Undrafted free agent tracker: Two former Boise State players land deals, two earn tryouts

Wide receiver Khalil Shakir became the latest Boise State player to hear his name called in the NFL Draft when the Buffalo Bills picked him in the fifth round on Saturday.

Shakir was the only Boise State player drafted, but the weekend isn’t over for the Broncos or several players from Idaho and Idaho State.

Seven former Boise State players hope to land free agent deals: offensive linemen Jake Stetz and Uzo Osuji, long snapper Daniel Cantrell, running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio, wide receiver Octavius Evans, punter Joel Velazquez and defensive back Kekaula Kaniho.

Here’s a look at the in-state players who have signed as undrafted free agents so far.

Boise State

RB Cyrus Habibi-Likio, 49ers — Habibi-Likio isn’t going far from home to begin his NFL career. The native of Palo Alto, California, has signed with the San Francisco 49ers — a team he worked out for on April 13. The 5-foot-11, 219-pounder joined Boise State last year after transferring from Oregon, where he racked up 21 rushing touchdowns in four seasons.

Habibi-Likio finished his only season at Boise State No. 2 on the team with 374 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and No. 4 with 23 catches for 213 yards.

DB Kekaula Kaniho, Cardinals — Kaniho was the first of the undrafted players from Boise State to land a free agent deal. He’ll join Habibi-Likio in the NFC West after signing with the Arizona Cardinals.

The 5-11, 188-pound native of Kahuku, Hawaii, set a program record at Boise State by appearing in 60 games during his five-year career. He was a three-time All-Mountain West pick and finished his career with 217 tackles, five sacks and six interceptions. He also scored four touchdowns in his career, including one on a punt return.

LS Daniel Cantrell — The former standout at Bishop Kelly High in Boise has been invited to minicamps with the Seattle Seahawks and Las Vegas Raiders. Cantrell was Boise State’s primary long snapper on punts and field goals since 2018.

OL Jake Stetz — The 6-2, 311-pound interior lineman had a tryout with the Denver Broncos scheduled this weekend, and one with the Seattle Seahawks next weekend. The former walk-on started 21 games during a five-year career at Boise State. He started games at three different positions on the offensive line last year, including four games at center, before missing the regular-season finale with a knee injury that required surgery.

Idaho State

WR Tanner Conner, Dolphins — Conner was a track star in high school, but he dreamed of running track and playing football in college. Idaho State was the only school he found that would give him the opportunity, and he turned it into a free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins.

The 6-3, 230-pound receiver led the Bengals in at least one statistical category in each of the past three seasons.

In 2019, he led Idaho State with eight touchdown receptions and was second on the team with 48 catches and 791 yards. He led the team with 34 catches and 685 yards in a six-game season that was played in spring 2021 because of COVID-19, and was again the Bengals’ top pass catcher last fall after hauling in 42 passes for 735 yards and four touchdowns.

Idaho

DL Noah Elliss, Eagles — Elliss’ deal with the Eagles includes a $10,000 signing bonus and $240,000 guaranteed, according to multiple reports. He’s joining his older brother, Christian, who wasn’t drafted last year but signed with the Minnesota Vikings and is now with the Eagles.

Noah, a 6-4, 367-pound nose tackle, appeared in 21 games on the interior of the Vandals’ defensive line in the past three seasons. He finished his career with 93 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery.

Elliss’ brothers, Kaden and Christian, were both linebackers at Idaho before moving on to the NFL. Kaden was picked by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. Their father, Luther, also played in the NFL and spent five years as the defensive line coach at Idaho before joining the staff at Utah this spring.

LB Tre Walker, Commanders — Walker, a three-time All-American, has signed with the Washington Commanders. The 6-1, 220-pound middle linebacker finished his career at Idaho with 305 tackles, leading the Vandals with 105 last season and 138 in 2019. He posted 54 tackles in the shortened spring season of 2021 while playing just four games.