BYU Football: Predicting the NFL Draft for all 5 former Cougars

PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 30: Neil Pau'u #2 of the BYU Cougars hop skips into the end zone scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during their game October 30, 2021 at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - OCTOBER 30: Neil Pau'u #2 of the BYU Cougars hop skips into the end zone scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers during their game October 30, 2021 at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
2 of 5
PROVO, UT – OCTOBER 30: Uriah Leiataua #58 of the BYU Cougars celebrates sacking Brennan Armstrong #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers during their game October 30, 2021 at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT – OCTOBER 30: Uriah Leiataua #58 of the BYU Cougars celebrates sacking Brennan Armstrong #5 of the Virginia Cavaliers during their game October 30, 2021 at the LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

 Uriah “Lopa” Leiataua

Projection: Mini-Camp Invite

Uriah Leiataua was injured most of his time for BYU. The former three star recruit really struggled to find a routine with the Cougars, although he will be remembered for his 1.5 sacks against Utah and forcing a pivotal fumble against Virginia.

Leiataua is the kind of players that may leave NFL scouts wonder “What if”. Could this be the kind of player who could come in for an injured player and give a few solid snaps on defense? His grades show he is brilliant and can probably pick up a defense really quickly as well (4.3 GPA in high school, Academic All-American).

I believe that after the draft ends, a few teams will invite Leiataua to try out for the team to see what he brings to the table. Ultimately, he may have the kind of career that sees his jump between the NFL and a smaller league like the USFL or XFL.

Schedule

Schedule