The 2024 NFL Draft is packed to the brim with talent at all positions. One school with a chance to see double-digit players taken at the event is the Washington Huskies. Here are the four most likely names worth considering on Day 1.
The Washington football program has sent 43 players to the NFL Draft since 2010. This group includes the likes of Desmond Trufant, Marcus Peters, Budda Baker, Vita Vea, and Kaleb McGary, to name a few. Of the 43 selections, ten came off the board on Day 1.
To much astonishment, 18 players were taken at the 2017, 2018, and 2019 NFL Drafts alone. All this success stamps the Huskies’ spot among the best recruiting and developmental programs in the country. Impressively, six different head coaches (including interim) have led the team in this 13-year timeframe.
Regardless of the coaching turnover, one constant remained: talent was (and is) flocking to the Pacific Northwest. Current head coach, Kalen DeBoer, convinced several 2022 draft-eligible players to return to Seattle for another chance at competing for a National Championship.
Thanks to (essentially) the entire team running it back, the 2023 NFL Draft was the first event without a Washington player taken since 2009. However, with so much talent returning to the Washington locker room, next year’s draft could be chock-full of Huskies from start to finish.
4 Washington Husky Prospects That Can Go Early In 2024 NFL Draft
There are upwards of ten players with the potential to hear their names called in 2024, but for this article, I am going to zero in on the four most likely NFL Draft targets. Do you agree with the names included?
QB Michael Penix Jr.
A former transfer from Indiana, Michael Penix Jr. quickly made the Huskies look smart by moving him out West. Penix possesses the strongest arm in the entire 2024 NFL Draft, using it to fit lasers into tight windows and drop dimes deep downfield. The lefty is also risk-averse and rarely puts the ball in harm’s way.
However — to be a first-round pick — Penix must learn how to control his power. He lacks the ability to put the proper touch on passes, often putting too much steam behind them and making life harder on his pass catchers. If the 6-foot-3 signal-caller learns how to use his lower half more effectively — or at all — he should have an easier time gauging the touch on his passes.
In a conference stacked with high-end quarterback prospects, Penix boasts the traits to rise above his peers. DeBoer and Co. are not satisfied simply being in the conversation… they want to be the conversation in the Pac-12. Success from the team and its starting quarterback can lead to a special outcome for both parties.
WR Rome Odunze
The secret is out of the bag: Rome Odunze is my favorite non-Ohio State wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. At 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds, he boasts prototypical size on the boundary. With his deceptive speed and ability after the catch, Odunze is a prospect that every NFL team will have their eyes on.
In 2022, the superstar pass catcher led Washington in receiving yards. He flexed an elite start-stop ability when working on the outside, using this to eat up open areas in zone coverage and make man defenders look silly trying to keep up. Odunze is arguably the best go-up-and-get-it receiver in the class, consistently elevating to the top of the catch point and corralling passes in traffic.
Occasionally, Odunze will let the ball travel to his chest rather than snatching it out of the air. This is an area he can become more consistent to avoid drops surfacing in the NFL. Furthermore, he has not been asked to run an expansive route tree at Washington. Not to say he can’t add more diversity, but it is something teams will want to see more of before taking Odunze early in 2024.
WR Jalen McMillan
Odunze’s partner in crime at the wide receiver position has immense potential on Sundays. Jalen McMillan is less physically-imposing but much more refined in several areas. McMillan’s best trait is route running from the slot, as the shifty pass catcher regularly creates space when given a runway off the snap.
His hands are reliable, and the way McMillan tucks the ball allows him to create yardage after the catch. He is quick, but the best word to describe the Washington wideout is ‘smooth’. McMillan glides up and down the field and has no trouble leaving defenders in his dust.
On the flip side, McMillan’s frame is slender, and it causes issues when he lines up on the boundary. Bigger, stronger cornerbacks are capable of knocking him off his route and affecting timing between McMillan and his quarterback. He could do better at coming back to the play as it breaks down, as he lacks route creativity the further he gets downfield.
All in all, the junior pass catcher possesses a high upside from the slot. In recent years, this spot has become a focal point of NFL offenses. McMillan has the traits, work ethic, and track record to serve as a primary target in an NFL offense one day. He is a potential riser in the 2024 NFL Draft.
EDGE Bralen Trice
Bralen Trice is the front-runner to be the first Washington player taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. Heck, there are even a few out there that had Trice with a first-round grade if he had declared in 2023. One of those people? You guessed it; it’s me!
The reason I am so intrigued by Trice as a pro prospect is his hand usage when rushing the passer. Too often, younger pass rushers struggle efficiently using their hands, but that is not the case here. Trice’s hands are powerful, and he uses them to get off blocks easily while fighting off stronger assignments.
His arms are long and useful when working toward the backfield. Trice mixes in power and finesse moves, always keeping his opponent off balance in pass protection. Impressively, Trice never gives up on a rep. His motor is relentless, and his secondary moves are effective after his initial attack is stunted.
Trice is athletic but isn’t the best directional athlete in the world. He can hold his own laterally, but issues arise in the run game when he is forced to change direction and pursue a ball carrier. The Husky standout must sharpen his run game prowess, but strictly from his pass rushing alone, Trice is a near-lock for Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.