NFL Depth Charts: See Where Huskies Show Up Most as Starters
With an NFL starting lineup serving the true barometer of elite football talent, 13 former University of Washington players find themselves holding down game-opening assignments as the pandemic-altered season fast approaches on Thursday night.
Ten of them are defensive players — and six of those players are defensive backs, with four of them cornerbacks.
Among these Huskies turned pro football mainstays are two of the richest players in the league in the Arizona Cardinals' Budda Baker, the highest-paid safety in the history of the NFL ($59 million, 4 years), and Carolina Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson, who this spring ranked as one of the 100 most-compensated athletes ($54.2 million, 4 years) in the world.
The Huskies could more than fill up a secondary with NFL starters in safeties Taylor Rapp of the Los Angeles Rams and Baker, and cornerbacks Marcus Peters of the Baltimore Ravens, Kevin King of the Green Bay Packers, Desmond Trufant of the Detroit Lions and Byron Murphy of the Cardinals.
The UW is supplying a pair of first-unit down linemen in Tampa Bay's Vita Vea and Detroit's Danny Shelton, and a pair of linebackers in the Los Angeles Raiders' Cory Littleton and Thompson.
Offensively, the Huskies will provide just three NFL starters in Houston Texans offensive guard Senio Kelemente, Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Kaleb McGary and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver John Ross III.
Cleveland Browns center Nick Harris is still a possibility and could make it 14 NFL starters from the UW, and three offensive linemen overall, if veteran center JC Tretter, who's missed most of training camp but is trying to make it happen, is unable to go. Trotter is questionable at this point.
There are no quarterbacks, running backs or tight ends with a Husky background holding down first-unit assignments.
No kickers or punters either.
Of these dozen NFL regulars from Seattle, they bring a collective 499 pro-football starts entering this opening weekend of play.
Eight former UW players, counting Harris, will serve as backups include San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dante Pettis, Los Angeles Rams nose tackle Greg Gaines and offensive guard Coleman Shelton, Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver Jaydon Mickens, Seattle Seahawks tight end Will Dissly and linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Drew Sample and Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Hall.
Another five ex-Huskies list out as third-stringers for this week's games in Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacob Easton, Detroit Lions tight end Hunter Bryant and Arizona Cardinals tight end Darrell Daniels and linebacker Ezekiel Turner.
HUSKY NFL STARTERS
Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals — 3-year veteran, starter in 36 of 46 games.
Senio Kelemente, OG, Houston Texans — 7-year veteran, started 37 of 74 games.
Kevin King, CB, Green Bay Packers — 3-year veteran, started 25 of 30 games.
Cory Littleton, LB, Las Vegas Raiders — 4-year veteran, started 37 of 64 games.
Kaleb McGary, OT, Atlanta Falcons — 1-year veteran, started 16 of 16 games.
Byron Murphy, CB, Arizona Cardinals — 1-year veteran, started 16 of 16 games.
Marcus Peters, CB, Baltimore Ravens — 5-year veteran, started 76 of 77 games.
Taylor Rapp, S, Los Angeles Rams — 1-year veteran, started 10 of 15 games.
John Ross III, WR, Cincinnati Bengals — 3-year veteran, started 19 of 24 games.
Danny Shelton, DT, Detroit Lions — 5 year veteran, started 60 of 75 games.
Shaq Thompson, LB, Carolina Panthers — 5-year veteran, started 61 of 70 games.
Desmond Trufant, CB, Detroit Lions — 7-year veteran, starter in 97 of 97 games.
Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Bucs — 2-year veteran, starter in 9 of 29 games.
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