Jack Kelly, a former Weber State football player, was selected in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the New York Giants as the 193rd overall pick, according to an April 25 announcement. Kelly becomes the 39th former Weber State player to be drafted into the National Football League and is the first since Taron Johnson was picked in 2018.
Kelly played three seasons at Weber State from 2021 to 2023 before transferring to Brigham Young University. During his time at Weber State, he earned first-team All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore in 2023. That year, he led the Big Sky Conference and ranked fourth nationally with 10.5 sacks—tying for fourth-most in a single season at Weber State. He also topped the conference and finished fifth nationally with four forced fumbles, tying for fifth-most in school history for a season.
Over his three-year career at Weber State, Kelly appeared in 28 games and recorded totals of 85 tackles, including 20 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. He also registered five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception. These achievements placed him eighth all-time at Weber State for career sacks and ninth for forced fumbles.
After transferring to BYU following the 2023 season, Kelly played two more seasons where he served as team captain and earned All-Big 12 honors. At BYU he participated in another 25 games with totals of fifteen sacks and twenty-three-and-a-half tackles for loss. Across both schools combined, his collegiate career included thirty-one-and-a-half sacks and forty-three-and-a-half tackles for loss along with nine forced fumbles and two interceptions.
In addition to Kelly’s draft selection, other former Wildcats secured opportunities as free agents: Damon Bankston signed with the New York Giants after playing four seasons at Weber State—where he ranked sixth all-time on WSU’s rushing list—and Dontae McMillan joined the Baltimore Ravens after earning Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors during his time at Weber State from 2020–22. Gavin Ortega also signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos.
These recent signings reflect continued success among former Wildcats transitioning into professional football.
