As we count down the days preparing for the NFL Draft from April 23-25, we’ll be profiling this year‘s crop of BYU players hoping to hear their names called on draft day. Today, we will focus on linebacker Jack Kelly.
Jack Kelly’s BYU career summary
A native of Kearns, Utah, Kelly began his career at Weber State where he appeared in 28 games over three seasons. In 2024 he transferred to BYU and made an immediate impact with 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and five sacks. He received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades that year.
Last year he racked up 55 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and an impressive 10 sacks. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection for his outstanding senior campaign. Kelly was selected to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl and was invited to the NFL Combine.
Jack Kelly’s NFL skill sets
It’s one thing to succeed in the Big 12, it’s another thing entirely to succeed in the NFL. In order to have a professional career players must have at least one or two high-level skills that will enable them to succeed at the next level. I see two NFL-caliber skills in Jack Kelly.
First, he can get to the quarterback off the edge. Kelly’s combination of speed, anticipation, and relentless pursuit of opposing quarterbacks jumps off the screen when you watch him play. He relies more on technique and quickness than raw power, but his ability to anticipate where the pocket is moving and where the quarterback will be is next level. While “anticipation” can’t be quantified, he has that football sixth sense to position himself where the play is going. He will be able to generate pressure off the edge in the NFL.
Second, Jack Kelly has the skill to play a traditional outside linebacker position in addition to his ability to come off the edge. Kelly’s ability to close on ball carriers is elite. Once he sees where the ball is going he flies to ball carriers with outstanding straight line speed. At the NFL level, he will be better suited against the run than dropping into pass coverage, but that can come with time.
BYU linebacker Jack Kelly was given spy responsibility on Diego Pavia on 4th-and-5. Watch Kelly’s elite closing speed once Pavia breaks the pocket and threatens to run.
— Diggin’ Brigham (@DigginBrigham) January 31, 2026
Kelly is going to be good in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/GV2quQXAFz
Jack Kelly’s Relative Athletic Score
A player's RAS — or Relative Athletic Score — compares their performance in combine drills against other players at their same position. A RAS of 8.0, for example, means the player scored in the 80th percentile relative to players at their same position. Here's how Jack Kelly fared:
Jack Kelly is a LB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.83 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 57 out of 3215 LB from 1987 to 2026.
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 27, 2026
Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run, bench tomorrow.https://t.co/Ney2Dpe223 pic.twitter.com/9MCJXkObwJ
Jack Kelly’s 9.83 RAS is incredibly impressive, putting him in the 98th percentile among linebackers. Of the 3,215 linebackers in the RAS database, he ranks 57th overall. Just let that sink in for a moment. Kelly's athleticism is almost off the charts. He has the physical tools to thrive in the NFL.
Draft projection and comparable player
Jack Kelly currently projects as a Day 3 selection. Pro Football Network has him being selected in the fifth round. CBS Sports has him going in the sixth round. Draft Sharks has him going in the seventh round, as does ESPN. Any team taking him that late in the draft is going to get a steal.
As far as a comparable player goes, Jack Kelly could be the next Kyle Van Noy. KVN has had an outstanding NFL career as a versatile outside linebacker. He has shown the skills to get to the quarterback, including a career high 12.5 sacks in his 2024 Pro Bowl season. Van Noy has been solid against the run as well and racked up 92 tackles in 2018. Like Jack Kelly, Van Noy can drop into coverage when needed, though it’s not his strong suit.
Comparing Jack Kelly to Kyle Van Noy sets a very high but hopefully realistic bar. After all, Van Noy has 561 tackles with 57 sacks over his outstanding 12 -year NFL career. Few players reach those heights in their careers, so no pressure, Jack. In order for Kelly to reach those levels he will need tremendous good luck in terms of team, scheme, and health, but he has the skills to succeed in the NFL.
BYU fans should be very optimistic for what the future holds for this outstanding former Cougar.
Some smart, fortunate NFL front office is going to land a late-round gem with Jack Kelly.