Washington football: Previewing the top rookie Huskies in the NFL

Joe Tryon leads the Washington football 2021 draft class

In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bengals made the mistake of leaving 32nd overall pick Joe Tryon unblocked on a crucial 2nd-and-long play.

While the incredible play by Tryon was wiped due to an unnecessary roughness penalty on the quarterback, his ability to disrupt the pocket was noteworthy. Tryon even finished the play with a magnificent somersault.

Tryon opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead decided to prepare for the NFL Draft. Before the Buccaneers’ preseason game, Tryon hadn’t played a game of football in nearly two years. Following the game, he proved he can still be a very capable pass rusher

Elijah Molden

When the Tennessee Titans drafted defensive back Elijah Molden with the 100th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, some draft experts referred to the selection as one of the biggest steals in the draft.

As one of the many recent defensive talents to come out of the University of Washington, Molden joins an overhauled secondary in Tennessee. He is currently listed as a third-stringer behind Janoris Jenkins, Kristian Fulton, Caleb Farley, Chris Jackson, and Breon Borders.

It was just a few days ago that Molden caught the attention of NFL Twitter when a clip was shared of him intercepting a pass from Tom Brady in a joint practice with the Buccaneers. Ironically, the receiver he was covering was another Husky alum, Jaydon Mickens.

Molden will likely spend the majority of his time as the slot corner, a position he excelled at in college. He also has experience playing as the single-high safety so it will be interesting to see where the Titans decided to plug and play him. Considering he is a bit undersized, he will likely stick to his usual position in the slot.