A walk-on turned seventh-round pick, Dallen Bentley broke both bones in his lower leg on his only high school reception before rebuilding his career at Snow College and Utah.
Dallen Bentley's path to the NFL ran through a serious high school injury, a junior college stop at Snow College and three years at Utah, where he finally broke out as a receiving threat in 2025. The Denver Broncos took the Taylorsville, Utah native with the second-to-last pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Path to the league
A Taylorsville, Utah native, Bentley suffered a broken tibia and fibula on the only reception of his high school career, derailing his recruitment. He walked on at Snow College, earned NJCAA All-America second-team honors in 2022, then transferred to Utah, where he spent his first two seasons mostly as a blocking tight end before breaking out in 2025.
Career highlights
Bentley caught just three passes combined in his first two seasons at Utah in 2023 and 2024 while establishing himself as a blocker. In 2025 he emerged as a genuine receiving threat, catching 48 passes for 620 yards and six touchdowns, ranking seventh nationally among tight ends in receiving yards and earning third-team All-Big 12 honors.
2025 season recap
Bentley's breakout senior season at Utah made him one of the more productive tight ends in the country, and it earned him an East-West Shrine Bowl invitation ahead of the draft. Denver selected him with the 256th overall pick, the second-to-last selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he signed his rookie contract on May 7, 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dallen Bentley
- Deseret News: Utah's Dallen Bentley selected by Denver Broncos in seventh round of NFL draft
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Tight End
- Group
- offense
- College
- Utah
- Hometown
- Taylorsville, UT, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
