2023 Washington Huskies Draft Class Preview
The UW Huskies are loaded with draft talent in 2023, with a variety of talents and traits on both sides of the ball but each player has something they need to improve to maximize their draft stock.
The Washington Huskies were one of the best teams in CFB in 2022 and project to see more of the same success in 2023. As is the case with most top teams, their roster is littered with NFL talent on both side of the ball. Check out below snapshot evaluations for their top prospects and what to they need to improve on in 2023 to boost their draft stock.
Michael Penix Jr.
QB - Rs. Senior - 23 - Games: 13 (13) - 6’ 3” - 216 lbs
2022 Stats
65.3% - 4,641 YDS - 8.4 YPA - 31 TD - 8 INT - 151.3 Passer RTG
Strengths
NFL Caliber Height/Frame
Competitive Toughness
Pre & Post Snap Processing & Decision Making
Deep Ball Accuracy
Poise
Pocket Management & Navigation
Weaknesses
Injury History
Age
Scheme Translation
Lacks An Elite Physical Trait
Unorthodox Mechanics
Summary
Michael Penix Jr burst onto the scene in 2022 during his first year in the PNW with a Heisman caliber season. A talented pocket passer, Penix displays high level process and decision making pre and post snap, when combined with very good deep ball accuracy it made him one of the most lethal QBs in College Football during the 2022 season. Penix projects best in a spread offense that has a heavy pass ratio where he can show off his quick release, good three level accuracy and very good pocket navigation skills. He checks all the boxes of an NFL QB from a competitive toughness standpoint, displaying very good mental toughness late in games and good physical toughness to stand a delivery in the pocket while taking a hit. Penix is a good athlete but lacks an elite physical trait, he displays solid arm strength (around NFL average), and good foot quickness but does not project to be a dual threat QB due to adequate play speed. There are also questions about his age (23 heading into 2023), injury history (2 Torn ACLs & 2 Shoulder Injuries) and translation from a favorable college scheme.
What's Next?
Repeat 2022 Success - Most of the knocks on Penix are things he cannot change. As a 6th year senior he is not going to get any younger or more athletic, any mechanical changes will likely come from a future NFL coach. The best thing for Penix’ draft stock in 2023 is to go out and prove 2022 was not a fluke. A fully healthy year in 2023 that shows the same decision making, accuracy and production he had in 2022 is his best shot to solidifying himself as a Top 50 pick in this class.
Rome Odunze
WR - Rs. Junior - 21 - Games: 12 (8) - 6’ 3” - 211 lbs
2022 Stats
75 REC - 1,145 YRDS - 15.3 YPR - 7 TD
Strengths
Plus Height & Length
Athletic Ability
Play Speed
Separation Quickness
Body Control & Catch Radius
Situational Awareness & Mental Toughness
Run Blocking Technique & Effort
Weaknesses
Hand Timing & Placement on Releases
Route Running Consistency
Ability to Settle & Find Open Zones
Contested Catch Timing & Ball Tracking
Elusiveness in YAC Situations
Summary
Rome Odunze is a traditional X WR who wins on the boundary with his superior physical tools. He projects favorably to a multitude of schemes as a three level separator due to good athletic ability, play speed and separation quickness. He should be a dependable outside WR due to very good body control, good situational awareness and solid hands. Odunze also projects to be an impact player as a run blocker where he combines his plus frame with very good competitive toughness and good play strength. He does not project to be a quick game player that creates for himself due to only adequate elusiveness in YAC situations. Despite his physical attributes, Odunze displays poor contested catch skills due to marginal ball tracking and marginal concentration when asked to play through contact at the catch point, raising questions about his ability to be a dominant outside WR.
What's Next?
Maximize Physical Attributes - Odunze checks all the boxes for an NFL WR from a physical perspective but it doesn’t consistently translate. Improvements in contested catch scenarios and more consistent route running are two areas to note for Odunze in the 2023 season as he looks to rise in a crowded 2023 WR class.
Jalen McMillan
WR - Rs. Junior - 21 - Games: 13 (7) - 6’ 1” - 189 lbs
2022 Stats
79 REC - 1,098 YDS - 13.9 YPR - 9 TD
Strengths
Balance & Body Control
Play Speed
Foot Quickness & Agility
Coverage Recognition Pre & Post Snap
Release/Stem Package vs Off Man and Zone Coverage
Separation Quickness vs Off Man and Zone Coverage
Effort
Weaknesses
Weight / Slim Frame
Explosiveness
Play Strength
Release Package vs Press
Ability to Win Outside
Contested Catch Ability
YAC Ability
Physical Toughness / Aggressiveness
Summary
Jalen McMillan is a polished route runner who separates at all three levels of the field with good agility and separation quickness. He projects as a starting slot WR in pass heavy offense that runs a variety of concepts and routes. A very good mental processor he is very good at mixing up the tempo of his releases and stems, when combined with very good post snap coverage recognition and good hands it makes him a dependable target over the middle and on third down. McMillan’s best season came in 2022 with over 90% of his snaps in the slot, his ability to win on the outside at the next level given his lack of explosiveness and marginal play strength are a concern. McMillan also does not project to be a ball winner at the catch point or a plus run blocker, despite his good effort, for the same reasons. A good athlete McMillan has no elite trait, his ability to separate and make defenders miss in the open field will likely not translate as strongly to the NFL level, indicating the slot may be his permanent home.
What's Next?
Bulk Up & Add Play Strength - McMillan is a smart, polished WR but a lack of physical upside will likely hurt his draft stock. As a 4th year player his athletic ability is likely maxed out and cannot be improved much at this point but he still should be able to fill out his frame. Adding enough play strength to win on the outside is unlikely but showing he can absorb contact on reroutes and coming in with a good weight at the combine will likely ease concerns about his ability to hold up at the NFL level.
Troy Fautanu
OT/OG - Rs. Senior - Games: 13 (13) - 6’ 4” - 312 lbs
2022 Stats
0 SK - 15 PR - 98.7 EFF - 8 PEN
Strengths
Foot Quickness & Agility
Flexibility
Length
Post Snap Processing
Play Speed
Hand Timing/Placement
Strike Power
Zone Blocking
Versatility
Weaknesses
Physical Toughness/Aggression
Play Weight
Grip Strength
Gap Blocking
Balance
Pass Pro Set Points
Summary
Troy Fautanu is an athletic offensive lineman that wins with very good foot quickness and good hand usage as a blocker. An OT in college he projects as a starting OG (100 collegiate snaps at LG) in a Zone Blocking scheme that has a heavy pass ratio at the NFL level. Fautanu is a very good Zone Blocker due to very good foot quickness, and good agility. Those same traits combined with good post snap processing and good hand timing and placement make him a good pass blocker as well. Fautanu does not project well in Gap Blocking schemes due to adequate balance and marginal leg drive at the Point of Attack. Issues with balance and adequate redirect ability expose his marginal set points when left on an island at OT, Fautanu has a bad habit of setting too wide initially allowing speed rushers to dip inside of him and get a clean path to the pocket.
What's Next?
Bulk Up & Add Play Strength - The consensus in the industry is Fautanu will likely move inside to OG at the next level despite being an OT in college. The tape backs this up as a move to the inside should cover up his deficiencies (balance, wide set points, lack of redirect ability) in pass protection. However a move to the inside will require matching up against bigger defensive lineman on a more consistent basis and while Fautanu has solid play strength and anchor ability increasing his bulk and play strength going forward will be a big factor in his draft stock and future NFL career.
Bralen Trice
EDGE - Rs. Junior - 22 - Games: 13 (13) 6’ 4” - 274 lbs
2022 Stats
70 PR - 9 SK - 15 TKL - 32.6 MIS% - 16 STOP
Strengths
Athletic Ability
Competitive Toughness
Play Strength
Bull Rush/Forklift Moves
Speed to Power Move
Grip Strength & Strike Power
Leverage & Toughness in Run Fits
Effort and Agility in Pursuit
Burst and Force on Twists
Weaknesses
Keying the Snap
Over Aggressive Nature
Cornering/Body Lean
Hand Placement in Pass Rush
Mental Processing on Run Defense
Tackling Control in Space
Production vs Top Competition
Summary
Bralen Trice exploded onto the scene in 2022 with one of the best seasons of any EDGE rusher in College Football. Trice is a powerful athletic player who checks all the boxes for an NFL player from a physical standpoint. He projects as an every down player due to his very good competitive toughness, good run defense and solid pass rush ability. He best fits as a 5T in a 4-3 defense with the agility and quickness to drop as an 3-4 OLB as well as the strength to reduce down to a 3T on 3rd down. Trice wins as a pass rusher by using a good bull rush and forklift move as well as converting speed to power very well. Powerful hand strikes and good burst off the ball make him a devastating player on stunts and twists as well. Trice still has a little ways to go when it comes to the finer parts of playing EDGE. Adequate ability to key the ball of the snap and marginal hand placement as a pass rusher limits his ability to fully unlock his physical gifts. Trice displays adequate flexibility and body lean which limits his ability to corner and turn the EDGE on athletic tackles. He displays adequate mental processing on run defense often getting over aggressive on mis directions and can lose his outside contain vs reach blocks.
What's Next?
Polish & Expand Pass Rush Plan - 2022 was Trice’s breakout season and first full season as a starter so it is reasonable for him not to be a complete player at this point in time. Scouts will look for Trice to improve his get off at the snap as well as expand his pass rush arsenal in 2023. Trice has the gifts to be a first round caliber player but athleticism can only take him so far. There will be questions about his elite production coming against Pac-12 tackles as well as his drop in production vs top teams (62% of his pressure production came vs Kent State, Portland State, CAL and Washington State). A large portion of that discrepancy can be attributed to of a lack of counters that work off Trice's bread and butter moves. If he wants to hear his name be called in the Top 32 Trice will need to show a more complete and mature season on 3rd down in 2023.
Zion Tupuola-Fetui
EDGE - Rs. Senior - 23 - Games: 13 (13) - 6’ 4” - 251 lbs
2022 Stats
32 PR - 5 SK - 18 TKL - 32.1 MIS% - 15 STOP
Strengths
Athletic Ability
Mental Toughness
Play Speed
Get Off / Ability to Attack Upfield
Body Lean / Bend
Speed Pass Rush Plan
Use of Hands in Pass Rush
Weaknesses
Aggressiveness
Play Strength
Power Rush Plan
Tackling Finishing
Run Diagnose
Play Strength and Effort @ POA in Run Fits
Summary
Zion Tupuola-Fetui, also known as ZTF, broke onto the scene in 2020 during the COVID shortened season with 7 sacks in 4 games. Unfortunately multiple injuries including an Achilles Tear in the Spring of 2021 have slowed down his collegiate career. ZTF is a long limbed, speed rusher who wins with a good upfield burst, and shows good use of hands and body lean/bend off the edge. A good athlete he combines his plus physical tools with a variety of rush moves (club rip, swim, two hand swipe) and converts his speed to power very well with the forklift and long arm moves. At 250 lbs (14th Percentile for EDGEs) ZTF is not going to be known as a dominant run defender. He has the length and effort to set a good edge, but only an adequate ability to diagnose the run combined with adequate play strength limits his ability to maintain his leverage at the Point of Attack, especially when facing Gap Schemes. The same deficiencies show up as a rusher where he struggles to consistently win with power, unless he can generate speed from a Wide-9 alignment his rushers versus OL that can match his speed and length typically fail. ZTF has enough athletic ability to drop into coverage as a OLB which given his issues in run defense indicated his best projection at this point is a Wide-9 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB who gets a heavy dose of his snaps on 3rd down.
What's Next?
Increase Early Down and Total Snap Counts - There is no question at this point in his collegiate career that ZTF is a tremendous pass rusher. However being a pass rush specialist without elite traits makes going high in the NFL draft difficult. Given his injury history and rotational playing styles (his 358 snaps ranked 5th on the UW DL and 13th on defense overall) scouts will question his ability to be a full time starter. Given his pass rush upside ZTF does not have to be a dominant run defender but showing scouts he can shoulder a starters level workload snap wise in 2023 and hold his own on early downs will go a long way to boosting his draft stock heading into the Draft Cycle.