Coming off an All-Big 12 First Team season, the veteran defensive end is poised to exceed expectations for a Day 3 pick in the NFL Draft.
Like many of you, in addition to being a Carolina Panthers fan I’m also passionate about college football. I’m a lifelong fanatic and a graduate of BYU so I have an admitted bias in wanting the Panthers to draft guys coming out of beautiful Provo, Utah.
Because I watch BYU football I’ve amassed a solid track record of predicting which under the radar Cougars will defy expectations and succeed in the NFL. In previous years I’ve advocated for the Panthers to draft running back Jamaal Williams (2017), All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (2018), starting linebacker Sione Takitaki (2019), and the Panthers very own offensive lineman Brady Christensen (2021). Yeah, I missed bad on Puka Nacua in 2023, but nobody’s perfect.
This year’s class of viable NFL prospects coming from BYU is limited, but there’s one late-round prospect with tools to succeed in the pros and can also fill a position of need for the Panthers, and that’s defensive end Tyler Batty.
Tyler Batty’s All-Big 12 resume
BYU’s 6-foot-5, 271-pound defensive end played five seasons in Provo and racked up 224 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks. He’s coming off a 2024 campaign in which he was named All-Big 12 First Team and was a team captain. In 13 games last year he was one of the main defensive catalysts leading BYU to an 11-2 record and ending the year ranked No. 13.
Batty’s sack stats are deceptively low, and there’s a reason for that. In 53 career games (45 starts) he had just 16.5 sacks, but that was more of a function of BYU’s very passive “bend but don’t break” 3-4 scheme where they routinely dropped eight into coverage. While the scheme changed in 2023, the talent around him on the defensive line didn’t and Tyler Batty was constantly double teamed.
His size is outstanding for an NFL defensive end at 6-foot-5 and 271 pounds. Batty can put his hand in the dirt as a traditional defensive end, occasionally stand up as an edge rusher, and even drop into shallow coverage.
Over the last two seasons he was named All-Big 12 Second Team in 2023 and All-Big 12 First Team in 2024. In two Big 12 seasons he had 116 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and seven sacks. Put more stock in the assessment of Big 12 coaches than his simple defensive stats.
Batty’s draft projection
Several draft websites have Batty being selected late in the draft while some have him going undrafted. Chad Reuter at NFL.com has him being taken in the fifth round, as does a recent CBS Sports mock draft. Both NFL Mock Draft Database and NFL Draft Buzz have him as a seventh-round pick.
I’m willing to make a public declaration that any team that invests a pick in Rounds 5-7 in Tyler Batty will get a more than positive return on that investment.
Tyler Batty is NFL-ready, right now.
Batty participated in the 2025 NFL Combine and the results were overwhelmingly positive. His 8.77 Relative Athletic Score highlights his solid size, speed, and strength, though his lateral quickness leaves a bit to be desired.
Here are some of his highlights where you can see Batty in action for yourselves:
Batty served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Spain and played five years of college football. He turns 25 next month, so he’s had some time to refine his technique. While his age may limit his long-term development, it also means he’s ready to contribute on Day 1, a feat that’s rare for late-round picks.
I’m willing to go out on a limb and project that if Tyler Batty is selected late in the NFL Draft that he will outperform the players drafted around him. If he goes undrafted he should be one of the Panthers first calls as a priority free agent.
The Panthers need depth at defensive end. Tyler Batty is one of those rare late-round prospects who could be ready to contribute come Week 1.