Worth the Wait? No, Elijah Molden Should Have Played Sooner for UW

Huskies cornerback comes off a big year, looking for an even bigger year as a senior.

Jimmy Lake says the best player always plays. Show him production, and the Washington defensive coordinator-turned-head coach will show you the field.

At the same time, one has to wonder if the Chris Petersen coaching staff, which included Lake, waited longer than necessary in giving cornerback Elijah Molden a more prominent role.

No slight to Jordan Miller, who was good enough to earn a NFL roster spot last year with the Atlanta Falcons, but once Miller moved on and Molden took over for him, few if any defensive backs were better anywhere in the Pac-12.

In 2019, Molden led the Huskies in tackles with 79 and interceptions with four, defended 17 passes, forced three fumbles and recovered one, capping off the year with most valuable player honors in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Entering his senior season, Molden twice has received All-Pac-12 honors, earning a first-team selection as a junior and second-team nod as a sophomore.

Miller, for that matter, left Washington without any all-conference recognition.

To his credit, Molden waited his turn, but not without letting his competitiveness show through when pressed about his gradual depth-chart advancement. 

"It's really humbling because last year and my freshman year, those weren't realizing my goals," Molden said. "I didn't see it panning out the way I wanted it to."

This is another in a series of profiles on prospective UW football starters. While spring practice has been canceled or postponed because of the pandemic, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated will continue to provide uninterrupted coverage.

Molden, now unencumbered by personnel issues and making others wait their turn, should set the tone for a fearsome Washington defensive unit.

He's one of nine returning starters, and one of two who are regarded as the best at their positions league-wide, with senior defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike the other. 

Talent scouts praise Molden's instinctiveness on the field. He's very good at anticipating plays and always decisive in coming up with a course of action.

During his recruitment, Washington was able to lure Molden away from Oregon, where his father Alex was a second-team AP All-American cornerback and a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in 1994, plus Stanford.

All along, Molden has been as good as advertised in the secondary, even if the Huskies made him wait longer than he wanted to become a headliner. If anything, it's made him more determined than ever to show them how good he is.

SUMMARY: He's the unabashed leader of the UW defense. He dares opposing teams to throw at him and makes them pay when they do. He's not just a coverage guy either, fully capable of the big hit in the open field.

GRADE (1 to 5): Elijah gets a solid 5. He became an elite player as a junior, doing everything asked of him. He might have performed at a similar level as a sophomore had the Huskies put him on the field more.