List of every Utah first-round pick in NFL draft history

If all goes according to plan, at least one name will be added to the list of Utah football players selected in the first round of the NFL draft before long.

There's even a chance that exclusive list grows by two, since Utes offensive tackles Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu are both seen as first-round talents in the eyes of some draft analysts. If both hear their name called by commissioner Roger Goodell on Thursday, it would mark the first time two Utah players were drafted in the first round of the same draft.

With the 2026 draft right around the corner, let's take a look at the 10 previous Utah players who were picked in the first round of the draft.

Dalton Kincaid (2023)

Dalton Kincaid became the highest-drafted tight end in Utah history when the Buffalo Bills selected him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2023 draft. In the 6-foot-4 Las Vegas native's three seasons with the Utes, he hauled in 1,414 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, the latter of which ranked No. 10 all-time on the program leaderboard. Kincaid, who previously played at San Diego, was also an Associated Press third-team All-American in 2022.

The 2025 NFL season was Kincaid's third with the Bills. He took home his first Pro Bowl honor after finishing with 571 receiving yards and a career-best five touchdown receptions.

Devin Lloyd (2022)

A year before Kincaid became the first Utah tight end to be drafted in the first round, Devin Lloyd earned the prestigious distinction of being the highest-drafted linebacker in program history following a decorated four-year playing career that was highlighted by consensus All-America status, AP Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year awards as a senior, plus three all-conference awards. He finished his career with the fourth-most tackles for loss (43) in Utah history and one of six Utes with three-plus interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career.

Lloyd, the No. 27 overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 draft, signed a three-year, $45 million contract the Carolina Panthers after snagging the second-most interceptions (five) in the league during the 2025 season. His ball-hawking skills played a major role in him earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro second team honors.

Garett Bolles (2017)

Garett Bolles went from junior college prospect to bonafide first-round material in the one season he spent with the Utes, which was highlighted by first-team All-Pac-12 honors after he started all 13 games at left tackle. The Lehi, Utah, native spent the first two years of his collegiate career at nearby Snow College, where he earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors in 2015.

Bolles became the second Utah tackle to be taken in the first round when the Denver Broncos picked him up at No. 20 in the 2017 draft (Jordan Gross in 2003 was the first). He was regarded as one of the best tackles in the league in 2025, with a Pro Football Focus grade of 89.3 (No. 5 among tackles) and a pass block grade of 90.8 (No. 1). His effectiveness in the run and pass game for the 14-3 Broncos lended him Pro Bowl and All-Pro first team recognition at the end of the season.

Star Lotulelei (2013)

Star Lotulelei was the second defensive tackle taken in the 2013 draft when the Carolina Panthers selected the first-team All-American with the No. 14 overall pick, right after the New York Jets selected Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson at No. 13.

Lotulelei, who was also a Snow College product, went on to play eight seasons in the NFL, including five with the Panthers and another three with the Buffalo Bills. He finished No. 4 in defensive rookie of the year voting after tallying 42 combined tackles and three sacks in 16 starts, and ended his career with 194 total tackles, 16.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and one interception.

Alex Smith (2005)

Alex Smith became the first Utah player to be drafted No. 1 overall when the San Francisco 49ers picked the Heisman Trophy finalist with the top pick in the 2005 draft. The Bremerton, Washington, native was fresh off leading the Utes to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Pitt, capping off an impressive two-year run in which he went 21-1 as a starter while completing 66.3% of his passes with 47 touchdowns.

Over his 16-year professional career, Smith earned three Pro Bowl nods and finished top-35 all-time in career passing yards (35,650). He also threw a total of 199 touchdown passes in his time with the 49ers (2005-12), Kansas City Chiefs (2013-17) and Washington (2018-20). Smith earned the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after returning from a gruesome leg injury.

Jordan Gross (2003)

Before he parlayed a successful high school head coaching career into an opportunity to join Morgan Scalley's first-year staff at Utah, Jordan Gross had quite the career as an offensive tackle. He became the program's first Outland Trophy finalist and the first Utes offensive lineman to to earn consensus All-American honors over the course of his collegiate career (1999-2002), in addition to being a three-time all-conference player.

The Carolina Panthers picked Gross with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2003 draft, making him the highest-drafted tackle in Utah history. The Fruitland, Idaho, native went on to help the Panthers reach the Super Bowl as a rookie and totaled 167 appearances and starts over his pro career, which was highlighted by three Pro Bowl honors and an All-Pro selection.

Kevin Dyson (1998)

Kevin Dyson was a four-year starter for Ron McBride before being drafted No. 16 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 1998 draft.

The Logan, Utah, native's playing career has been better remembered for his role in two of the most memorable plays in NFL history: the "Music City Miracle" and "The Tackle." Dyson benefited from the former as the recipient of Frank Wycheck's lateral in the AFC wild card game against the Buffalo Bills, though he and the Titans were on the wrong side of the latter, when St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones tackled Dyson at the 1-yard line as time expired in the Super Bowl.

Across his six-year career, Dyson finished with 2,325 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns. He spent his final year in the NFL with Gross in Carolina.

Luther Elliss (1995)

Before he became Utah's defensive tackles coach, Luther Elliss was a consensus All-American and WAC Defensive Player of the Year recipient for McBride's Utes in the 90s.

Elliss was picked No. 20 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1995 draft, launching a 10-year pro career that saw him earn back-to-back Pro Bowl honors in 1999 and 2000. The Colorado native finished his playing days with the Denver Broncos in 2004 after tallying 331 total tackles and 29 sacks in 134 career games.

Norm Thompson (1971)

Norm Thompson was a highly-productive defensive back for the Utes after transferring in from Laney Junior College in Oakland, turning in five interceptions and three touchdown returns in the 1969 season. Those three touchdown returns tied an NCAA record that dated back to 1939.

Thompson became the first defensive player from Utah to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft when the St. Louis Cardinals (which moved to Arizona in 1988) picked him No. 17 overall in 1971. He was older player when he came into the league (26 years old), though Thompson still played nine seasons before retiring at 34. He finished with 33 career interceptions across 115 games played.

Lee Grosscup (1959)

The first Utah player to be drafted in the first round was Lee Grosscup, who was picked No. 10 overall in 1959 by the New York Giants after spending two seasons in Salt Lake City.

Following an ugly end to his stint at Washington under head coach John Cherberg, Grosscup attended Santa Monica College for a year and then transferred to Utah in 1957, pairing him with the brilliant mind of head coach Jack Curtice. As a junior, Grosscup completed 68.6% of his passes, which was a collegiate record and the Utah single-season benchmark until 2019 when Tyler Huntley completed 73.1% of his attempts through the air. Grosscup earned All-America honors that season.

Grosscup wound up playing two seasons with the Giants before bouncing around the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New York Titans (Jets), San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.

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