Three Griz earn their shot in the pros

As the 2026 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, three Montana Grizzlies have earned their chance to play professional football.

Following one if the greatest individual seasons in UM history, All-America wide receiver and return man Michael Wortham signed as an undrafted free agent with the defending AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars shortly after the draft wrapped up.

Cornerback Kenzel Lawler also earned a shot in the NFL with a camp invite from the Kansas City Chiefs after an elite Pro Day performance in Missoula in early April.

Offensive lineman Cannon Panfiloff announced earlier in the month that he had earned a chance to play in the Canadian Football League after signing with the Montreal Alouettes. He remains available for an opportunity in the NFL as well, but had not received a call as of press time.

Wortham – one of the top FCS prospects in this year's draft as the second-highest rated college wide receiver in the class by Pro Football Focus with a 91.7 offensive grade – watched the third day of the draft with his family in California.

The long wait as name after named were called out in Pittsburgh all day Saturday finally paid off less than an hour after draft wrapped up, and Wortham's NFL dreams became reality.

"Man, it's a blessing. I can't believe it. Today marks the day I get to start writing my story for my kids and everyone else in my family I can help motivate. This is just nothing short of a blessing. I'm super happy, and I'm just emotional right now," said Wortham, soon after he got the call from the Jaguars.

"I was super anxious (during the draft), just moving around a lot and I couldn't really sit still. But as soon as I got that call, it was awesome. I didn't really have words, I just hugged everyone and I'm just super grateful for the opportunity Jacksonville is giving me.

"Now I've just got to keep my head down and keep working. I've been overlooked all my life, so this is just another steppingstone. I just got to overcome and prove people wrong."

Underrecruited out of high school in Northern California as a quarterback, Wortham first stopped at Sierra College where in two years he was named section MVP and became a Ju-Co All-American. From there it was two years at Eastern Washington where he became one of the most versatile players in the Big Sky Conference.

Then in one year at Montana he burst on the national scene, rewriting the UM record books on offense and special teams, and eventually becoming a consensus All-American and a Walter Payton Award Finalist in 2025.

He set a new single-season school record with 2,431 all-purpose yards, finishing only 90 yards shy of the single-season Big Sky record. He caught 85 passes for 1,224 yards, the second-most catches in a season ever at UM (by just two) and the sixth-most total yards receiving. His 782 yards of kickoff returns are also the third most ever at UM and making him one of just five players with more than 700 in a year.

Wortham was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January and was the only receiver named to the East squad's All-Practice team at the end of the week. He also participated in the inaugural AFCA FCS Showcase, an NFL Combine-style event held in conjunction with the FCS national championship in Nashville.

He returned to Missoula and had a stellar afternoon at Montana's Pro Day in early April. His explosiveness on the field translated to the gym where posted an eye-popping 37.5-inch vertical jump and a three-cone drill time of 6.75 that would have been the second-fastest time among all receivers at the combine.

Lawler also had an elite Pro Day, performing well in multiple events. He started with the biggest vertical jump of the day at 39.5-inches – a top seven jump for corners at the combine. He followed that up with a 10' 8" broad jump (a top 10 combine mark) and 6.84 seconds in the 3-cone drill – the fastest mark for a corner at the combine.

He started all 15 games at corner for the Griz as a senior and made 28 appearances in two seasons of action in Missoula. In those two years he logged 69 total tackles (43 solo). He saw the bulk of his minutes as a senior, posting 58 stops (36 solo) with 2.5 TFLs, 15 PBUs, two INTs, and one fumble recovery. His 15 passes defended led the Big Sky, as did his 13 total breakups. 15 passes defended was also the seventh-most in FCS football that year and 13 PBUs were tied for fourth-most in the subdivision.

He was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 of his senior season after scoring on a 21-yard pick six against Cal Poly, one of four UM picks on the day. Lawler was also an Academic All-Big Sky pick as a senior.

Panfiloff, who checked in at 6-4 and 304 pounds on Pro Day and put up solid O-line numbers, is signed to head north of the border to continue his career.

A staple on UM's offensive line, Panfiloff started 30 games and appeared in 41 total contests as a Grizzly in three years. He was named to three different All-American teams after his senior season, landing on the Stats Perform second team, the FCS Central/Sports Illustrated third team, and earning an honorable mention from the Associated Press.

He earned the team's Paul Weskamp Award for outstanding offensive lineman in 2025, and was a first team all-conference pick on an O-line that gave up just 23 sacks this year, the second fewest in the last decade. That equals just over. 1.5 per game, allowing UM to rack-up over 457 yards of offense per game. Was also a leader up front on some of the most prolific offenses in Grizzly history during his career, opening holes for a record-breaking rushing attack that averaged just under 2,500 yards per season during his four years and passed for the third-most yards in program history as a senior. Panfiloff was a three-time Academic All-Big Sky pick as well.

Montana has a long history of sending its players to the pro ranks. With Wortham and Panfiloff signing, 164 Grizzlies in program history have now signed a professional contract, with 53 players being drafted.

This story will be updated as more signings occur in the coming days.

University of Montana Athletics

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Kenzel Lawler

Cannon Panfiloff

Michael Wortham

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