Linebacker Devin Lloyd gave serious consideration to entering last year’s NFL draft. He decided to return to Utah for one main reason: to end his college career on a high note — specifically, with a championship.
The idea of leaving after a season that had no fans in the stands and the loss of teammate Ty Jordan didn’t sit well with Lloyd. So he came back, won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, became a consensus first-team All-American and led the Utes to their first conference championship since 2008.
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“I envisioned the success we’re having now,” Lloyd told the Salt Lake Tribune in November. “I wanted to be a part of that. And I wanted to be the best I could be before I left. I wanted to be a champion. I’d never won a championship in my life.”
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His play also cemented him as a likely first-round pick in the 2022 draft. The Draft Network has Lloyd ranked as its No. 15 overall prospect.
Lloyd became a starter for the Utes in 2019 and recorded the most tackles on the team each of his final three seasons. By the end of his redshirt senior season in 2021, the numbers were remarkable: 110 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, eight sacks and four interceptions. Two of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
Utah finished the year 10-4 and 9-1 in the Pac-12. A 38-10 destruction of Oregon in the conference title game sent the Utes to the Rose Bowl for the first time, where they lost a 48-45 thriller to Ohio State.
Whatever team ends up drafting Lloyd is getting a player full of confidence thanks to his unwavering trust in God.
“By the way I’ve worked, through my faith, I expect to be the best,” he told the Tribune. “I believe in myself, I believe in the Lord. It doesn’t always happen the way you think, but it’s amazing how it comes together.”
Lloyd’s Instagram account features multiple posts giving glory to God. People close to him have stressed the importance of acknowledging the role the Lord’s played in his life since Lloyd was a kid.
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“My faith is huge,” he told the Tribune. “I live through the Lord. I speak with Him every day. I express my appreciation. It’s a testament to my parents, the way they brought me up, and I’ve had a lot of great examples in my life who have influenced me.”
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The first round of the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. It would be a surprise if Lloyd hasn’t heard his name called by the time the night is over.
All he can do now is wait for that moment to come and trust in the path God has laid out for him as he enters a new chapter of his journey.
“Ultimately I know that God is going to send me where I’m meant to go and I am going to end up at the right location,” Lloyd said last month.
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