What to know about Washington's Pro Day
Thoughts from Will Rogers, Jeremiah Hunter and others — and which players UW's outgoing seniors will be watching in 2025.
SEATTLE — The only thing wrong with Sebastian Valdez’s 34 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press at Washington’s Pro Day?
“I wish I had 35,” the former Huskies defensive lineman said with a laugh after Monday’s event, though he conceded: “No, I’m solid with those 34 reps.”
He should be. Nobody at the NFL Combine pushed more than 33.
Fourteen UW players — plus former California, Arizona and Bethune Cookman defensive end Orin Patu, who prepped at Rainier Beach — worked out for representatives from more than half of the NFL and several CFL teams at the Dempsey Indoor facility.
Only one of those 14, linebacker Carson Bruener, was invited to the NFL Combine, and any Huskies drafted this year will almost certainly have to wait until Day 3 to hear their name called.
So this Pro Day was a far quieter version of last year’s spectacle, where 10 eventual NFL Draft selections — the stars of Washington’s run to the 2023 national championship game — drew a record crowd of NFL scouts and commensurate attention from national media.
If there was a star this year, it was Valdez, the former Montana State transfer who anchored the Huskies’ defensive line during their inaugural Big Ten season.