UTA29

[Aston]

past reports: (2018) End of the Wynn Era?, (2020) Draft Results, (2020) Bees Report, (2021) Utah Herald, (2022) Bumbling Bees, (2023) Ulmanac, (2024), (2025) like a dynasty, (2026) Bees Knees, (2027) and the Year of the Pelican, '28 Bees

UTA29

Last offseason, the Bees laid down some pieces that were critical for staving off the age cliff, turning over the roster nicely on the D-line and coming away with two solid rookie RBs.

Apart from the insanity that was getting rid of our only major WR asset in Bryan Sidharta, we feel like we have a lot to build on.

DE Brady Stegman will be one of many to get his big payday (that $70M cap figure is going to end up being rather overstated, sadly) and turned out to be our most crucial addition.

Third-year players RB Michael Glenn and DE Ted Kau both proved their worth, too, and join a rather long line of "Whew, thank goodness I didn't trade them" UTA draft picks. Kau and Stegman look like a dynamic DE duo for the coming few years. 4th-year safety Butch McKinnon is emerging as a future starter, too, and the '26 and '27 classes are looking better and better with time.

The emergence of young talent means the Bees are on the verge of bidding farewell to several franchise mainstays who have waned of late, and are now unrestricted free agents (a team decision in spite of available cap space):

-DE Emmanuel Logan anchored the defensive front for 8 seasons in Utah, but posted just 2.6 PR% last year
-DE Rondell Tyler, a solid backup, is being rendered obsolete fast by Byron LaPorte
-LB Norbert Slaten, who never did get his Pro Bowl in Utah, has seen his cover skills and endurance erode sharply in recent years, but was a force from '19 to '25.

This year's draft presents the aging Utah franchise with another chance to bolster its strong youth movement, with the Bees holding 5 of the top 70 picks: 32, 35, 53, 57, and 69. There might not be a lot of 'impact' opportunity here, but sometimes you can't do anything other than keep the ship steady, and that's important, too.

[Guest]

I knew you'd come around to good ole' Michael Glenn eventually! :)

[Guest]

Utah 2029: Will we ever lose again?

[Aston]

I think without top-end weapons at WR and RB the past few years, we're lucky not to have lost already. Not to put down the AC, but the league's strongest teams have been concentrated in the NC forever now, with all of the AC's star youth being on recently renovated teams.

If we had to face the NC's playoff slate year in, year out, we're just another pretty good playoff team that takes turns getting sent home by Columbus, Yuma, et. al. A few more of those close calls we've had would just be losses.

[Guest]

It's true, facing you AC teams is usually a free win for us. ;)

[Aston]

I mean, even Morgantown beats me. /hangs head in shame....

[Aston]

2029 Utah Bees Draft

1.7 WR Bob Hansen 25/47
By this point in the first round, the Bees weren't about to risk letting Hansen slip to in-division rivals Los Alamos or Denver (who already have Liening), picking at 8 and 10. And so, they send three 1s and a 2 to Motor City for the rights to an explosive receiver. We feel he could even turn out to be the best receiver in the draft.

2.21 K Darryl Blakely 61/79
After trading down from 2.3, the Bees watched four or five prime targets drop off the board and were left with a tough call at 21. They went with kicker, giving Troy Parrish a serious challenge. Blakely may not have the edge as a pure placekicker, where Parrish is one of the league's best, but gives Utah a more menacing weapon on kickoffs.

2.32 S Calvin Dawkins 17/38
Dawkins was pretty solid value at the bottom of the 2nd. Not a spectacular impact player, but has the athleticism to play corner and what Utah scouts are projecting as immense ST value. He'll provide depth and step in nicely into the gunner role vacated by the retiring Chester Foster.

3.7 QB Scott Syron 5/38
Randy Boone is entering his 12th year, and despite a stable of solid backups, a high round 3 seemed to be a modest investment for a signal-caller with potential. Syron will have years to to learn before having to step into the spotlight. As a prospect, he's a 6'5, 245-lb athlete with an arm. As raw as he is, the physical talent and potential here is immense.

3.9 OG Glenn Hammond 15/26
Utah looked between DL and OL and decided to reinforce their offense's trenches with Hammond. A project who could either play guard - stepping into the role of the since-traded Mo Marchant - or center, where the Bees are preparing a succession plan for Stephen Wells.

4.16 OLB Timothy Flynn 13/24
The free agency departure of 10-year starter Norbert Slaten left the Bees with a hole to fill at LB, and Flynn comes in as the answer. A versatile player with football smarts, Flynn can play inside or out in Utah's 3-4 alignment.

4.20 WR Thomas Collier 13/39
Utah takes a chance on a WR prospect late in the 4th with an aggressive move, shipping Dakota's 3rd round pick in 2030 to the Yuma Aces. Collier is the 2nd WR selected by Utah in the draft, and the double-dip reflects potential for significant turnover in Utah's aging WR corps.

5.7 C Bucky Hughes 13/48
The Bees take a second double-dip in Round 5, going back to the offensive line and taking a chance on Hughes. Scouts felt he was extremely overrated, but the coaches must see something in him. A 5th round project that we felt would have come off the board soon afterwards.

5.20 FB Howie Connell 15/25
After carrying 2 TEs on the roster for the past couple of seasons, we're adding a 3rd by way of the draft and targeting the roster spot held by FB2 Kerry Duran for some competition. Connell will need to prove some pass-catching ability, as well as offer special teams value, or he could have a tough time unseating the athletic, 10th-year ST ace.

6.10 S Jermaine Peterson 13/23
Safety has been one of the more secure positions on the roster for some time, and Peterson is a late-round investment hoping to continue that trend. With Lance Morris aging, Peterson gives the Bees an option to look at for a future backup cover safety on the free side.

7.21 TE Dale Van Pelt 22/38
Utah double-dips for the third time this draft, selecting another TE to target that potential TE3 role in the offense. Van Pelt looks the part of a strong blocker, and at 6'4-249, provides a sizable target in the red zone and on third down situations. Not very smooth or athletic in the passing game, and that's probably why he slipped, but we see some potential for Van Pelt to blossom in the pros.

7.30 FB Juan Howe 18/37
Character concerns dogged Howe and led to one of the most tenacious blockers available in the class becoming the 10th FB picked. We feel Howe represents the kind of talent that is rare to find in the 7th round at all, and while he's considered unpolished in a number of ways, it was hard to pass him up. Howe is the third player selected to target the FB2/TE3 roster spot currently held by Kerry Duran, sending perhaps a strong message about how confident Utah Brass is with Duran's age.

After years of small, disciplined draft sizes, Utah's incoming rookie classes appear to be growing by the year — reflective, perhaps, of an aging roster and thinning window.

This year, there are more openings or unsecured roster spots than ever in recent memory, and should provide ample opportunity for this batch of twelve to land with a splash.

[Guest]

You can tell Flynn was one of the guys I was targeting because he came out at 13/24.

I was sweet on Dawkins too.

Syron I was split on with Douglas, but I had scouted Douglas and not Syron.

[Aston]

2029 Free Agency

QB Chester Allen 31/31
A short, athletic QB who will provide some veteran competition and maybe push for that kick holder spot.

WR Troy Barnhill 37/37
A talented, athletic receiver, formerly of Dakota (what is this, reverse pollination??) that was the primary Utah signing of early free agency. A deep WR corps could be his biggest enemy.

C Conrad Olds 67/67
12th-year veteran and a solid piece of depth for the Utah offensive line. Could also be Utah's long snapper; signed by the Bees late after lack of interest from other teams.

DT Bubba Humphrey 45/45
Utah's lone LFA veteran scoop. Humphrey has high motor and pass rush ability and gives Utah the flexibility to morph between a 34 and 43 this year. He'll play on a 1-year deal, but the Bees reserve the right to use the franchise tag on him in the offseason if he struts his stuff.

LB Ron Monroe 43/43
A guy who had a nice, long career in Yuma and released early in the offseason. After Norbert Slaten's departure, Monroe (from the same draft class) was signed to insure the spot.

S Lester Harding 36/36
Drafted 7.26 by the Bees in 2025, Harding has developed nicely since being traded to Charlotte. He's put up a number of moderately successful seasons as a starter, and the Bees had only 4 safeties at the time of this signing. One of a number of players the Bees were fortunate enough to get back as depth signings after trading them away; the most recent to actually continue a solid Utah career was WR4 Brock Rosalez (CHI).

2029 Undrafted Rookies

RB Gus Wright 14/21
Almost a certain cut with his lack of top-end speed.

RB Roman Knight 15/21
Same boat as Wright.

RB Ty McWilliams 27/32
Not likely to make the team unless he surprises, but this way Utah carries some extra insurance on top of the only 3 RBs returning from last season.

FB Henry Spencer 20/45
This is a pretty athletic guy who projects well at either RB or TE, but unfortunately won't have the weight to drop down to RB. We may make the conversion anyway, even at 65% (yuck!). An intriguing back.

WR Korey Burnett 12/18
Looks like a pretty serviceable 5th or 6th option WR, but won't ever be able to run routes. There's some hope here of a pleasant camp surprise.

WR Mo Buckley 26/46
A guy with very little big play ability, but if he's able to fill out his potential, looks like a very smooth and polished slot receiver type (RL logic here) with GD & RR, who also provides special teams ability.

C Henry Malek 24/44
A mauler who gives us another look at a backup center to Stephen Wells. Malek is a real longshot here, but if I cut him he gets mad at me, so...and with 88 block strength, he's not a guy I want mad at me.

DT Darrell Van Meter 12/34
Just a camp body here, a project-type player who could flash something, but not very likely. Could be a preseason backup option in case injuries hit.

Rookie Draft Pick Updates
S Calvin Dawkins is now 14/41 at RCB after switching with no loss in ratings, mostly due to his (currently) high man-to-man bar.

LB Timothy Flynn - primarily a run stopper - makes the move inside to SILB, where he's bumped up to 13/30. The Bees are now short at OLB (we're only carrying three, all of them nominally WLB), but could be relying on top 'backer Dan Harper in this capacity to match up against the league's better TEs. Flynn gives us a run-stuffing backup to develop at SILB, something we also don't really have.

Notes
The Bees will carry 3 tackles and 5 FBs into training camp.

[Guest]

Barnhill is some good pollen. Poor guy was a victim of his salary in Dakota.

[Aston]

2029 Utah Bees Draft: Post-TC

1.7 WR Bob Hansen
At this point, Hansen appears to be by far the most talented receiver ever to have been at Randy Boone's disposal. Not since Danny Viola and Chester Quinteros in 2016, three seasons before the Boone era began.

2.21 K Darryl Blakely
A pretty high investment for someone who appears to be a break even on our previous kicker. We do hope for some more touchbacks with Blakely, who isn't as sharp a kicker but does have an impressive leg.

2.32 S Calvin Dawkins
Dawkins moved to CB where his BnR skills are a huge concern. But with Man and INT both climbing, it looks like this is where he belongs. And he will be stepping right into Chester Foster's gunner role, as projected.

3.7 QB Scott Syron
He's not Brian Douglas, but for now, he looks like the best combination of youth and talent among Bees backup quarterbacks.

3.9 OG Glenn Hammond
Hammond signed just before TC and knocked it out of the park, projecting to be yet another starter in Utah's deep, deep interior line. An excellent 3rd round value in what was a surprise pick at the time.

4.16 OLB Timothy Flynn
Flynn's move inside seems to have been a right choice, and hopefully he finds his calling as a quality run stopper with passable coverage skills.

4.20 WR Thomas Collier
With Collier, the Bees have a 1-2 pull at receiver from this year's rookie group, something which, given the age of the receiving corps, was incredibly important for us. For long-term strategy, it really takes the pressure off.

5.7 C Bucky Hughes
Hughes is looking like a solid pick in round 5, but for now it's too early to tell if he is starting center quality or merely a solid backup.

5.20 FB Howie Connell
A swing and a mighty miss.

6.10 S Jermaine Peterson
Perhaps not what we hoped here, and Peterson won't have the easiest climb to make the final 53. A reasonably skilled young safety that we wish could have offered ST value.

7.21 TE Dale Van Pelt
A quality, but not overwhelming TE and better than his late-7th-round draft status in value. His biggest challenge will be Utah's tendency to ignore the TE3 position, and this year could be no different with veterans such as Conrad Olds making pushes for the roster.

7.30 FB Juan Howe
Howe looks like he could be OK, but the Bees are not likely to be patient with his character issues.

As usual there's nothing of note out of the undrafted rookies, although Ty McWilliams has "injury away" status as the 4th RB on the roster. He was a good FA pickup, providing just the insurance we want and not looking like such a bad runner himself, in a pinch.

After hopping down from 2.3, there were a lot of missed opportunities this draft. But we did manage to get younger at kicker, add a rookie OL prospect or two, and turn over the WR position with two athletic ones. That's a result we can't complain about.

[Aston]

The Bees enter the 2029 regular season as one of the league's oldest teams, but there's some promise in the developing youth here. Six rookies from 2028 have stuck on the team (including one undrafted free agent), and eight current '29 rookies have made the final roster — again including one UDFA, long snapper/TE Ronald Cooke.

This is the first time since 2026 that the Bees carried three TEs into the regular season. Cooke's not much for blocking, but does appear to have a dynamic receiving skillset to add to his long snapping capability.

I like the makeup of this Utah team. It's not always possible to assemble a team of your own draft picks, but we're standing T-4 with four other teams in # of drafted players on roster at 38. We have a league-low 10 players acquired via free agency (6 of these ten landing on the roster as undrafted rookies). And we're T-2 for # acquired via trade, with 6.

[Guest]

We have a league-low 10 players acquired via free agency (6 of these ten landing on the roster as undrafted rookies). And we're T-2 for # acquired via trade, with 6.

That's because strick and I have tried out damndest to stop people from trading with you. It's a shame you're a good guy because otherwise I think we'd be successful in stopping all trades.

[Aston]

Aha! 6 is quite a lot. That number probably (hopefully?) will come down over the next few years. I just like having a low non-rookie free agent count. Hopefully we can keep that up, because talent in the unrestricted free agency ranks is hard to find, often old, and usually costly. Hoping this group of 8 rookies sticks around for a while.

Thanks for the kind words garion

[Guest]

That's because strick and I have tried out damndest to stop people from trading with you. It's a shame you're a good guy because otherwise I think we'd be successful in stopping all trades.

im printing up the angry cat shirts next week!

Trade with utah... NO!