It’s that time of year again, the one that football fans anticipate with both excitement and nerves: Draft Day. A yearly event, the NFL draft consists of the best collegiate football players from around the nation, hoping to be selected by a pro football team.
The draft consists of seven rounds with 32 players picked in each round. Each team’s ultimate goal is to select players to round out their roster and pick the next year’s breakout stars. This year the draft took place from April 25 to 27, and Seattle made several big moves.
The University of Washington Huskies tied their school draft record by having 10 players drafted overall, which is significant. Importantly, UW had three players picked in the first round, tying with Louisiana State University and University of Alabama for most first round picks. That puts UW in a conversation with two other schools known as collegiate powerhouses in the sport.
Michael Penix Jr. and Rome Odunze, respectively, the starting quarterback and wide receiver who led UW to the national championship, were the two most anticipated Huskies to enter the draft. Sports analysts speculated that Odunze would be taken in the first 10 picks and Penix would be taken in the first round. On draft night, pick number eight came up with the Atlanta Falcons on the clock. They chose Penix, a pick many people disagreed with because they expected him to go later in the first round. The next pick was held by the Chicago Bears and they picked Odunze. The result was that back-to-back Huskies were drafted, something rarely seen this early in the draft.
The Seahawks also had a good draft night. Their first pick, which came at number 16, was University of Texas defensive lineman, Byron Murphy. Many believe that he was the best defensive lineman in the whole draft class, and I believe that this pick will turn out good for the Seahawks and that they might have the next defensive star in the NFL.
The Seahawks didn’t have a second round pick but they picked in round three. Here is where one of my favorite picks of the draft occurred when they chose Christian Haynes, an offensive lineman out of UConn. This pick was really good in my opinion: many analysts believed Haynes should have been picked much earlier and that the Seahawks got a good player at a position of need. They also made six more selections who might not seem immediately helpful but could prove beneficial in the future.
Overall, Seattle players basked in the glow of the spotlight throughout the draft, as Huskies ascended to the pros and popular picks boosted the Seahawks roster.
