As the original Utah Ute who left school a year early to enter the NFL draft, quarterback Scott Mitchell was disappointed when two of the program's defensive stars departed this winter.

That's not necessarily the benefit of having nearly 20 years to reflect on his own decision. It's mostly just a love of the Utes.

"From a selfish standpoint, being a Utah fan," Mitchell said, "I want all those guys to stay around."

Defensive end Paul Kruger and cornerback Sean Smith left, joining BYU receiver Austin Collie in by far the most prominent group of underclassmen ever to leave the in-state schools in the same year.

Mitchell believes there's no universal answer to the stay-or-go issue, but rather an individual question "that you can really debate both sides of, rather convincingly."

Local history would suggest all three of them should have stayed.

As their evaluations intensified during the NFL combine that ends today in Indianapolis and will continue until the April 25-26 draft, they're going against an undistinguished record. Only offensive tackle John Tait, a 10-year veteran from BYU, can be said to have maximized both his college and pro potential among those who left early.

It's true that Utah quarterback Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in 2005, making his decision difficult to question. Yet even though Mitchell lasted 12 seasons in the league, he would have welcomed one more season of actually playing, instead of watching in Miami.

"If I was to do it over, I would have stayed," said Mitchell, who left Utah in 1990 after coach Jim Fassel was fired. "That's the best experience you can have."

Playing time may be more vital at quarterback than any other position. Yet the cases of Kruger and Smith are particularly intriguing, because they came to Utah as offensive players and played only two full seasons on defense. Having served an LDS Church mission, Kruger is already 23, but he gave up two years of college eligibility.

"Definitely, I think I made the right decision," Kruger said before the combine. "It's exciting. It's something you dream about since you were in elementary school."

Smith recently cited financial motivation, wanting to help his mother and two younger sisters, for entering the draft. He also believes his 6-foot-3 height distinguishes him from smaller cornerbacks in this draft. Each player is expected to be picked in the second round. That would tend to justify their choices, although they surely would have moved up in a year or two.

Collie is targeted for about the fourth round. His lack of speed, compared with other prospects, likely is pushing him back, and staying at BYU may not have improved his value that much at age 24.

For all three players, their draft position will serve as a partial gauge of whether they should have stayed or gone, but that's really just the starting point. They may not get huge first-round bonuses as Tait and Smith did, but they will not be seventh-round afterthoughts like BYU's John Walsh and Luke Staley or go undrafted like Utah's Steve Savoy, either.

"If I was ever to give a guy advice, just be decisive about it," said Mitchell, who has returned to his hometown as Springville High's coach. "You can wonder and second-guess yourself and everything, but …"

In Mitchell's case, "It all worked out in the end," he said. In another decade or so, Kruger, Smith and Collie hope they can say the same.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com