Offensive lineman Caleb Etienne continues to rewrite the script— a mantra he adopted following a subpar first season at BYU — and alter perceptions that followed him to Provo when he transferred from Oklahoma State in 2023.
Now the massive left tackle who checked in at 6-foot-7 and 329 pounds at last month's Big 12 Pro Days in Frisco, Texas, wants to follow another script that his predecessors at BYU have written the past three seasons. BYU's starting left tackle has been taken in three straight drafts, as Brady Christensen (2021, third round), Blake Freeland (2023, fourth round) and Kingsley Suamataia (2024, second round) have gone to the Panthers, Colts and Chiefs , respectively.
Will Etienne follow in their footsteps and keep the streak alive?
Really, nobody knows for sure, with the 2025 NFL draft taking place Thursday through Saturday (ESPN, ABC, NFL Network) inside and around Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Round 1 is Thursday, rounds 2-3 are Friday, and rounds 4-7 — which is where Etienne would go, if he's picked — are Saturday.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic put out his seven-round mock draft last Wednesday and has Etienne going in the seventh round to former BYU player Andy Reid's Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round. The NFL.com mock draft published Friday has Etienne going in the sixth round to the Los Angeles Rams .
The Draft Network calls him a "potential Day 3 selection" (rounds 4-7), but most other mock drafts — such as the Sporting News and CBS Sports — don't have Etienne on their boards.
"I honestly don't know for sure, but I feel like I will be drafted," Etienne told the Deseret News on Thursday. "I will just be on standby and wait for that phone call, wait until the 26th (Saturday). That's the day I really plan on hearing something. That's where I am projected to go."
The other BYU player from the Cougars' 11-2 team in 2024 who could be drafted is defensive end Tyler Batty , the only BYU product invited to February's NFL combine in Indianapolis .
Etienne said he's "bummed" about not getting a combine invite, but not deterred.
"It would have been a good opportunity for me to display what I could do on TV where a lot of people could watch," he said. "But yeah, I pretty much used it as motivation, honestly, and just kept moving and got prepared for my Pro Day. Life goes on, and I moved on."
By most accounts, Etienne killed it in Frisco , and made himself a draft prospect with some impressive numbers not often seen from a man his size. Most notably, he posted a 5.01-second 40-yard dash, the third-fastest time of all the offensive linemen there.
His 30-inch vertical jump was also third best, and his 9'6" broad jump tied for first with Kansas ' Bryce Cabeldue.
"I feel like I did pretty well. I did what I was supposed to do. I prepared the right way and took care of myself and my body, and I trusted the training that I got in Florida, and so I was able to go out there and showcase everything I can do," Etienne said. "I did everything they wanted to see, pretty much, just like I envisioned doing."
After BYU's 36-14 win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, and when it was decided that the possibility of returning to BYU for one more season by taking advantage of the new junior college eligibility rule wasn't in the cards , Etienne signed on with Ali Barnes and the Delta Sports Group agency and went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and began training with Pete Bommarito.
"I kinda wish I could have stayed and gotten that extra year (of eligibility) for sure, but everything happens for a reason," Etienne said. "I got a bit of a late start in Florida, but I was really able to lock in and lower that 40 time. … Improving my speed was a huge factor, and a huge improvement."
His quickness and agility also improved, evidenced by his times in the 3-cone drill (7.94) and the shuttle (5.04) in Frisco.
"He scored an unofficial 9.27 #RAS (score) out of a possible 10.0," wrote Kent Lee Platte of RAS Football. "This ranked 104 out of 1,419 (offensive tackles) from 1987 to 2025."
Scouts were also impressed that Etienne has an 86-inch wingspan but still put up 27 bench presses at Pro Days. Many of those numbers would have ranked Etienne among the best at his position at the NFL combine.
Whether he is drafted or not, Etienne believes he has what it takes to make an NFL roster and doesn't really have a preference where he goes — as long as he goes. He grew up in New Orleans and was a Saints fan, then went to junior college in Kansas (Fort Scott) and started liking the Chiefs a bit.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they brought in Etienne before Pro Days and tested him out, gave him a tour of their facilities, and gave him some one-on-one time with Reid, who has shown an affinity for adding former BYU players to his roster.
"I sat in Andy's office and talked to him for awhile. He's a great guy, a cool guy. We were just sitting in there, hanging out, chilling," Etienne said. "I met with a lot of people on his staff as well, a lot of great people.
They were very welcoming. It was a great time. I even met with the O line coach, the offensive coordinator, talked some ball."
Etienne started all 13 games at left tackle for Oklahoma State in 2022, then played right tackle and some guard at BYU in 2023 as the aforementioned Suamataia played on the left side. He had 239 snaps at right tackle and 64 at right guard in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
It is that versatility, the ability to play both tackle and guard spots, that is causing his value to improve, according to the Draft Network.
After Suamataia went to the Chiefs last April , Etienne took over BYU's left tackle spot and turned in a fantastic season, much better than his first one in Provo.
"I think I turned around my career, rewrote the script," he said. "At BYU, I proved I am versatile. … I proved I was able to learn the playbook quickly and that I am a fast learner. I am a big, huge guy that is explosive and is an athlete."
Etienne said he talked to about 18 NFL teams at Pro Day, then chatted in depth in recent weeks with the Chiefs, 49ers, Titans, Commanders, Saints and Seahawks, among others.
"Since Pro Day, there have been a good amount of teams hitting me up," he said.
Since his performance in Frisco, Etienne has been living in Kansas with his fiancée, Sataizha Buckner-White, and their 3-year-old son, Caleb Jr.
They will head to Louisiana later this week and watch the draft with his family in New Orleans, paying particularly close attention to Saturday's happenings.
"I haven't been home in four years, so I am just going to hang out and have some food and we will have a little celebration," he said. "I will see as much family as I can knowing once I leave I probably won't be back home for another five years because I am going to be so focused and locked in on ball and won't be thinking about anything else."
Etienne said if he is drafted he plans to save most of his money, but also might buy himself a GMC truck and give the Durango he has been driving the past five years to Sataizha, who has started her career as a respiratory therapist.
"That's pretty much it for right now. I am just going to keep my head down until I get to that second contract," he said. "I'll keep working, and try to earn a starting position. If I do that, everything will take care of itself."
Perhaps the most memorable moment for BYU fans of Etienne's career was when he openly wept after the Cougars downed Oklahoma State — the school that told him he wasn't good enough to start anymore — 38-35 in Provo last October.
"Going to BYU was just what I needed. I am so glad I did it," Etienne said. "Just the relationships I was able to build will last forever. It was just so easy to be myself and just hang out and chill. I never felt like I was not welcomed.
"Going to BYU was just what I needed. I am so glad I did it," Etienne said. "Just the relationships I was able to build will last forever. It was just so easy to be myself and just hang out and chill. I never felt like I was not welcomed."
He said the entire 2024 season stands out to him, and the way he made major strides under the tutelage of new BYU offensive line coach TJ Woods. Woods said in March that Etienne not getting an invitation to the NFL combine was an injustice and left it at that.
"Everybody was so open and just so nice. Everything was meant to be during my time at BYU, I feel like. I can't wait to go back and visit some time soon, whenever I get the chance, just come back and watch a game or something," he continued. "I was blessed to have the opportunity to go there. BYU will have a special place in my heart forever."
BYU's Caleb Etienne runs a drill during the Big 12 pro day Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Frisco, Texas. | Jessica Tobias, Associated Press
