Like many of you, in addition to being a Carolina Panthers fan I’m also passionate about college football. I’m a lifelong fanatic and a graduate of BYU so I have an admitted bias in wanting the Panthers to draft guys coming out of beautiful Provo, Utah.
While there aren’t as many former Cougars currently playing in the NFL as I’d like there to be, the quality is there. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner went from being a third round pick in 2018 to a four-time All-Pro and arguably the best
linebacker in the game. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua was a fifth round selection in 2023 and already has two Pro Bowl and one All-Pro season under his belt. Oh, and he’s the NFL’s all-time leader in receiving yards per game.
Every year I get to make one “BYU homer post” and implore Panthers GM Dan Morgan to draft one of my Cougars. This year, it’s outside linebacker Jack Kelly.
Jack Kelly’s college resume
After prepping at Kearns High School in Utah (which, notably, was a rival high school of mine when I played high school basketball) the 6-foot-2, 242-pound linebacker committed to Weber State in Ogden, Utah. After two stellar seasons there he transferred to BYU in 2024 and went on to have a pair of outstanding campaigns in Provo.
In 2024 he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors after racking up 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and a team-leading five sacks.
In 2025, Kelly was flat out dominant at times for a an excellent BYU defense that help the team go 12-2 and win the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Last year he had 55 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and a whopping 10 sacks. While BYU plays solid team defense, it’s not a unit known for big individual sack numbers. Kelly’s 10 sacks was the most by a Cougar defender since Bronson Kafusi in 2015.
Kelly was named All-Big 12 First Team in 2025, played in the East-West Shrine Bowl, and was invited to the NFL Draft Combine.
What Jack Kelly brings to the table
After watching Kelly for the last two years I’m comfortable stating he has NFL-level skills in two areas: First is his ability to close on the ball like a heat-seeking missile. Second is his ability to simply get to the quarterback coming off the edge from his outside linebacker spot.
Kelly’s elite athleticism is at the root of both of these attributes. The most consistent way to measure the athleticism for draft prospects is via their Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which compares their combine measurements against players at the same position. Kelly scored a 9.72 RAS, putting him in the top 97th percentile in terms of athleticism for his position. Of the 3,460 linebackers to be analyzed by RAS, Kelly ranks 98th overall. That’s elite.
Rather than me trying to describe Kelly’s straight-line closing speed and ability to fly around tackles to generate pressure, just watch the five-minute highlight reel below and let his play to do the talking.
Specifically, do yourself a favor and jump ahead to 2:00 and watch how insanely fast he closes down on Colorado’s quarterback, Kaidon Salter. Kelly starts off spying Salter then closes on him like lightning. There were more than a few times last years when it just looked like Kelly moved at a different speed than every other player near the line of scrimmage.
He can succeed in the NFL coming off the edge and playing run support at outside linebacker. He can technically drop into coverage on passing downs when needed, but it’s not his strong suit. He’s one of those linebackers who lives by the “see ball, hit ball” mantra, and his speed is exceptional in doing just that.
Where is he projected to be drafted?
The good news for the Panthers is if the front office wants to bring Kelly to Charlotte, it shouldn’t cost them a ton of draft capital.
Most drafting services project him as a Day 3 pick. Pro Football Network has him landing in the fifth round, CBS Sports has him going in the sixth round, and ESPN projects him as a seventh round pick. I think those assessments are fair.
It’s not uncommon for people to ask whether BYU players served two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, essentially wanting to know if they are “older” prospects. Kelly did not serve a church mission. He’s 23 years old.
Remember, reasonable expectations for Day 3 picks are guys who can make the roster and at least contribute on special teams for their first year or two. What success looks like by year three is having developed into a capable rotational player who can get the job done when called upon based on down and distance, or fill in as a spot starter when injuries happen.
When judging success by those expectations, Jack Kelly has the toolset needed to exceed what most Day 3 players produce. He will at minimum be a solid rotational guy, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him locking down a starting gig sooner rather than later.
The Panthers need linebacker depth.
The Panthers defense needs to generate more pressure.
When putting those two to roster needs together, the Panthers would be wise to make Jack Kelly a late-round pick.
