With the 2026 NFL draft in the rearview mirror, the focus is on the future for rookies around the league.
That includes 39 Utah ties — six of them were drafted, while the other 33 either signed a free-agent contract following the draft or earned a rookie mini-camp invitation.
While every single one of these Utah ties has his own unique story to tell — and one that bears following — here’s a look at five storylines of particular intrigue to watch this offseason.
There were a handful of heartwarming stories involving brothers during the 2026 draft, and that included two Utes in offensive tackle Spencer Fano and edge rusher Logan Fano.
Spencer was a first-round pick, going No. 9 overall to the Cleveland Browns as the first offensive lineman taken in the draft. He is expected to be the Browns’ franchise left tackle and start from Day 1, like he did at Utah.
Older brother Logan, meanwhile, waited for his name to be called at the NFL draft, even as he remained the top edge rusher on ESPN’s “best available” draft board for a good part of Saturday’s final day of the draft.
That moment never came, but there was a silver lining: the Fano brothers will play together again, as Cleveland signed Logan Fano to an undrafted free-agent contract following the draft.
The Fano brothers played together at Timpview High, then starred at the University of Utah.
What does the next chapter hold for them? Fortunately, they’ll make that journey together after playing alongside each other the past three seasons at Utah.
There are 18 Utah ties who’ve signed undrafted free-agent deals following the conclusion of the draft, and there are some oddities about this group.
Six former BYU players signed undrafted free-agent contracts, but it’s with only two teams. The group is split evenly, with three signing with the New York Jets and three others signing with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Utes, meanwhile, saw their two offensive tackles from last season, Fano and Caleb Lomu, drafted in the first round, with Lomu going to the New England Patriots. That’s the first time in program history that Utah has had two first-round draft picks the same year.
An indication of just how good that Utah offensive line was is that two other starters, Jaren Kump and Tanoa Togiai, also signed free-agent contracts. Kump signed with the Chicago Bears, and Togiai with the Washington Commanders.
Perhaps the free-agent signing among Utah ties with the best chance to start next year, though, is former BYU kicker Will Ferrin, who also prepped at Davis High. He signed with the Jets.
Nick Folk, the 41-year-old veteran, was New York’s kicker last season, returning to a franchise he had success with in the 2010s. Folk signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.
Ferrin will compete with a couple other kickers, Cade York and Lenny Krieg, for the chance to be the Jets’ starting kicker. Krieg, who hails from Germany, has yet to attempt a field goal in the NFL, while York entered the league in 2022 but has bounced around since then.
He made 24 of 32 field goals for the Browns as a rookie, but also had three blocked.
Going into Day 3 of the draft, The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt identified kicker as a position the team still needed to address.
“The Jets don’t have a clearly defined kicking solution on their roster after losing Nick Folk to the Falcons in free agency,” Rosenblatt wrote.
Could Ferrin, the Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2024 and a second-team All-Big kicker a year ago, ultimately be the solution?