SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 5, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Seven former Utah college and high school football players have been selected to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games.
Players from five universities in the Beehive State — BYU, Utah, Utah State, Weber State and Southern Utah — will be represented in Pro Bowl Games, featuring AFC vs. NFC skills challenges and a flag football game.
A pair of Utah high schools — Orem and Desert Hills — also have alumni participating in the Feb. 1-4 event at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Former BYU linebacker Fred Warner is headed to his third Pro Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers.
Former BYU and Orem High School star Puka Nacua was one of three rookies selected in his record-setting season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Chicago Bears cornerback and former Utah All-American Jaylon Johnson is headed to his first Pro Bowl, as is New Orleans Saints return specialist Rashid Shaheed, who becomes the first Weber State alumnus selected to the event.
Seattle Seahawks and former Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner was named to his ninth Pro Bowl, and Detroit Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell, who played at Desert Hills High School, was selected for the second time in his three pro seasons.
Pittsburgh Steelers special teams star Miles Killebrew, who played at Southern Utah, makes his first Pro Bowl appearance and is the state’s lone representative on the AFC squad.
Here’s a closer look at the seven players with Utah ties named the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games rosters:
Fred Warner
Warner is headed to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his six-year NFL career, and he’ll be joined by eight of his 49ers teammates.
Through Week 17, the former BYU star has 2.5 sacks, 132 tackles (six for loss), 11 passes defended, four interceptions returned for 66 yards and four forced fumbles.
“Just one word, consistency. The guy’s consistent,” 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said of his Pro Bowl linebacker. “He’s the same every day. The same way he plays is the same way he practices. He creates a kind of atmosphere at practice that gets really everybody on edge.
“He’s probably the leader of the team. He just has that voice. … He leads by example and I just love everything about him.”
Warner was selected by San Francisco in the third round (70th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played at BYU from 2014 to 2017, leading the Cougars in total tackles in his final two seasons.
Warner’s 264 career tackles rank 24th in BYU history.
Puka Nacua
Nacua’s historic rookie season was rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl.
The rookie receiver told reporters he got the news via a phone call from Rams head coach Sean McVay.
“He broke the news to me, so it was it was sweet to hear it come from coach,” Nacua said, adding that McVay also had a message for him. “He said something that’s been on my mind: The job’s not finished. It’s a cool reward and it’s a blessing to be honored like that, but there are other goals that I have in mind, that the team has in mind. It’s another benchmark to hit but definitely not the pinnacle.”
With one game to play, the former BYU and Orem star is just four receptions and 29 yards shy of breaking the NFL’s rookie receiving records in both categories. He enters Sunday’s regular-season finale vs. the 49ers with 101 catches and 1,445 receiving yards, with five touchdowns.
The Rams selected Nacua with the final pick of the fifth round (177th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. He led BYU in receiving in 2021 and 2022, making 91 catches for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns in 21 games (14 starts).
Jaylon Johnson
Johnson has been stellar in his fourth season with the Bears, leading the team with four interceptions and limited opposing QBs to a 26.2 passer rating through the first 14 weeks.
The former All-American cornerback at Utah said being named to a Pro Bowl is special, noting that “everything has worked out perfectly this year.”
“What’s it mean to me? [I’m] still trying to put that into words,” Johnson said Thursday. “Honestly, just blessed, fortunate to be in the position to have the voting, to have the favor go my way. Just blessed.”
Chicago selected Johnson in the second round (50th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. The two-time All-Pac 12 Conference First Team selection played in 38 games and made 29 starts during his collegiate career.
He finished with seven career interceptions and 28 passes defended for the Utes. His 21 career pass breakups rank tied for 10th all-time at Utah.
Bobby Wagner
Wagner enters the final game of his 12th NFL season needing just three tackles to set a new career high. He’s amassed 168 tackles so far, second most in the NFL, along with 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Wagner also ranks as Seattle’s all-time leading tackler with 1,549 and has made 100-plus tackles for 12 consecutive seasons.
Wagner, who played at Utah State from 2008 to 2011, was a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference First-Team selection and the WAC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011. He totaled 445 tackles, 4.5 sacks and four interceptions during his college career.
Rashid Shaheed
The former Weber State All-American and second-year pro was selected to his first Pro Bowl as the NFC’s kick returner.
The Saints return specialist has played in 14 games this season, making 43 catches for 654 yards and four touchdowns while returning punts and kicks. In Week 3, Shaheed returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against the Packers.
Entering the final game of the regular season, Shaheed has played in 14 games this season and has 18 kickoff returns, averaging 21.3 yards per return. He’s also returned 23 punts, averaging 14 yards per return.
Shaheed ranks third in the NFL in punt returns with 321 yards and punt return average (14 yards per return).
Shaheed was a four-time All-American and All-Big Sky Conference First Team selection at Weber State from 2017 to 2021. He played in 53 career games and ranks third in career all-purpose yards.
Shaheed ended his career as the FCS all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns with seven. He also had 2,178 career receiving yards, seventh most in WSU history, and 18 career touchdowns.
Sheheed went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but signed as a free agent with the Saints.
Miles Killebrew
Killebrew is headed to his first Pro Bowl in his eighth NFL season and second with the Steelers.
The former SUU star has blocked three punts since signing with the Steelers in 2021, tied for the most by any team — not just players — since that time. The Steelers special teams captain also has four blocked punts in his career.
Killebrew leads the Steelers with 13 special teams tackles, including 11 solo stops. He blocked a punt against the Baltimore Ravens that went out of the end zone for a safety in 17-10 Pittsburgh victory.
Killebrew played at SUU from 2012 and 2015 and finished his collegiate career with 356 tackles (210 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions, seven pass defenses and two defensive touchdowns.
He was an All-Big Sky Conference First Team selection in 2015, Second Team in 2014 and honorable mention in 2012 and 2013.
Penei Sewell
Sewell has emerged as a dominant tackle in just his third NFL season and earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
The Lions have surrendered just 30 sacks on 613 dropbacks this season (4.9%), the fourth-best rate in the NFL. He’s arguably the best run-blocking tackle in league, and he’s allowed just one sack and 12 total pressures all season while playing both left and right tackle.
Sewell played at Desert Hills High School in St. George and then played at the University of Oregon before declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Lions with the seventh overall pick.
