#17

Devaughn Vele

Former wide receiver at Utah. 2023: 43 catches, 593 receiving yards, 3 TD.

WR · Utah · Jr. · #17

6′5″ · 210 lb · San Diego, CA

CFB Index 56 · #157 of 497 WRsHigh confidenceDenver — drafted 2024, Rd 7, Pick 15, #235 overall

The story

Former wide receiver at Utah. 2023: 43 catches, 593 receiving yards, 3 TD.

Drafted round 7 by the Denver in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Utah, 1,689 receiving yards — drafted at #235 overall by Denver.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

The week the volume broke through — put up 145 yds at Washington.Washington · L 28-352023

2024

Drafted by Denverround 7, pick 235

Career arc

Recruit

—

No recruit profile

CFB

College

Utah

2019–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

R7 · #235

Denver · 2024

Coaching lineage · 2019–2023

1 coach

2019–2023

Kyle Whittingham

Utah

Played his entire career under Kyle Whittingham.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DenverEntering 3rd NFL season

#235Rd 7 · Pick 15

DenverEntering 3rd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

5 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 42-18 over that span.

2019Utah11-3HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy

2020Utah3-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning

2021Utah10-4HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning

2022Utah10-4HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning

2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

56Quality starter #157 of 497?

High confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: long catch (80th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

EPA / target#196 / 639 · 69th pct

0.93

Yards / catch#212 / 639 · 67th pct

13.7

Explosive rate#227 / 639 · 64th pct

16.3%

TD rate#296 / 639 · 54th pct

6.1%

Catch rate#298 / 639 · 53rd pct

83.7%

Box-score rates (5)

Long catch#109 / 566 · 80th pct

Rec yards#155 / 566 · 73rd pct

593

Receptions#156 / 566 · 72nd pct

Yards / catch#217 / 566 · 61st pct

13.8

Rec TDs#204 / 566 · 59th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

59th → 69th percentile

Explosive rate

52nd → 64th percentile

Catch rate

57th → 53rd percentile

TD rate

58th → 54th percentile

Yards / catch

58th → 67th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home5g	4.0	45.6	13.1	0.4
Road5g	4.6	73.0	16.2	0.2

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-75g	2.4	32.8	14.7	0.0
Weeks 8+5g	6.2	85.8	14.6	0.6

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Morgan Scalley

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

Rotational

Earning real snaps in the rotation without a starting job.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

56 · #157 of 497 WRs

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Utah	43	593	13.8	3	--
2022	Utah	55	695	12.6	5	--
2021	Utah	23	389	16.9	1	--
2020	Utah	2	12	6.0	0	--
2019	Utah	--	--	--	--	--
Career		123	1,689	13.7	9	--

Season	Team
2023	Utah	--	--	21	--	--
2022	Utah	2	-4	--	246	--
2021	Utah	--	--	--	27	--
2020	Utah	--	--	--	--	--
2019	Utah	--	--	--	--	--
Career		2	-4	21	273	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2023

W 14–7

vs UCLA

2 rec · 57 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With J. Bouwmeester — 44 AVG · 6 IN 20 · 54 LONG · N. Johnson — 117 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 35.4 · 2 rush yds (14 car)

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 11 · Washington · 2&6 · Q2 · EPA +4.23Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 68 yds to the WASH 7 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Arizona · 3&15 · Q2 · EPA +3.85Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 20 yds for a TD (Cole Becker KICK)
Week 12 · Arizona · 3&11 · Q4 · EPA +3.14Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 13 yds to the ARIZ 44 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Arizona State · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA +2.76Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 11 yds for a TD (Cole Becker KICK)
Week 10 · Arizona State · 3&3 · Q1 · EPA +2.62Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 3 yds for a TD (Cole Becker KICK)
Week 9 · Oregon · 3&7 · Q2 · EPA +2.56Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 16 yds to the UTAH 44 for a 1ST down
Week 5 · Oregon State · 2&9 · Q1 · EPA +2.53Nate Johnson pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 20 yds to the ORST 39 for a 1ST down
Week 4 · UCLA · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.43Nate Johnson pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 35 yds to the UCLA 30 for a 1ST down
Week 11 · Washington · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.40Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 41 yds to the WASH 22 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Arizona State · 3&5 · Q2 · EPA +2.23Bryson Barnes pass complete to Devaughn Vele for 9 yds to the ASU 44 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 24-11vs Florida	2	14	7.0	0	9
Wk 2	W 20-13@ Baylor	2	37	18.5	0	22
Wk 4	W 14-7vs UCLA	2	57	28.5	0	35
Wk 5	L 7-21@ Oregon State	4	35	8.8	0	20
Wk 7	W 34-14vs California	2	21	10.5	0	17
Wk 8	W 34-32@ USC	3	37	12.3	0	17
Wk 9	L 6-35vs Oregon	7	80	11.4	0	18
Wk 10	W 55-3vs Arizona State	7	56	8.0	2	11	2 TD catches
Wk 11	L 28-35@ Washington	5	145	29.0	0	68	Season-high 145 yds
Wk 12	L 18-42@ Arizona	9	111	12.3	1	24
Total		43	593	14.6	3	68

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology