Washington's draft success soars under Chris Petersen
Washington reclaimed its spot as one of the top programs in college football this past season, winning the Pac-12 and qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
That success directly correlates with the arrival of head coach Chris Petersen, who took what former head coach Steve Sarkisian began to build and put it on (metaphorical) steroids.
Since the 2014 NFL Draft, the Huskies have produced 10 players taken in the first two rounds, the same amount the program had from 1998-2013.
| Year | Rd. | Pos. | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2 | TE | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Buccaneers |
| 2014 | 2 | RB | Bishop Sankey | Titans |
| 2015 | 1 | DT | Danny Shelton | Browns |
| 2015 | 1 | CB | Marcus Peters | Chiefs |
| 2015 | 1 | LB | Shaq Thompson | Panthers |
| 2015 | 2 | LB | Hau'oli Kikaha | Saints |
| 2017 | 1 | WR | John Ross | Bengals |
| 2017 | 2 | CB | Kevin King | Packers |
| 2017 | 2 | S | Budda Baker | Cardinals |
| 2017 | 2 | CB | Sidney Jones | Eagles |
Both Seferian-Jenkins and Sankey were draft picks under Sarkisian, who saw a total of nine players picked over his five-year tenure in Seattle. Before he arrived, Washington had not produced a draft pick since 2007, a span of three years.
In three seasons with the Huskies and just two rounds into this year's draft, Petersen has already surpassed Sarkisian's draft total.