Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and we have lots of Mountain West players officially starting their professional journeys. We’ll start by going over the three alumni who heard their names called during the event, including San Diego State’s Chris Johnson going 27th overall to the Dolphins, along with the two North Dakota State players that were picked. Then, we’ll talk about some overall trends regarding the Mountain West in the NFL Draft, and how I expect those numbers to move in the years ahead. Finally, we’ll end the show by spotlighting some players that are starting their NFL dreams as undrafted free agents, going through one player from each team. Lots of fun stuff to talk about this week, let’s dive right in!
Quick plug: The transfer portal tracker is officially live! Complete with all 215 players entering/leaving the Mountain West and PAC 12 via the portal, this is the best resource for fans to see who’s leaving and who’s staying from their favorite team, as well as their rivals. Check it out whenever you can, as it’s updated daily whenever news drops.
CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State (R1-P27, Miami Dolphins)
OL Kage Casey, Boise State (R4-P111, Denver Broncos)
WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State (R4-P136, New Orleans Saints)
QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State (R5-P178, Philadelphia Eagles)
DE Keyshawn James-Newby, New Mexico (R7-P252, Philadelphia Eagles)
That is it for this week’s episode of the Hike’s Peak podcast, thank you so much for listening! Congratulations to all of the phenomenal athletes that got to realize their dreams this past week, hopefully this is just the start of an incredible career at the next level! Make sure to follow me on Twitter at JackTalksCFB and turn post notifications on so you don’t miss any Mountain West or PAC 12 movement! Also, check out the brand new transfer portal tracker, which is live on the website now. It’s complete with bios, stats, and previous stops for every player on the list, and is updated daily, so bookmark that to never miss out on transfer news! If you like the show and enjoy our coverage, leave a rating on whatever platform you’re listening on, every single one of those helps us out immensely. Follow us on twitter at MWCConnection and find all of your Mountain West news at MWCConnection.com. Thank you again for listening, get ready for a special episode next week on the top basketball transfers entering the conferences! Until next time, I’m Jack Thompson, and thank you for coming back to the mountain!