Cade Otton, Washington Huskies.
The Washington Huskies had four players selected in the NFL draft. We look at those players in order of their draft placement, plus three other Huskies with teams signed as undrafted free agents.
Kansas City used the first of their two Round 1 picks (21st overall) on cornerback Trent McDuffie. The Huskies standout became the corner off the board after Derek Stingley Jr. and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner went third and fourth overall to Houston and NYJ respectively.
A three-year starter at UW, McDuffie began the 2021 season on several national defensive back award watch lists. He finished with 45 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. As K.C.’s first round pick, McDuffie will be part of the battle to replace Charvarius Ward along with second round pick Bryan Cook, Deandre Baker, and Deon Bush.
McDuffie signed the standard NFL rookie four-year deal (includes a team fifth-year option) with Kansas City. The Huskies have had a strong class of defensive backs over the years. For example, Budda Baker was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round in 2017.
Like Baker, McDuffie came out early from Washington to go into the NFL. Being drafted higher than Baker does put pressure on McDuffie to be a high-caliber cornerback. Other recent Washington Huskies DBs in the NFL include Byron Murphy, Keith Taylor, Sidney Jones, Taylor Rapp, and Elijah Molden.
FYI, Kansas City used their other first round pick on edge rusher George Karlaftis from the Purdue Boilermakers (30th overall).
The other talented cornerback on the 2021 Washington Huskies was drafted in Round 2 by the Chicago Bears. Kyler Gordon had a great season and was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection after being an honorable mention the two previous years.
Due to his athletic ability and talent, Gordon is a likely starter for the Bears this season. Chicago drafted him as a corner, but they feel he could play the nickel back position if needed. For the time being, Gordon will start alongside third-year pro Jaylon Johnson.
Washington Huskies’ outstanding tight end Cade Otton was the first player taken on Day 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the talented TE in the fourth round (106th overall). Starting his NFL career with Tom Brady as the quarterback has to be exciting.
Going into 2021, scouts thought he would be a high draft pick, but Otton’s season was derailed by injuries. He played in 8 of the Huskies’ 12 games in 2021 after being on the first team of the Pac-12 in 2020. The Bucs got a steal in the fourth round with him. A strong receiver and a blocker, it will be interesting to see how Tampa uses him.
Otton joins the Buccaneers, who already have a strong Washington Huskies presence. The rookie tight end should feel comfortable in his new surroundings with a few familiar faces to guide him. Defensive tackle Vita Vea was a first round pick in 2018. They picked edge rusher Joe Tyron-Shoyinka in the first round last year. Finally, defensive end Benning Potoa’e came to Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2020, spending most of his time on the practice squad.
Luke Wattenberg was drafted in the fifth round by the Denver Broncos (171st overall). At UW, he played tackle, guard, and center. Wattenberg started 48 games in his college career, including 16 straight at center, earning Pac-12 Honorable mention honors twice.
He’ll have to work hard if he wants to win a starting job. Denver already has Lloyd Cushenberry, who they drafted in the third round of 2020. Since joining the team two years ago, Cushenberry has started 32 games.
The Washington Huskies had three players who signed undrafted free agent contracts.
Punter Race Porter will have an opportunity, albeit slim, to unseat the Seahawks incumbent Michael Dickson. Although he isn’t likely to win the job, Porter has a chance to show the rest of the NFL what he can do.
Tampa Bay added to the collection of Huskies when they signed outside linebacker Ryan Bowman. He might have been drafted if he hadn’t missed part of last season because of injuries. Like the other free agents, Bowman will have to prove himself in camp to make the team.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles. He played nickel back for the Huskies though he might be a corner in the pros. NFL teams want big corners, and he’s 5-10. This is why he may have been passed over. The Bengals have three cornerbacks, Vernon Hargreaves, Jalen Davis, and Mike Hilton, who are the same height or shorter than him. Even if Radley-Hiles doesn’t make the opening roster, he could be on the Bengals practice squad.
We wish all the best to all these now Washington Huskies alumni. Go Dawgs!