Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (8) is among the quartet of Utah players considered among the nation's top draft-eligible prospects. Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Utah football players among top draft-eligible prospects

Originally posted on Utah Utes on SI | By Cole Forsman | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 5:03 PM ET

Four players from the Utah football team have been named to the Senior Bowl's list of the top draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Lander Barton, Caleb Lomu, Spencer Fano and Jaren Kump represent the Utes on the first Senior Bowl Top 300 list that was released on Wednesday. The quartet joins an exclusive group of the top-rated pro prospects entering the 2025 college football regular season, including 28 of the 32 projected first-round picks in ESPN's latest NFL mock draft.

The watch list nod for Fano adds to the collection of preseason honors the 6-foot-6 Spanish Fork, Utah, native has collected in the lead up to his junior season, as he's also taken home All-America honors from multiple outlets and preseason All-Big 12 recognition from the league's coaches. He's coming off leading all Football Bowl Subdivision tackles with a 91.8 run blocking grade, in addition to boasting the top overall grade by an FBS tackle (93.0) in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Those advanced metrics made Fano PFF's No. 1 right tackle prospect heading into the season.

Lomu, after allowing only two sacks as a redshirt freshman last season, has an opportunity to solidify his standing as a first-round pick in next year's draft with another strong showing at the left tackle spot. The former four-star recruit enters his redshirt sophomore season with the Utes following a stellar 2024 campaign, in which he earned a respectable 76.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF.

Fano and Lomu have also been named preseason contenders for the Outland Trophy, awarded annually to the best interior lineman in college football. Kump became the third player from Utah's stout offensive line to be recognized in a similar manner, earning a spot on the watch list for the nation's top center award, the Rimington Trophy.

Kump's played in 47 games across five seasons with the Utes, including 17 starts at center. He's coming off appearing in all 12 games and earning academic All-Big 12 honors in 2024.

Barton, who's also up for the Butkus Award, is poised to lead the Utes' defense into the 2025 campaign as one of the key veterans featured in their front seven. He's coming off starts in all 12 games and recording a team-best 72 tackles to go along with two interceptions and one fumble recovery in 2024.

The Senior Bowl Top 300 exclusively features players eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. Of the 300 prospects who were selected by the Senior Bowl's staff of former NFL scouts, 109 are from the SEC. The Big 12 has the lowest number of representatives on the list with 43 draft-eligible players.