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Every Utah Utes player to sign as undrafted free agent after the 2026 NFL Draft

Looking at the four Utes who signed contracts as undrafted free agents
Cole Forsman|
Former Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton.
Former Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Utah Utes

As the dust settled on a historic NFL draft for the Utah football program, a few Utes who didn't hear their names called during the three-day event in Pittsburgh managed to get their foot in the door as undrafted free agents.

Three Utah players were selected in the draft, including — for the first time ever — two in the first round. Spencer Fano went No. 9 overall to Cleveland, followed by Caleb Lomu going No. 28 overall to New England. Dallen Bentley (No. 256 overall to Denver) was picked just before the seventh and final round concluded.

Another group of Utes signed NFL contracts as undrafted free agents. Here's a look:

Jaren Kump (OL) — Chicago Bears

Utah Utes center Jaren Kump (68).
Utah Utes quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) goes under center Jaren Kump (68). | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Jaren Kump reportedly signed a deal with the Chicago Bears shortly after the draft concluded, making him one of the four starters from the Utes' dominant O-line in 2025 to find a landing spot in the NFL following his collegiate career.

The 6-foot-5 Riverton, Utah, native played in 59 career games, including 40 starts, across his six years with the Utes, with the majority of his snaps coming at the center spot. Prior to the 2024 campaign, he 12 combined starts at right tackle (seven), left tackle (three), right guard (one) and left guard (one), showcasing his versatility while lining up at various positions in the trenches.

In 2025, Kump was an All-Big 12 honorable mention and a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the nation's top center.

Logan Fano (DE) — Cleveland Browns

Utah Utes defensive end Logan Fano (0).
Utah Utes defensive end Logan Fano (0) sacks West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Jaylen Henderson (13). | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Logan Fano inked a deal with the Cleveland Browns following the draft, reuniting him with his brother for the first steps of their NFL careers.

Some mock drafts had Logan going in the later rounds of the draft, but despite testing as one of the top defensive ends in the class at the scouting combine, he had to wait for a team to call him and sign him as an undrafted free agent. Logan, who racked up 44 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2025, checked in with an athleticism score of 75 during the combine, ranking No. 10 among players at his position in that category.

His production score (61) and total scores (63) were outside the top-25, though, and may have led to him going undrafted. Logan played in 28 games across his three-year playing career with the Utes, tallying 93 total tackles, including 18 for loss, and 10.5 sacks. He also forced three fumbles and defended four passes.

Lander Barton (LB) — Los Angeles Chargers

Former Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton.
Former Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Lander Barton agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers after the draft, making him one of two members of the 2025 Utes defense to land in the NFL following the college season.

To be fair to the 6-foot-5 Cottonwood Heights, Utah, native, he was more than an off-ball linebacker for the Utes this past season. In addition to being captain of the defense, he supplemented the offense during nonconference play as a pseudo-tight end, in which he hauled in six catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Whether a position change was ever considered in the draft process, Barton's production at linebacker spoke for itself. Across four seasons, he racked up 207 tackles, including 17 for loss, and had eight sacks. He also snagged five interceptions and forced three fumbles in 46 career games.

Tanoa Togiai (OL) — Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders signed Tanoa Togiai as an undrafted free agent following the draft.

Togiai's athleticism wasn't talked about much in the lead-up to draft weekend. The 6-foot-6 Idaho native checked in with a relative athletic score of 9.55 out of 10 on the Relative Athletic Score website, which uses a metric that gauges a player's athletic abilities relative to their position. For context, only 10 offensive guards in the website's 2026 database had higher scorers than Togiai, who earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors after not allowing a single sack across 393 pass blocking opportunities in the 2025 season.

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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