CLEVELAND (ABC4 Sports) – BYU’s Khyiris Tonga, Chris Wilcox and Dax Milne had to wait until the final round of the NFL Draft, but they did finally hear their names called.
Tonga was selected with the 250th overall pick by the Chicago Bears, while Wilcox was taken with the very next pick by the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Milne, who left BYU a year early, was taken with the second to last pick of the draft by the Washington Football Team with the 258th overall pick.
Joining Zach Wilson (1st round, NY Jets) and Brady Christensen (3rd round, Carolina Panthers), BYU had five players taken in the NFL Draft, tying the 7-round school record last set in 2002.
Tonga, a 6-foot-3 320-pound defensive tackle, had 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble during the 2020 season. He’s considered to be a run-stuffer that commanded double-teams while at BYU.
During his career at BYU, he tallied 130 total tackles with 69 solo stops, 15 tackles for loss with 7.5 sacks.
Wilcox turned in a blazing 4.31 second 40-yard dash at BYU’s Pro Day in March, and that time may have been the difference. Wilcox missed all but one game of the 2019 season because of a leg fracture, but was a shutdown corner for the Cougars in 2020. Wilcox did not record an interception in college, but he did have 87 career tackles.
Wilcox is the first BYU defensive back to get drafted since Derwin Gray in 1993.
Milne, who walked on at BYU as a freshman, had a breakout season in 2020, catching 70 passes for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns. Milne, a 6-foot, 190-pound receiver, was a favorite target of Zach Wilson, the second overall pick in the NFL Draft by the New York Jets. Milne had 73 percent of his catches go for first downs or touchdowns.
Milne was the top wide receiver among all Independents in receiving yards, yards per game and receptions per game in 2020 while also finishing with six 100-yard games.
Milne is the first BYU receiver to get drafted since Austin Collie in 2009.
The former Bingham High grad is the seventh Utah high school player taken in the 2021 draft.
“I am really happy for Khyiris, Chris and Dax,” said BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. “I am so proud of Khyiris and all he has achieved in his life and for our football program. Chris has done a great job developing as a cover corner and has the size and speed to play at the next level. Dax has impressed and gotten better every year culminating with a tremendous All-America season in 2020. I love each of these guys and look forward to following their careers in the NFL.”
