After a historic final season in college, former Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty became the first Bronco selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2018 after he was picked No. 6 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Broncos could have another first-round pick come off the board next year, according to former Boise State offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, a longtime NFL and college head coach who came out of retirement to run Boise State’s offense last year.
Koetter said in January that left tackle Kage Casey has a chance to be the next Bronco to hear his name called in the draft’s first round. Koetter said he might’ve even come off the board in the first 32 picks this year.
“Casey’s probably going to be a first-round pick,” Koetter said in an interview on KTIK radio in Boise, Idaho. “He would’ve probably been a high pick this year, but I do think he needs another year to develop.”
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Like Jeanty, Casey has turned down lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness offers to stay at Boise State, according to Koetter
“He could’ve gotten close to a million dollars in the portal,” Koetter said in January.
Casey will hope the move pays off the way it did for Jeanty, who set Boise State records with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground last season and surpassed former offensive lineman Ryan Clady as the highest-drafted player in program history.
Casey, a 6-foot-5, 316-pound redshirt junior, has started 28 games at left tackle the past two seasons. He played a team-high 947 offensive snaps last season and earned a Pro Football Focus pass blocking grade of 87.0, which ranked No. 7 nationally among linemen with at least 500 snaps.
The former three-star recruit from Happy Valley, Oregon, earned Group of Five All-American honors last season and was named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-American team in 2023.
What Do The Analysts Say?
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler released his first 2026 Mock Draft last week, and he had Casey going to the San Francisco 49ers with the 23rd pick in the first round.
“Boise State has consistently produced NFL talent, but it’s never had first-round picks in back-to-back years,” Brugler wrote. “There is a chance that Casey, who helped open run lanes for 2025 top-six pick Ashton Jeanty, could change that.”
Casey is the fourth offensive tackle coming off the board in the first round of Brugler’s mock draft, following Utah’s Spencer Fano (No. 3), Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor (No. 8), and Florida’s Austin Barber (No. 9). He also has the Bengals taking Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa at No. 26 and the Eagles picking Boston College tackle Jude Bowry at No. 32.
A mock draft by Fox Sports’ Rob Rang also has Casey coming off the board with pick No. 23 overall, but he has the Packers taking the talented young lineman from Boise State.
