UW's 5 Best NFL Prospects This Season and Why

These Huskies each have individual traits that set them apart.

Zach Durfee cuts an intimidating figure on defense. / Skylar Lin Visuals

A lot of people walk around University of Washington football practice scribbling into notebooks. The guys wearing assorted neon-colored sports gear and shoes more often tend to be media members. Those looking buttoned down in a logo shirt and matching hat most definitely are NFL scouts.

With few exceptions, they all come out to see who are the most physical and talented Huskies and appear capable of turning their college talents into pro football careers. One group shares this knowledge with the fans, the others with their employers.

Last season, it was clear from the beginning that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze were first-round draft picks in the making -- the only question was how high? -- and it became obvious much later on that offensive tackle Troy Fautanu would join them in that NFL Draft first 32 picks promised land, with 10 Huskies overall getting drafted.

With the UW roster greatly overhauled since the CFP national championship game, no one is exactly sure what the Huskies have in terms of individual talent this season until they regularly begin playing Big Ten games.

That said, we're opening up our fall camp notebook and sharing what's been jotted down, with some input gleaned from a couple of former Husky assistant coaches who came out for a look, plus personal observations culled from 15 spring practices and another 15 fall camp sessions.

Here's what we've learned about the football talent assembled or inherited by Jedd Fisch and staff in Montlake:

ZACH DURFEE

No one says NFL in appearance and body language more on this Husky football team than edge rusher Zach Durfee with his foot speed and powerful upper body on a 6-foot-5, 256-pound physique. He carries himself like one of the Watt brothers who went from Wisconsin to NFL stardom. Similar to them, he's a Midwest native, hailing from Dawson, Minnesota, a little town of 1,500 people located 150 miles west of Minneapolis.

Last year, Kalen DeBoer's former UW staff did everything it could to get Durfee, a double transfer, eligible and into games, only to get shot down by the NCAA until the Sugar Bowl, when the restrictions came off and he was inserted for five plays against Texas. Durfee might be as disruptive as the departed Bralen Trice, only faster in getting up the field. We won't know until we see him in extended action. Certainly the current Husky staff is full of anticipation at the prospect in sending him out there for extended time. He just needs game snaps.

"Durfee is a game-changer," Fisch said. "He's a fantastic football player. We're really excited we've got him healthy and playing."

Jeremiah Hunter makes a fall camp grab for the Huskies. / Skylar Lin Visuals

JEREMIAH HUNTER

This California transfer has been a little overlooked by the people who draw up preseason All-American teams and break down the top individual talent nationwide mainly because the 6-foot-2, 212-pound Hunter played for a Bears program that didn't have a high-powered offense or a showcase quarterback. That's why he came to Washington -- for better visibility and more opportunity. That said, he still caught 143 passes for 2,056 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns while in Berkeley.

One football practice observer immediately picked out Hunter on the field because of his filled-out frame, decent speed and, get this, his nasty attitude. The Fresno, California, product overtly is a physical receiver who's going to continually win ball-possession battles and not get roughed up by some Michigan or Penn State cornerback, which are made-to-order NFL traits. Mix that in with the fact he knows it.

"Jeremiah is super smart," Cummings said. "It's been sort of a gift and a curse for him. He's had a couple of offensive coordinators in his time, so his ability to adjust and learn, I think, is elevated because of that. He's really smart. He can play multiple positions for us. As you saw at his previous stop, he'll go and make plays."

EPHESIANS PRYSOCK

He's a 6-foot-4 cornerback. Let that sink in for a moment and then say it again. He's a 6-foot-4 cornerback, which at every football level makes him a bonafide freak of nature. Once his 193-pound frame is a little more filled out, the junior from Canyon Country, California, probably rates as a high-round NFL draft pick.

Prysock runs well and has that incredible reach while in pass coverage. If someone should wonder if he's tough enough with that long and lean frame and not more of a finesse guy, Fisch told the story of his determined cornerback going up against Oklahoma in the 2023 Alamo Bowl, which is probably in NFL notes filed across the scouting network.

"He broke his finger or hand in the bowl game, got it wrapped, got it splinted, came in one play later, got it dislocated again, got it clubbed and played the rest of the game," Fisch recounted. "He's tough, he's physical, he's 6-3 [sic], he's an NFL corner. Our goal is to get him to meet his dreams."

Arizona transfer Ephesians Prysock shakes hands with safety Kam Fabiculanan. / Skylar Lin Visuals

DREW AZZOPARDI

Last season, the Huskies received the Joe Moore Award for having the best offensive line in the nation. If you didn't believe it then, consider that tackle Troy Fautanu went on to become the No. 20 player taken overall in the NFL draft and tackle Roger Rosengarten went No. 62 overall as a second-rounder, center Parker Brailsford is now a first-team AP preseason All-America pick at Alabama, guards Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow are at Ole Miss bidding for jobs and Geirean Hatchett plays for Oklahoma.

To replace the departing tackles, the first pick for Kalen DeBoer's staff was the 6-foot-7, 308-pound Azzopardi, a high-quality San Diego State transfer who chose the Huskies from among 25 portal offers. Similar to the guys who left, this sophomore from Pacifica, California, is a slimmed-down player with no discernible belly, has great mobility and pencils out to an NFL future.

"I definitely say my feet and how quick I am with my feet and my redirect and stuff like that," Azzopardi said when asked for his football strengths. "I still obviously have a lot of things to work on. I appreciate the compliment, but I think I still have to work a little bit on the belly, too. Really my athleticism and the ability I have to move and to really protect the pocket."

Carson Bruener (42) and Bralen Trice (8) converge on Michigan running back Blake Corum. / Skylar Lin Visuals

CARSON BRUENER

Bruener won't tell you this, but he wasn't a full-fledged starter the past two seasons for DeBoer's defense and it fuels him. Everyone else seems to agree that he was an elite player in 2023 except for his former coaches, which appears to be just a matter of preference. At the end of last season, the 6-foot-2, 226-pound Bruener was voted as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection by opposing coaches even while starting just once as an injury fill-in. Entering this season, he's on the Dick Butkus Award watch list.

Bruener is a big hitter, has decent speed in pass coverage and he's the son of former Husky and NFL tight end who currently is a Pittsburgh Steelers scout. A neutral observer said what separates this Bruener from other linebackers is he plays smart at all times besides being overly physical, and that could make him a 10-year NFL vet. His current UW coaches quickly installed him as a starter and a team leader.

"Carson has established his own legacy, where he's a legacy player with his dad a 14-year NFL player and one of the greatest Huskies we've had, Mark Bruener," Fisch said, breaking down the family tree. "Carson has done an incredible job since i've got here of making sure our program and what Washington football has been for many years meshes together."

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