IRVINE, Calif. (ABC4 Sports) – When Dax Milne was a scrawny kid at Bingham High School, the NFL wasn’t even on his radar.
“I always heard growing up very very few people ever make it to the NFL,” Milne said. “At the time it was just man, can I even just make it to college.”
Milne had just two college offers from Weber State and Southern Utah. So he walked on at BYU, and after two rather pedestrian seasons, Milne exploded on the scene in 2020 with 70 catches for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns. All of a sudden the NFL was a real possibility.
“I definitely did not expect NFL stuff going on coming into this past season,” Milne said. “I knew something special was happening really after game 1. It felt different than the previous seasons, the way the offense was just clicking.”
Milne was clicking with his best friend and roommate, quarterback Zach Wilson, who is most likely going to be a top-5 pick in the NFL Draft.
“We’re just sitting around the house saying hey lets go throw, or hey lets work on this,” Milne said. “I think it all just translated into being able to go into each game knowing what we’re all about.”
Milne could have been the number one option at receiver again at BYU this season. But after hearing feedback from NFL personnel, he decided it was best leave school a year early and turn pro.
“That’s why it was a big risk, why it was a big decision but I’m pretty confident that I’m going to get drafted,” Milne said. “Interviewing with these teams, it seems like there’s a lot of interest. The route running, the hands, the reliability, the toughness. They also liked how versatile I am because I’ve shown that I can play slot receiver, I can play inside, and I can also play outside.”
The last BYU wide receiver to get drafted was Austin Collie by the Indianapolis Colts back in 2009, so the comparisons are inevitable.
“I’ve seen highlights, and I’ve looked up highlights of him recently because I’ve been compared to him a lot,” Milne said. “What I’ve seen is he was a very tough player, smart with good hands. So, I definitely see the similarities between me and him.”
So come draft day, if Milne is still on the board in the later rounds, wouldn’t his good buddy Zach tell his new team to pick him up?
“I gotta think he’s got a lot of power, being one of those top guys,” Milne said with a smile. “Hopefully he just says, ‘Yo, this is my dude I need him so we’ll see.”
The NFL Draft runs from April 29th to May 1st in Cleveland.
