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Utah's Defensive Development Shines in 247 Sports' Big 12 Top Draft Prospects List

Originally posted on FanNation All Utes
By Elijah Grayson Murray | Last updated 2/29/24

With the NFL combine drawing near, 247 Sports has compiled a list of every Big 12 school's top two draft prospects, and Blake Brockermeyer highlighted Utah's stellar defensive unit in 2023 for the program's top prospects heading to Indianapolis.

Edge rusher Jonah Elliss and safety/running back Sione Vaki were named the top prospects coming out of Utah, and for good reason.

Elliss is fresh out of a 12-sack season, wreaking havoc on offensive tackles and single-handedly collapsing pockets, and his draft stock has skyrocketed since his outstanding Senior Bowl outing. Starting as a middle to late-third-round pick, Elliss has found his name become a second-round staple, even being projected as high as 44 in the latest mock drafts. If he continues his momentum and shows out at the combine, Elliss could rise even more, proving to everyone that his breakout season wasn't a fluke.

In the article, Sione Vaki is labeled as an athlete, and if this season proved anything, it's that he is indeed an athlete. Playing safety his freshman year, Vaki was turned into a dual-threat star in 2023 after injury woes, and he made an immediate impact out of the backfield. Although Cole Bishop is projected as a middle to late-third-round pick in recent mock drafts, Vaki is an intriguing prospect because he excels on both sides of the ball and gives teams a rarefied luxury in today's game. While he may end up just focusing on either position, if a team drafts Vaki with the plans of using him as a two-way player, he has proven he can succeed after his impressive Senior Bowl showing.

With Elliss, Vaki, and Bishop all going pro, the Utes will continue their impressive run of high-caliber defensive talent in the NFL. Under Morgan Scalley, Utah has had an ever-increasing presence at the next level and can even lay claim to the best cornerback in the NFL in Jaylon Johnson, and it looks like the trend will continue well into the future.

This article first appeared on FanNation All Utes and was syndicated with permission.

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