Inside The Huskies

Devin Culp Goes to Tampa Bay, Clearly a Husky Football Draft Destination

The tight end joins a host of former UW players on the Bucs roster.

Dan Raley

Devin Culp gets ready for the snap against Michigan in the CFP title game.
Devin Culp gets ready for the snap against Michigan in the CFP title game. / Skylar Lin Visuals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just can't get enough University of Washington football players, treating Montlake as their personal farm system, this after deciding that two former Husky tight ends are even better than one.

On late Saturday afternoon, the Bucs took Devin Culp with the 246th selection of the NFL Draft in the seventh and final round in Detroit -- 11 picks from the end and unwanted Mr. Irrelevant status -- to give the Huskies 10 overall selections, which tied a modern-day school record.

The 6-foot-4, 237-pound Culp will join a Tampa Bay roster that includes recent UW teammate and wide receiver Jalen McMillan, taken in the third round with the 92nd pick; his older teammate and fellow tight end Cade Otton, a fourth-round pick in 2022; another previous Husky teammate in edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, a first-round Bucs pick in 2021; plus defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Grimes, with Vea a first-rounder drafted by Tampa Bay in 2018.

Whew.

That's a lot of Montlake player movement to the Florida gulf coast.

Even with the lateness of his NFL draft position, Culp brings a lot of athletic potential for a man of his size. He literally was able to leap over opposing defenders in a single bound, with his 2022 catapult over an unsuspecting California Bears defense back truly an unforgettable move. His 18-yard touchdown catch in end-zone traffic at USC was as good as it gets with its degree of difficulty, too. He wowed everyone by running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, the fastest time for a tight end at the NFL Scouting Combine this time around.

Culp leaves the UW with 66 career catches for 711 yards and 4 touchdowns, admirable numbers considering he basically split time with fellow tight end Jack Westover, who wasn't drafted over the past three days but accepted a free-agent contract with his hometown Seattle Seahawks. It's a wonder the Bucs didn't go get Westover.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.