On Saturday, the 2026 NFL Draft came to an end. Despite winning 12 games last season, only two former BYU players heard their names called in the 2026 NFL Draft. Linebacker Jack Kelly was selected in the sixth round by the New York Giants before tight end Carsen Ryan was selected in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns.

The 2026 draft was the second draft in as many years where BYU was underrepresented relative to its on-field success. Zero BYU players were drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft following an 11-2 season in 2024.

When you take a step back and look at the data from the last two NFL Drafts, one thing stands out: the Cougars have been college football's greatest outlier the last two seasons.

BYU has won 85.2% of its games the last two seasons. Only Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, and Notre Dame have better winning percentages over that time. From 2024-2025, nine teams in college football had winning percentages above 79%.…