SALT LAKE CITY — After a 48-hour delay and a bit more in the NFL draft, Jalen Royals didn’t have to wait long to come off the board.
The Utah State wide receiver was selected with the No. 31 pick of the fourth round (No. 133 overall) Saturday by the Kansas City Chiefs, sending the two-year Aggie to one of the top offenses in the NFL.
The native of Powder Springs, Georgia, heads to Kansas City after three years at Utah State, where the first-team All-Mountain West pass catcher became the Aggies’ single season touchdown record with 15 last year.
He’s the first 2025 draft pick who played college football in Utah. Former Corner Canyon and Roy High quarterback Jaxson Dart, who played collegiately at USC and Ole Miss, was a first-round selection by the New York Giants.
Royals is the first receiver from Utah State selected in the NFL draft since Jordan Love was a first-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2020. But the selection is worth the wait, as he’ll join a Chiefs squad that features former BYU offensive lineman and graduate assistant Andy Reid — the three-time Super Bowl champion head coach entering his 13th season in Kansas City — and All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes, among others.
Only one other former Utah State receiver has been drafted higher than Royals — former Aggie star Kevin Curtis was a third-round pick (No. 74 overall) by the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
The speedster will join a Chiefs receiving corps looking to add to the return of Rashee Rice from injury, along with Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy (at least, at the moment).
“To hear my name in the fourth round is amazing,” Royals told Kansas City media via video conference after he was selected, smiling wide when asked about catching passes from Mahomes in what he called “the best offense in the league.”
“He’s the best quarterback in the league,” he said. “To catch passes from him is amazing.”
In two full seasons of competition in Logan, Royals — whose collegiate career started at Georgia Military College — caught 126 passes for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns, which ranks tied for third in school history in touchdown catches, 12th in receiving yards, 16th in receptions and fifth in 100-yard receiving games with eight.
The 6-foot receiver is the 39th player in school history with 1,000 career receiving yards, which he topped in 2023 with 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns. Royals added 834 yards and six scores as a junior in seven games before a season-ending foot injury.
He also turned heads at the NFL Combine, where Royals showed potential as a big-play receiver with a 4.42 40-yard dash that included a 1.49 10-yard split.
“I’m ready to impact where ever coach needs me,” he said.