Three Mountain West Players Selected in NFL Draft! Chris Johnson goes in the 1st Round! Top UDFA from All 12 Teams! Overall MW draft trends! HP Ep. #152 OUT NOW!

Welcome back everyone to the Hike’s Peak Podcast, thank you for coming back to the mountain! The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and we have lots of Mountain West players officially starting their professional journeys. We’ll start by going over the three alumni who heard their names called during the event, including San Diego State’s Chris Johnson going 27th overall to the Dolphins, along with the two North Dakota State players that were picked. Then, we’ll talk about some overall trends regarding the Mountain West in the NFL Draft, and how I expect those numbers to move in the years ahead. Finally, we’ll end the show by spotlighting some players that are starting their NFL dreams as undrafted free agents, going through one player from each team. Lots of fun stuff to talk about this week, let’s dive right in!

Quick plug: The transfer portal tracker is officially live! Complete with all 215 players entering/leaving the Mountain West and PAC 12 via the portal, this is the best resource for fans to see who’s leaving and who’s staying from their favorite team, as well as their rivals. Check it out whenever you can, as it’s updated daily whenever news drops.

Episode link is here!

Show Notes:

1. Rundown on players drafted

   1. CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State (R1-P27, Miami Dolphins)
   2. OL Kage Casey, Boise State (R4-P111, Denver Broncos)
   3. WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State (R4-P136, New Orleans Saints)
   4. QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State (R5-P178, )