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Over the past 16 years, the Washington Huskies have seen at least one player selected in the NFL draft in all but one year.
That trend isn't showing any signs of slowing down as Jedd Fisch enters his third season in Seattle, fresh off adding seven more players from UW in this year's draft - the most since 2024 when ten Huskies heard their name called, including a trio of first-round picks.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2026 season and subsequent 2027 NFL draft that follows, several current Huskies should also hear their names called next April, some more known outside of the Evergreen State at the present time and others who will emerge as the upcoming season progresses.
Junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and senior right tackle Drew Azzopardi have both received early mentions as potential draft picks next year. Pro Football Focus listed the 6-foot-7, 322-pound Azzopardi, a former San Diego State transfer, as the No. 85 player on their initial 2027 NFL draft big board.
In his second full season as the Huskies' starting right tackle, Azzopardi made one of the biggest jumps of any player in the Big Ten, allowing six fewer sacks—the only sack coming in the LA Bowl against Boise State—and nearly cut his total number of pressures surrendered in half (from 29 down to 15).
Azzopardi did his part, along with now-San Francisco 49ers rookie Carver Willis, freshman left guard John Mills, junior center Landen Hatchett and a pair of right guards, sixth-year senior Geirean Hatchett and potential future starter Champ Taulealea, to protect Williams Jr. in his first season as the Huskies' starting signal-caller and with another strong season in 2026 it could position the Arizona native to put his name in the draft.
However, a lot of that will be determined by how Williams Jr. performs this coming fall in Fisch's third season.
If the 5-foot-11, 191-pound former Basha High School star can take that proverbial next step in 2026 and get UW at minimum to the 10-win threshold, the conversation could come about that he could declare. But the more likely path would be to return for a third full season as a starter in 2027, while Hatchett, who, if healthy, will have 27-plus starts in three seasons, which should be more than enough substance to warrant a day two selection next year.
Hatchett, the younger brother of Geirean, also cut the number of sacks allowed down last season from five to one, receiving a PFF pass blocking grade of 77.1, good for No. 10 among Big Ten centers who played a minimum of 216 snaps in 2025.
Defensively, senior safety Alex McLaughlin is the player who isn't among the top 100 on many 2027 NFL draft big boards right now, but certainly could be with another full season starting for defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.
Last year, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound former Northern Arizona transfer graded out with the 42nd highest tackle grade of any defender by PFF, and boasted 38 stops—fifth most of any safety in the country—while also proving his worth on special teams with a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown off a botched fake field goal attempt at UCLA.
Behind McLaughlin, arguably any one of senior edge rusher Jacob Lane, junior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, and senior linebackers Jacob Manu and Xe'ree Alexander could all vie to hear their names called in next year's draft with what is expected to be potential all-conference caliber seasons in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Five Washington Huskies Who Could Be Taken in the 2027 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
That trend isn't showing any signs of slowing down as Jedd Fisch enters his third season in Seattle, fresh off adding seven more players from UW in this year's draft - the most since 2024 when ten Huskies heard their name called, including a trio of first-round picks.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2026 season and subsequent 2027 NFL draft that follows, several current Huskies should also hear their names called next April, some more known outside of the Evergreen State at the present time and others who will emerge as the upcoming season progresses.
Junior quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and senior right tackle Drew Azzopardi have both received early mentions as potential draft picks next year. Pro Football Focus listed the 6-foot-7, 322-pound Azzopardi, a former San Diego State transfer, as the No. 85 player on their initial 2027 NFL draft big board.
In his second full season as the Huskies' starting right tackle, Azzopardi made one of the biggest jumps of any player in the Big Ten, allowing six fewer sacks—the only sack coming in the LA Bowl against Boise State—and nearly cut his total number of pressures surrendered in half (from 29 down to 15).
Azzopardi did his part, along with now-San Francisco 49ers rookie Carver Willis, freshman left guard John Mills, junior center Landen Hatchett and a pair of right guards, sixth-year senior Geirean Hatchett and potential future starter Champ Taulealea, to protect Williams Jr. in his first season as the Huskies' starting signal-caller and with another strong season in 2026 it could position the Arizona native to put his name in the draft.
However, a lot of that will be determined by how Williams Jr. performs this coming fall in Fisch's third season.
If the 5-foot-11, 191-pound former Basha High School star can take that proverbial next step in 2026 and get UW at minimum to the 10-win threshold, the conversation could come about that he could declare. But the more likely path would be to return for a third full season as a starter in 2027, while Hatchett, who, if healthy, will have 27-plus starts in three seasons, which should be more than enough substance to warrant a day two selection next year.
Hatchett, the younger brother of Geirean, also cut the number of sacks allowed down last season from five to one, receiving a PFF pass blocking grade of 77.1, good for No. 10 among Big Ten centers who played a minimum of 216 snaps in 2025.
Defensively, senior safety Alex McLaughlin is the player who isn't among the top 100 on many 2027 NFL draft big boards right now, but certainly could be with another full season starting for defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.
Last year, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound former Northern Arizona transfer graded out with the 42nd highest tackle grade of any defender by PFF, and boasted 38 stops—fifth most of any safety in the country—while also proving his worth on special teams with a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown off a botched fake field goal attempt at UCLA.
Behind McLaughlin, arguably any one of senior edge rusher Jacob Lane, junior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, and senior linebackers Jacob Manu and Xe'ree Alexander could all vie to hear their names called in next year's draft with what is expected to be potential all-conference caliber seasons in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Five Washington Huskies Who Could Be Taken in the 2027 NFL Draft
Continue reading...
