Last time we looked at some of the Washington Huskies that are still to take their place on the field. Now it is time to look at some of the greats of the past with a UW alumni alert.
The Washington Huskies have had some tremendous players come out of their program in the past several years. The team has always been known as a contender in the Pac-12 and NFL scouts are frequently in attendance when Washington plays at Husky Stadium. As a result, many Husky players are having their names announced on draft day throughout the years. In this article we take a look at two players that dominated as a Husky and have become an NFL player.
UW Alumni Alert
Marcus Peters
Marcus Peters has been a deadly cornerback in the NFL. Starting with the Kansas City Chiefs, Peters made it clear that he was a player not to be messed with. He averaged over five interceptions a year and had a career high three touchdowns in 2019. After his three year stint with the Chiefs, he played one and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens. However, none of this would have happened without Peters suiting up for the Huskies. During those three years in Seattle, Peters was a full time starting cornerback known for being a physical defender who made clutch plays in the big moments. Fans saw a dynamic playmaker on the field every Saturday night.
Because of these Peters successes in Washington, Peters, he was selected in the first round,, 18th overall, to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he has become a shutdown NFL cornerback. At age 27, Peters is in the prime of his NFL career and will continue to look to improve on the successful season he had last year.
Vita Vea
Vita Vea has only recently begun his career in the NFL, but his future looks bright. The 6-4 347 pound nose tackle heard his name called by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 12th pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Vita Vea was an absolute force to be reckoned with during his time in Washington. In his 37 career games, he had 9.5 sacks and 99 total tackles, plus 15 of them for a loss of yards. Vea also helped the Huskies to their first ever College football playoff. During that season Vea was crucial in Washington’s run defense. That was one of the best in the nation.
To add to his already outstanding college career in 2017, he was awarded the Morris trophy. This trophy is voted by the offensive line and awarded to the best defensive lineman in the Pac-12. Vea is an explosive pass rusher that bull rushes through the offensive line to make plays. In his two seasons with Tampa Bay he has 5.5 sacks and 63 tackles. A solid stat line, however, as Tampa loads up their offensive weapons for next year. Vea will be relied upon to keep the defensive line in check. It will be exciting to watch Vea and the Bucs compete for the super bowl next season.
Summary
These are just two Washington players making an impact in the NFL. Most recently, the Huskies have been successful, getting their players drafted to the NFL and ultimately having productive careers. In the future, the program will be looking to keep improving their track record placing players into the NFL. The way in which Washington has been recruiting,it looks like the trend will keep going.
