Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks.
Tristan Vizcaino, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Huskies NFL.
The Washington Huskies have been a dependable supplier of talent to the professional ranks. This year, 36 University of Washington alumni were part of NFL Rosters. Pacific Northwest Sports reviews their performance this season, division by division. We start with the NFC West.
Wide receiver Dante Pettis had a disappointing 2020 season this year as a receiver and punt returner. He played in five games, was targeted once with no receptions. Pettis wasn’t much help on special teams either, returning one kickoff and two punts. On November 4, the 49ers waived him, and the New York Giants picked him up a few days later.
On December 30th, kicker Robbie Gould signed a two-year extension with San Francisco. Five days later, the team put him on the COVID-19 Restricted List. Needing a kicker for the season finale against Seattle, the Niners signed former Husky Tristan Vizcaino from Minnesota’s practice squad. Vizcaino converted both his extra-point opportunities and was three-for-three on field goals.
Los Angeles has three former Huskies on their roster.
Defensive lineman Greg Gaines played in every game up from ten games his rookie year. Gaines had 17 tackles on the season along with 1.5 sacks, including one against the Seahawks in week 16.
Like Gaines, offensive lineman Coleman Shelton didn’t start a game. He played in 15, all on special teams. The only game Shelton missed was the season opener against Dallas.
Taylor Rapp started five of the Rams first nine games in 2020. In four of them, the safety played every defensive snap. Unfortunately, the former Washington Huskies star sprained the medial collateral ligament (knee) in Week 10 against the Seahawks.
Rapp had 32 tackles on the season with a season-high of nine against San Francisco in Week 6. The following week against Chicago, he had his only interception of the season. There is an outside chance Rapp will be available for Saturday’s playoff game against the Seahawks.
Budda Baker, Washington Huskies.
The Cardinals organization must love Washington Huskies football players. They had a league-high four on their team this year.
Getting Budda Baker in the second round of the 2017 draft was a steal by the Arizona CardinalsIn four years, he made the Pro Bowl three times. His speed and tackling ability make him one of the top safeties in the league.
Before the season started, Baker signed a four-year, $59M contract extension. That made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL.
Baker led the Arizona Cardinals in tackles on two separate occasions this year. In Game 1, he had 15 against San Francisco. He also had 14 against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Game 7. That was also the game when he made an interception and went 90 yards before getting caught by Seattle receiver D.K. Metcalf from behind for a touchdown-saving tackle.
A special teams standout, linebacker Ezekiel Turner, had another great season. He played in every game and had a dozen tackles.
Arizona signed tight end Darrell Daniels off the Seahawks practice squad in November 2018 and has been with the team ever since. This year was his most productive NFL season with eight catches while starting in eight games as well. Also, Daniels caught his first career touchdown pass in a Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Byron Murphy Jr. played in 15 games this year. He had to sit out Week 8 due to COVID-19 protocols. As a rookie in 2019, Murphy started every game for the Cardinals. However, this season he started only seven times. The cornerback made 51 tackles, including his first career sack. Additionally, Murphy recovered two fumbles.
Aaron Fuller, Washington Huskies.
The hometown Seattle Seahawks have three players from the University of Washington on their roster. Two of them are active, linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven and tight end Will Dissly.
BBK was selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2019 draft. So far, he has found it hard to crack the Seahawks linebacker group. That can happen on a team with Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, and 2020 first-round pick Jordyn Brooks. Instead, Burr-Kirven excels on special teams. For the second straight season, he played in all 16 games and made eight tackles.
Receiver and kick returner Aaron Fuller signed with Seattle as a free agent after going undrafted in 2020. He spent the entire season on the Seahawks practice squad.
Dissly has been a pleasant surprise since the Seahawks drafted him in 2018. This was the first of his three NFL seasons where he played in every game. Each of the first two, his year was cut short by an injury after 10 games. In 2020, Dissly started 12 games as the Seahawks often use a two-tight end set.
The third-year tight end is known for his blocking. However, he had 24 catches for 251 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdowns came against Minnesota and the New York Jets. In Game 12, against the New York Giants, Dissly had four catches.
We will be back tomorrow with Washington Huskies alumni from the NFC North.