The New Year’s Six Bowl lineup this year features an interesting matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium between Washington football and Penn State.
No. 11 Washington football battles the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The Huskies have quite a few 2018 NFL Draft prospects in line to show off what they can do in the final game of Washington’s 2017 campaign.
If Washington defeats Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl, it will put the Huskies above .500 in the program’s all-time record in postseason play. Penn State enters the contest as an early 4.5-point favorite. However, the Nittany Lions still have a challenging task ahead in stopping UW’s offensive trio of quarterback Jake Browning, running back Myles Gaskin, and wide receiver Dante Pettis.
Moreover, not only is Pettis possibly the best player on the Washington offense, he’s also an NFL Draft prospect that could fall in the first four rounds. Washington is a roster that is loaded with NFL talent, much like last year.
Head coach Chris Petersen has already sent nearly a dozen players to the NFL, out of Seattle. Last year alone, the Huskies sent five players to the NFL Draft including wide receiver and first round pick John Ross.
UW also made an impressive recovery after sending three star defensive backs to the NFL: Kevin King, Sidney Jones, and Budda Baker. Redshirt junior strong safety JoJo McIntosh and sophomore free safety Taylor Rapp helped the Huskies secondary bounce back. McIntosh and Rapp should return to school next year and take the secondary to the next level.
Yet, there’s a few players that are not going to return to the 2018 roster. Here are three NFL Draft prospects to watch for the Washington Huskies in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.