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EASTERN IDAHO — Of the 10 currently active NFL players with ties to the state of Idaho, three grew up and played their high school football in eastern Idaho.
Linebacking brothers Kaden and Christian Elliss, as well as long snapper Hogan Hatten, will all be continuing their NFL careers after time with the Idaho Vandals. Gooding native Colston Loveland will be looking to build upon a solid rookie season with the Chicago Bears, while fellow tight end Colson Yankoff, from Coeur d’Alene, enters his third year in the league. Defensive linemen Scott Matlock, a Homedale High School and Boise State product, and Jonah Williams, a Rocky Mountain High School product, will be with the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.
While Idahoans will undoubtedly be at least somewhat interested in how those seven players perform this season — perhaps mostly so with Loveland, who has emerged as one of the top tight ends in the league — residents of eastern Idaho will be much more focused on the following trio:
Kenyon Sadiq
Sadiq, who spent his final three years of high school at Skyline after spending his freshman year at Marsh Valley, played his college football at the University of Oregon.
Following three seasons with the Ducks, he declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and quickly became a highly touted prospect. He then emerged as a potential top-10 pick, after posting awe-inspiring workouts at the NFL Draft Combine.
Sadiq was selected with the 16th overall pick by the New York Jets, joining an offense that already boasted standouts in Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson.
According to VegasInsider, he is No. 7 in the list of top Offensive Rookie of the Year contenders.
Idaho residents will have a handful of opportunities to see Sadiq play in person without crossing the Central Time Zone.
The Jets will face Loveland’s Bears in Chicago on Oct. 4. Sadiq’s squad will also have road games against the Chiefs, on Nov. 8, Chargers, on Nov. 22, and Cardinals, on Dec. 20.
Tommy Togiai
Togiai played for the Highland Rams before attending Ohio State University. After being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2021, he has spent four seasons in the league with two clubs — the Browns and, now, the Houston Texans.
A recent story from Yahoo Sports identified Togiai as one of the players that could lead Houston on a Super Bowl run.
For locals who don’t want to go all the way to Texas but would like to see Togiai and the Texans in person this season, the closest option is Nov. 8, when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers.
Taysom Hill
While Hill was reportedly considering retirement last season, he has not yet made an official announcement to that effect. However, “The Mormon Missile” is currently an unrestricted free agent after not receiving a contract offer from the New Orleans Saints, who have been the only NFL organization for which has played in his nine NFL seasons.
Another former Highland Ram, Hill became the first player in the NFL’s Super Bowl era (1967-current) to record 1,000 yards rushing, 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards passing last season.
At 35, Hill has been loosely tied to the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills during the offseason.
The post Local players in the NFL and where they’ll be playing this year appeared first on East Idaho News.
