Since Ed "Red" Wade from Utah State was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1937 in the second NFL draft, the state of Utah has consistently produced NFL-caliber players. Some players were drafted but never played, while others went on to have long careers in the NFL.
Unlike previous decades, the 90s saw a considerable decline in players from Utah colleges declaring for the draft.
Wide receiver Kevin Dyson from Utah, took part in two of the greatest highlights in NFL history, being part of The Music City Miracle and The Tackle.
As a warmup to Thursday's NFL draft, enjoy this walk through Utah's NFL history.
Mohammed Elewonibi - Tackle, BYU
1990 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 76
Washington Redskins
Elewonibi played four seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also spent time in the CFL with the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Scott Mitchell - Quarterback, Utah
1990 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 93
Miami Dolphins
Mitchell spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. Mitchell spent his first years in the NFL as Dan Marino's back up before taking over the starting job in 1993. He signed as a free agent with Detroit leading them to playoff berths in 1995 and 1997. In 1995, he set single-season records for the Lions with 32 touchdown passes and 4,338 passing yards
Newman played five seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.
Neal Fort - Tackle, BYU
1991 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 143
Los Angeles Rams
Fort played one season in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, but did not record a statistic. He also played 10 seasons in the CFL with the Baltimore Stallions and Montreal Alouettes.
Brian Mitchell - Defensive back, BYU
1991 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 172
Atlanta Falcons
Mitchell played three seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
Smith was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals but did not play a game in the NFL.
Ty Detmer - Quarterback, BYU
1991 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 230
Green Bay Packers
Detmer played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. His best NFL seasons came in 1996 with the Eagles, where he passed for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns leading the Eagles to the playoffs.
Anthony Davis - Linebacker, Utah
1992 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 301
Houston Oilers
Davis played eight seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. Davis had 12.5 career sacks and five career interceptions. He was also part of the 2000 Ravens Super Bowl winning team.
Derwin Gray - Defensive Back, BYU
1993 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 92
Indianapolis Colts
Gray played six seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers. He has one career interception.
Kurt Haws - Tight end, Utah
1994 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 105
Washington Redskins
Haws played one season in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft, but never played for the Panthers.
Jamal Anderson - Running Back, Utah
1994 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 201
Atlanta Falcons
Anderson played eight seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. In 1998 he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl, led the NFC with 1,846 rushing yards and appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII with the Falcons.
Luther Elliss - Defensive Tackle, Utah
1995 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 20
Detroit Lions
Elliss played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos. He recorded 29 career sacks and 4 career fumble recoveries. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and 2000.
Evan Pilgrim - Guard, BYU
1995 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 87
Chicago Bears
Pilgrim played six seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
Tim Hanshaw - Tight end, BYU
1995 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 127
San Francisco 49ers
Hanshaw played four seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
Tau Pupua - Defensive Tackle, Weber State
1995 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 136
Cleveland Browns
Pupua played one season in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
Scott played six seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and New England Patriots.
Travis Hall - Defensive Tackle, BYU
1995 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 181
Atlanta Falcons
Hall played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. He has 42 career sacks.
Eli Herring - Tackle, BYU
1995 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 190
Los Angeles Raiders
Herring was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders despite stating before the draft that he had no intention of playing in any games held on Sunday, citing religious reasons. The Raiders attempted to sign Herring anyway, but he opted to not pursue a career in football.
Marsh played three seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for two season and was named an All-Star in 2000. His son currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bronzell Miller - Defensive End, Utah
1995 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 239
St. Louis Rams
Miller played one season in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League.
Mike Ulufale - Defensive End, BYU
1996 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 95
Dallas Cowboys
Ulufale played one season in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
Henry Lusk - Tight end, Utah
1996 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 246
New Orleans Saints
Lusk played two seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins.
Itula Mili - Tight end, BYU
1997 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 174
Seattle Seahawks
Mili played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks. He had 164 receptions for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Kevin Dyson - Wide Receiver, Utah
1998 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 16
Tennessee Oilers
Dyson played six seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and the Carolina Panthers. Dyson was part of two of the most famous plays in NFL history.
With 16 seconds remaining in the AFC wild card game, Tennessee, which was trailing the Buffalo Bills, received a kick off. During the return, Titans tight end, Frank Wycheck threw a controversial lateral to Dyson who ran 75 yards for the game winning touchdown. The play was dubbed The Music City Miracle.
The Titans eventually advanced to Super Bowl XXXIV to face the St. Louis Rams. On the final play of regulation, the Titans needing a touchdown to force overtime, quarterback Steve McNair threw to Dyson who attempted to stretch for the goal line while being tackled but was subsequently ruled down one yard short.
Eric Bateman - Offensive Tackle, BYU
1998 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 149
New York Jets
Eric Bateman was drafted by the New York Jets but did not play a game in the NFL. Bateman played in NFL Europe with the Barcelona Dragons and in the XFL with the Las Vegas Outlaws.
Fuamatu-Ma'afala played seven seasons in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for 964 career yards and caught 43 career passes for 351 yards scoring 10 career touchdowns.
Dustin Johnson - Fullback, BYU
1998 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 183
New York Jets
Dustin Johnson played one season in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
Jason Andersen - Center, BYU
1998 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 211
New England Patriots
Andersen played four seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
Cam Quayle - Tight End, Weber State
1998 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 241
Baltimore Ravens
Quayle was drafted with the final pick of the 1998 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, earning the title Mr. Irrelevant.
John Tait - Tackle, BYU
1999 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 14
Kansas City Chiefs
Tait played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001 and 2006.
Shields played three seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Anthony Parker - Cornerback, Weber State
1999 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 99
San Francisco 49ers
Parker played 5 seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.
Johndale Carty - Strong Safety, Utah State
1999 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 126
Atlanta Falcons
Carty played four seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
Daren Yancey - Defensive Tackle, BYU
1999 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 188
Oakland Raiders
Yancey was drafted by the Oakland Raiders but did not play a game in the NFL.
Phil Glover - Linebacker, Utah
1999 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 222
Tennessee Titans
Glover played two seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. He currently plays in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm.
Joe Wong - Tackle, BYU
1999 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 244
Miami Dolphins
He played three seasons the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.
Football players from Utah colleges drafted to the NFL in the 1990s
Since Ed "Red" Wade from Utah State was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1937 in the second NFL draft, the state of Utah has consistently produced NFL-caliber players. Some players were drafted but never played, while others went on to have long careers in the NFL.
Unlike previous decades, the 90s saw a considerable decline in players from Utah colleges declaring for the draft.
Wide receiver Kevin Dyson from Utah, took part in two of the greatest highlights in NFL history, being part of The Music City Miracle and The Tackle.
Take a look at our previous list of Utah football players drafted in the '70s and '80s.
As a warmup to Thursday's NFL draft, enjoy this walk through Utah's NFL history.
1990 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 76
Washington Redskins
Elewonibi played four seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. He also spent time in the CFL with the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
1990 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 93
Miami Dolphins
Mitchell spent 11 seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. Mitchell spent his first years in the NFL as Dan Marino's back up before taking over the starting job in 1993. He signed as a free agent with Detroit leading them to playoff berths in 1995 and 1997. In 1995, he set single-season records for the Lions with 32 touchdown passes and 4,338 passing yards
1990 NFL Draft
Round 10, Pick 249
Minnesota Vikings
Newman played five seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.
1991 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 143
Los Angeles Rams
Fort played one season in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, but did not record a statistic. He also played 10 seasons in the CFL with the Baltimore Stallions and Montreal Alouettes.
1991 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 172
Atlanta Falcons
Mitchell played three seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
1991 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 295
Cincinnati Bengals
Smith was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals but did not play a game in the NFL.
1991 NFL Draft
Round 9, Pick 230
Green Bay Packers
Detmer played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons. His best NFL seasons came in 1996 with the Eagles, where he passed for 2,911 yards and 15 touchdowns leading the Eagles to the playoffs.
1992 NFL Draft
Round 11, Pick 301
Houston Oilers
Davis played eight seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. Davis had 12.5 career sacks and five career interceptions. He was also part of the 2000 Ravens Super Bowl winning team.
1993 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 92
Indianapolis Colts
Gray played six seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers. He has one career interception.
1994 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 105
Washington Redskins
Haws played one season in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL expansion draft, but never played for the Panthers.
1994 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 201
Atlanta Falcons
Anderson played eight seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons. In 1998 he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl, led the NFC with 1,846 rushing yards and appeared in Super Bowl XXXIII with the Falcons.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 20
Detroit Lions
Elliss played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos. He recorded 29 career sacks and 4 career fumble recoveries. He went to the Pro Bowl in 1999 and 2000.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 87
Chicago Bears
Pilgrim played six seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Oilers, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 127
San Francisco 49ers
Hanshaw played four seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 136
Cleveland Browns
Pupua played one season in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 165
Arizona Cardinals
Scott played six seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and New England Patriots.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 181
Atlanta Falcons
Hall played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. He has 42 career sacks.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 190
Los Angeles Raiders
Herring was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders despite stating before the draft that he had no intention of playing in any games held on Sunday, citing religious reasons. The Raiders attempted to sign Herring anyway, but he opted to not pursue a career in football.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 213
Cincinnati Bengals
Walsh was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals but did not play a game in the NFL.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 219
Jacksonville Jaguars
Marsh played three seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders for two season and was named an All-Star in 2000. His son currently plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
1995 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 239
St. Louis Rams
Miller played one season in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL and the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League.
1996 NFL Draft
Round 3, Pick 95
Dallas Cowboys
Ulufale played one season in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
1996 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 246
New Orleans Saints
Lusk played two seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins.
1997 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 174
Seattle Seahawks
Mili played 10 seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks. He had 164 receptions for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdowns.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 16
Tennessee Oilers
Dyson played six seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and the Carolina Panthers. Dyson was part of two of the most famous plays in NFL history.
With 16 seconds remaining in the AFC wild card game, Tennessee, which was trailing the Buffalo Bills, received a kick off. During the return, Titans tight end, Frank Wycheck threw a controversial lateral to Dyson who ran 75 yards for the game winning touchdown. The play was dubbed The Music City Miracle.
The Titans eventually advanced to Super Bowl XXXIV to face the St. Louis Rams. On the final play of regulation, the Titans needing a touchdown to force overtime, quarterback Steve McNair threw to Dyson who attempted to stretch for the goal line while being tackled but was subsequently ruled down one yard short.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 5, Pick 149
New York Jets
Eric Bateman was drafted by the New York Jets but did not play a game in the NFL. Bateman played in NFL Europe with the Barcelona Dragons and in the XFL with the Las Vegas Outlaws.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 178
Pittsburgh Steelers
Fuamatu-Ma'afala played seven seasons in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars. He rushed for 964 career yards and caught 43 career passes for 351 yards scoring 10 career touchdowns.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 183
New York Jets
Dustin Johnson played one season in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 211
New England Patriots
Andersen played four seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
1998 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 241
Baltimore Ravens
Quayle was drafted with the final pick of the 1998 draft by the Baltimore Ravens, earning the title Mr. Irrelevant.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 1, Pick 14
Kansas City Chiefs
Tait played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2001 and 2006.
1999 NFL Drafts
Round 2, Pick 59
Pittsburgh Steelers
Shields played three seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 99
San Francisco 49ers
Parker played 5 seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 4, Pick 126
Atlanta Falcons
Carty played four seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 6, Pick 188
Oakland Raiders
Yancey was drafted by the Oakland Raiders but did not play a game in the NFL.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 222
Tennessee Titans
Glover played two seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. He currently plays in the Arena Football League with the Tampa Bay Storm.
1999 NFL Draft
Round 7, Pick 244
Miami Dolphins
He played three seasons the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.