NFL Prospect I: DT Vita Vea
Defensive tackle Vita Vea was feared to be heading for the 2017 NFL Draft, but was persuaded to remain with the Washington Huskies through 2017. Vea played like a man among boys in the 2016 season, so you can bet he’s aiming at headlining the NCAA defensive linemen this year.
When you stand 6-foot-5 and weigh 332 pounds, you tend to have your way with your opposition. But the NFL version of football does not allow such mismatches, so this year will be vital for Vita Vea to perfect moves to the quarterback.
Vea played nose tackle exclusively. But he stayed abreast of his teammates in the trenches, all the while recording 39 tackles and 5 quarterback sacks in 2017. You can expect those numbers to improve in 2017. By how much? I think 60 tackles and 10 sacks are very realistic numbers. He was courted by NFL dreams at the end of last season. He’ll flirt with a first round ranking by the end of this season.