2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch in the College Football Playoff
Top NFL prospects to watch in the College Football Playoff: Washington
The Washington Huskies have a ton of talent on both sides of the football that can rival any team in the College Football Playoff. They'll start with a New Year's Day matchup with Texas.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Huskies have a TON of talent starting at quarterback with Michael Penix Jr., a Heisman candidate. Penix Jr. passed 466 times, completing 307 of them for a 65.9 percent completion rate. The Huskies play-caller threw for 4,218 yards, 33 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Michael Penix Jr. finished a close second to Jayden Daniels in the Heisman voting. Penix Jr. finished just 328 points behind Daniels and a large gap followed between Penix Jr. and 3rd place finisher Bo Nix who was over 800 points behind.
On Penix Jr.'s offensive line is NFL prospect Troy Fautanu, a tackle who is a likely second round pick. Fautanu allowed only 19 pressures and only two sacks in the entire 2023 season. In 847 offensive snaps, Fautanu committed only six penalties!
Michael Penix Jr. is not alone in impressive production on the offensive side of the ball for the Washington Huskies. Running back Dillon Johnson turned 201 carries into 1,113 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns. Johnson also forced an impressive 39 missed tackles in his 14 games played.
Dillon Johnson also showed stronger pass catching prowess than Blake Corum, Johnson was targeted 20 times and recorded 19 receptions (95 percent catch rate!) for 148 yards.
On the outside, the Washington Huskies have a trio of talented pass catchers led by Rome Odunze who could be a top 10 pick in April's NFL Draft. Rome Odunze is one of the top wide receivers in the nation and turned 81 receptions into 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns! An absolutely monstrous stat line, and for good measure Odunze added two rushes for 87 yards and another touchdown.
Next for Washington is another highly regarded NFL prospect is Ja'Lynn Polk. Polk had 60 receptions on 92 targets for 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns. With his 6'2", 204lb frame, Polk also brought in 10 out of 19 contested catch attempts, an impressive 52.6 percent.
Rounding out the Huskies trio is Jalen McMillan who brought in 34 of his 46 targets (very strong 73.9 percent catch rate) for 462 yards and three touchdowns. McMillan is another guy with solid size at 6'1", 192 pounds.
The Huskies aren't all offense though, Dominique Hampton played strong for the Huskies as a safety and slot cornerback. 92 tackles (led the team), five passes defensed and two interceptions for Hampton in the secondary. Hampton in coverage allowed 28 receptions on 46 targets (60.9 percent) and one touchdown. At 6'2", 220 pounds Dominique Hampton has fantastic size for the NFL.
Jabbar Muhammed is a streaky cornerback for the Huskies. Muhammed in 2023 had 42 tackles, 10 passes defensed and three interceptions. In coverage, Muhammed was great, allowing just 40 receptions on 76 targets (52.6 percent completion rate) and two touchdowns. What makes Muhammed streaky is the fact that he is credited with 12 missed tackles, an alarmingly high 22.6 percent missed tackle percentage.