The 2023 NFL Draft is right around the corner and spring practices are wrapping up around the country. That doesn’t mean we can’t look a little bit further into the future and see what the wizards at Pro Football Network are projecting for next year’s draft class, though.
BYU Mock Draft: Kingsley Suamataia Is a Third-Rounder
Staking claim as one of the top producers of offensive line talent over the past few years, the BYU Cougars are apparently on the verge of pushing forth a new addition to the professional ranks as Kingsley Suamataia is already viewed as a top-tier prospect.
In his latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings penned Suamataia to the Houston Texans to open the third round. Of note, Suamataia was mocked to the Texans as a guard, not a tackle.
Landing at pick No. 65 overall, Suamataia was the fourth guard taken in the mock draft and the second true underclassman at the position. The guards that were drafted looked like this:
- Round 1, Pick 22: Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
- Round 2, Pick 41: Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
- Round 2, Pick 57: LaDarius Henderson, Michigan
- Round 3, Pick 65: Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
- Round 3, Pick 75: Javion Cohen, Miami (FL)
Beebe, Henderson, and Cohen had looks for the 2023 NFL Draft but have returned to college this year, while Jackson and Suamataia are both rising juniors.
Suamataia stands at 6’6″ and tips the scales at 315 pounds. He started 12 games for the Cougars in 2022, improving in seemingly every outing. Suamataia improved his pass-blocking prowess over the stretch of the season and made highlight-reel blocks on the move as the season came to a close.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
Most notably, his performance against Stanford to close out the regular season drew major praise across multiple media outlets.
Mocking Suamataia as a guard means that he likely has a higher ceiling for his future projection in the NFL on the inside. Still, with the full 2023 season to go and Suamataia’s shift to left tackle incoming, he could raise his draft stock similar to that of Paris Johnson Jr. of Ohio State this past cycle.
If Suamataia’s floor is Round 3 and he’s still an ascending player, BYU may even have a first-round prospect on their hands.
