Gridiron Heroics partners with Draft Scout to give each school’s Top 5 NFL Draft prospects in the Pac-12. Welcome to a list of the Utah Top 5 NFL Draft prospects for 2023, as seen by Draft Scout.
Each week brings us closer and closer to one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar — the NFL Draft. This year’s draft will be held in Kansas City, Mo. from April 27-29. Starting today? We take a look at the PAC-12 seniors, the class of 2023. Since we don’t know yet which underclassmen will declare? We’ll reconfigure the rankings when that it all official, so be sure to revisit us.
Our PAC-12 Draft prospect series will run soon and will run for the next week, with three schools running per day in alphabetical order. A master conference list of the PAC-12’s Top 20 NFL draft prospects will wrap things up afterwards. Please check the team links below frequently so you can check out the other schools’ top prospects as the week progresses.
PAC-12 TOP 20 PROSPECTS: Overall PAC-12 Top Prospect List
PAC-12 PROSPECTS: Arizona | Arizona State | California | Colorado | Oregon | Oregon State | Stanford | UCLA | USC | Utah | Washington | Washington State
RELATED STORY: The Top ESPN 30 for 30 Shows in College Football — We Rank Them
So, we all know that not every team in the country has five surefire draft picks on it. Some programs do, especially in some of the more elite conferences, but the vast majority don’t have that many top-flight prospects. But, we also know that the definition “top-flight” doesn’t always pan out, and at the same time that strong undrafted free agent everybody forgot? He ends up making an NFL and flourishing.
Below is a look at the Utah Top 5 Draft Prospects, and how they project in the eyes of Draft Scout. Again, for now, we’ll go strictly with seniors (c/o 2023), as no underclassmen have been allowed to officially clear the declaration deadline yet, though when they do? We’ll update the lists below.
UTAH TOP 5 NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
NO. 1 PROSPECT
NAME: Dalton Kincaid (TE.)
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: 2nd round
CAREER STATISTICS: Kincaid started his collegiate career at San Diego before landing at Utah. During his time at San Diego, would have 374 receiving yards on 24 receptions with 11 touchdowns his freshman year in 2018. He would continue that success during his sophomore season in 2019 as he hauled in 44 receptions for 835 yards and eight touchdowns.
He would see action in all five game in his first year with Utah in 2020. In 2021, he saw action in all 14 games. Kincaid would go on to rack up 36 receptions for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. He would earn PAC-12 All-Conference honorable mention. During this season in 2022, Kincaid would lead the team in receptions (70), receiving yards (890) and receiving touchdowns (8). He would be named to the PAC-12 All-Conference first-team and PFF All-America second-team.
THE TRUTH: According to draft scouts, Kincaid is listed as a Top 150 NFL Draft prospect and is listed as a Top 10 Senior tight end by more than 20 NFL scouts around the league. Kincaid was able to improve his draft stock from a year ago from being projected as a third/fourth round draft pick to now being projected as a second round draft pick. He has obvious upside at the tight end position as he is able to use his fram to shield opposing defenders which makes him a major red zone target. Kincaid will be a steal in the second round and whatever team selects him will be in store for a breakout rookie season.
NO. 2 PROSPECT
NAME: Brant Kuithe (TE)
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: 4th round
CAREER STATISTICS: Kuithe began his career with the Utes in 2018. He would see game action in 14 contests as he would led all tight ends with 20 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown. Kuithe would start to see an uptick in starts in 2019 as he would lead the team in receptions (34), receiving yards (602) and receiving touchdowns (6). He would be named to the PAC-12 All-Conference second-team and the PFF All-America third-team.
Kuithe would once again lead the team in several offensive categories in 2020 as he led the team in receptions (25) for 236 yards. He would be named to the PAC-12 All-Conference second-team. He would have a breakout season in 2021 as he recorded a team high 611 yards on 50 catches with six touchdowns. The accolades would continue for Kuithe as he would be named to the PAC-12 All-Conference second-team.
In the 2022 season, Kuithe would see the field in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. Before the injury, he would go on to haul in 17 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
THE TRUTH: According to draft scouts, Kuthie is currently listed as a Top 150 prospect heading into next year’s draft. Kuithe has shown his skills on the football field can make him a star at the next level. His ability to fight his way off the line of scrimmage and having good body control allows him to get in and out of cuts. Kuithe is a creative runner after the catch and has the ability to slip through tackles to create extra yardage for an offense.
NO. 3 PROSPECT
NAME: Mohamoud Diabate (ILB)
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: 7th round-HPFA (High Priority Free Agent)
CAREER STATISTICS: Diabate would start his collegiate career with Florida before transferring to Utah prior to the 2021 season. Diabate would spend his first three years with the Gators. During that stretch he would record 176 total tackles (14.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks), three forced fumbles, two pass breakups and an interception.
In his first year with the Utes in 2022, Diabate would rack up 52 tackles, including a team-best 12.5 tackles for loss. He would start 11 game with Utah during this season at mac linebacker. His performance on the field was enough to receive an invite to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl after the season concluded.
THE TRUTH: According to draft scouts, Diabate is listed as a Top 250 prospect by more than six teams across the league. Diabate has extreme quickness off the edge and he is quick off the snap in the pass rush department. He has the nose for the football and is a tough-tackler in open space. Not only is he explosive coming off the edge, but he is capable of being effective in coverage.
NO. 4 PROSPECT
NAME: Solomon Enis (WR)
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: HPFA (High Priority Free Agent)
CAREER STATISTICS: Enis would begin his collegiate career with Utah in his freshman season in 2018. He would start in two games during that season as he hauled in 13 catches for 179 yards and a touchdown. In 2019, he would rack up 14 receptions for 158 yards. He would start in all five games during the 2020 season as he hauled in 11 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Enis would continue to see the field more in 2021 as he would finish off the season with 22 receptions for 248 yards and a touchdown. In 2022, he would rack up 12 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
THE TRUTH: According to draft scouts, Enis is currently listed as a HPFA-1 (which means he is the first best free agent situation at Utah). Enis offers a large frame as he stands at 6-3 and 206 pounds. His size offers a large frame for quarterbacks to target him. He is currently projected to receive a free-agent tryout, but he has the capability of hearing his name called in the later rounds of the draft.
NO. 5 PROSPECT
NAME: Gabe Reid (DE)
DRAFTSCOUT PROJECTION: HPFA (High Priority Free Agent)
CAREER STATISTICS: Reid would spend his first three collegiate seasons with Stanford before landing at Utah prior to the 2022 season. He would have 24 starts in 42 career games played with the Cardinal. From 2018-2021, Reid would rack up 167 total tackles.
In his first year with the Utes in 2022, he would lead all defensive lineman with 39 tackles (10.0 TFL, 5.5 sacks). Reid would also lead the team in sacks and second in tackles for loss.
THE TRUTH: According to draft scouts, Reid is currently listed as a HPFA-2 (which means he is the second best free situation at Utah. He is also listed as a possible tryout by more than six NFL teams across the league. Reid has athleticism and has a knack in the pass rush. His athleticism helps him stick with running backs and tight ends. He has the instincts of knowing where the ball is going in order to make the play on it.