Huskies Pitch a Rare Shutout in NFL Draft
NFL teams drafted 259 players over three days, selecting assorted talent from places such as Wagner, Liberty, Northern Michigan, William & Mary and Stephen F. Austin.
Yet those pro franchises didn't see one University of Washington prospect they wanted and over seven rounds passed on all of them — the first time that's happened in 14 years.
The difference between these have-not UW football teams is a little startling: the 2008 Huskies went winless in 12 games and arguably didn't have anyone worthy of a draft pick whereas Kalen DeBoer's 2022 team finished 11-2 , ranked eighth in the polls and offered up a couple of first-team All-Pac-12 selections in offensive guard Jackson Kirkland and edge rusher Jeremiah Martin.
This was such an unusual situation for the Huskies, it marked just the fourth time in 86 NFL drafts they had no one picked.
Seven of the 10 Pac-12 teams had players chosen this time. Arizona, Colorado and the Huskies were shut out.
Twenty-seven different conference players heard their names called out, but none from the UW.
Kirkland, who agreed to an undrafted free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals shortly after the draft concluded, had to be the most disappointed of the jilted Husky players. He was a three-time, first-team all-conference pick and a second- and third-team All-American this past season.
It wasn't all that long ago that several mock drafts listed him as a middle to high first-round possibility. Yet in recent weeks, it appeared the experts now questioned the mobility for this 6-foot-7, 321-pound legacy player, whose father Dean Kirkland was an 11th-round pick (in an extended draft) in 1991 for the Buffalo Bills.
The pros drafted 41 offensive linemen, among them 17 tackles, 15 guards and nine centers, but none were named Kirkland.
Safety Alex Cook was second-team All-Pac-12, a two-year starter and UW team leader, yet the pros likewise passed on him.
Other Huskies who weren't drafted included running back Wayne Taulapapa, offensive guard Henry Bainivalu, center Corey Luciano and linebackers Kris Moll and Cam Bright. Luciano agreed to a free-agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers, while Bright aligned with the Seattle Seahawks.
Two former Huskies in quarterback Jake Haener from Fresno State and wide receiver Puka Nacua from BYU were chosen in the fourth round with the 127th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints and in the fifth round with the 177th pick by the Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
One reason for the draft goose egg was the decisions by several high-level UW players to return for another college football season, including edge rusher Bralen Trice, wide receiver Rome Odunze and quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who each have a chance to be a first-rounder in 2024.
Regardless of circumstances, it still seems real strange that not one Husky football player was deemed worthy of a draft pick.
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