COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 27th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The MW now has first-round selections in back-to-back NFL drafts, becoming the only non-autonomous-6 conference with first round picks in each of the last two drafts. Boise State running back Ashton Jenty was selected with the sixth overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Johnson, the 2025 MW Co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-MW selection, is the 13th first-round pick in league history. The native of Eastvale, California, is the first Mountain West defender to be selected in the first round since Leighton Vander Esch (Boise State) in 2018.
The MW’s overall total is now 252 NFL draftees.
