Morning links: 5 Utes make Athlon Sports' top 25 Pac-12 2020 NFL Draft prospects; Utah No. 12 in post-spring top 25
SALT LAKE CITY — The college football season is slowly inching closer. The 2019 college football schedule opens with Arizona visiting Hawaii on Aug. 24, and Utah and BYU kick off their season with an early rivalry matchup on Aug. 29 — just 120 days away.
With spring football and the NFL draft, which featured five players drafted from Utah and one each from BYU and Utah State, having run its course, things tend to slow down in the college football world, but it's never too early to look ahead to the 2020 draft.
Athlon Sports took a took at the Top 25 NFL prospects from the Pac-12 for next year's draft. Topping the list of candidates is Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who is back for his senior season.
Five Utes make the list — Jaylon Johnson, Leki Fotu, Zack Moss, Julian Blackmon and Bradlee Anae. Johnson is slated as the third-best Pac-12 NFL draft prospect, while Fotu comes it at No. 6, Moss lands at No. 15, Blackmon is No. 18 and Anae is No. 19.
Utes in the rankings
Speaking of the Utes, Utah got some love in The Athletic's Stewart Mandel's post-spring top 25 rankings. The Utes come in at No. 12.
"Fresh off their first Pac-12 South title, the Utes return QB Tyler Huntley, RB Zack Moss, WR Britain Covey and five All-Pac-12 defensive players (D-linemen Bradlee Anae, Leki Fotu and John Penisini, CB Jaylon Johnson and S Julian Blackmon)," Mandel wrote.
Utah is the highest rated Pac-12 team in the rankings, followed by No. 15 Oregon and No. 17 Washington.
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