Two members of Washington football’s highly touted defense have received honors on the Walter Camp preseason All-Americans list!
Washington football has had the best defense in the Pac-12 since 2015, and led by preseason All-Americans Elijah Molden and Levi Onwuzurike, that should continue in 2020. Named to the first and second teams respectively, the two seniors will have huge expectations going into their final season on Montlake.
Molden deserved All-American honors following the 2019 season, so it’s nice to see him recognized. As a junior, he led the Huskies in tackles, passes defensed, interceptions, and forced fumbles. The numbers speak for themselves for Molden, as he’ll be leading arguably the most talented secondary Jimmy Lake has ever had.
Onwuzurike is an unstoppable force at defensive tackle, with an elite first step that NFL scouts will be drooling over by February. A game wrecker from the inside with 16 career tackles for loss and seven sacks, with the talent around him along the defensive line, Onwuzurike will see a lot of one on one opportunities this year and truly be able to shine.
The pair joins Ben Burr-Kirven, Dante Pettis, and Hau’oli Kikaha as other Huskies who’ve been honored as Walter Camp All-American selections.
Both players project as early-round 2021 NFL Draft selections. Molden’s positional value as a nickel corner might let him slip out of the first round, but he’s more than athletic enough to play as a boundary corner. His draft stock will depend completely on how teams view him. If an NFL team sees him as a pure slot corner, he’ll most likely be taken within the top 50. However, if someone believes he can play on the boundary, his ceiling is the same as Jaire Alexander’s.
Right now, Onwuzurike projects as a day two player. He fits best as a 3-4 defensive end, but he can also play as a defensive tackle in the 4-3 as a pass rush specialist. Onwuzurike has some value as a run defender, and can blow plays up in the backfield, but has more value as a pure pass rusher.
Spearheaded by the two All-Americans, Lake is in line to have one of the nation’s elite defenses in 2020.