Little Big Man: Huskies' Elijah Molden Becomes a Titan
Elijah Molden went 89 picks lower than his father in the NFL draft. Both will end up playing in Southern cities. However, Elijah, the technician rather than a flashy speed guy, might last a lot longer in the pros than Alex Molden.
Just as projected, the former University of Washington all-purpose defensive back had to wait longer than he probably preferred to get selected, going in the third round with the 100th pick to the Tennessee Titans.
Yet it's done and Molden, as is his nature, will try to show everyone in Nashville that they got a bargain by taking him late in the second day of the draft.
"Elijah Molden can flat-out play," ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said. "Great bloodlines. He understands the game."
While Kiper gave his summation of the 5-foot-9, 192-pound Husky nickel back and safety, the network showed footage of young Molden upending one receiver after another and coming up with well-anticipated interceptions.
Kiper acknowledged that the former UW player didn't test well in the Pro Day metrics, probably not nearly as well as his father, Alex, who was the 11th overall player taken in the 1996 draft by the New Orleans Saints out of Oregon. He lasted eight seasons in the NFL.
His son seems determined to play a lot longer than that at football's highest level.
"I'm more concerned about myself five years down the line," Molden said. "I'm just starting to play good football, too, so I'm excited to see where I'll be at at that time."
For now, he's in a Tennessee city that previously drafted Husky quarterback Jake Locker as a first-rounder, running back Bishop Sankey as a second-rounder and offensive lineman Benji Olson as a fifth-rounder.
Guess which one panned out best? Yep, Olson.
Now here comes a tough-minded defensive back who just wants to be let loose on the field and not have turn in any more 40 times or standing vertical-leap inches.
“More than anything I love football,” Molden recently told the Portland Oregonian. “I haven’t loved the analyzing and waiting [for the draft], it’s a lot of anxiety. At the end of the day, I think I’m best on the field. I can’t wait to be embraced by a new city and get to work.”
A West Linn, Oregon, native, Molden showed he is very much his own man when he made the unpopular decision to pass on his father's alma mater and play for its bitter rival Washington.
Once in Seattle, he bogged down ever so slightly by serving mostly as a special-teams player in a talent-rich Husky secondary for two seasons, leaving the impression he felt he should be playing more.
In 2019, Molden had his breakout year by starting all 13 games, being named first-team All-Pac-12 and topping it off by receiving Las Vegas Bowl MVP honors. In last fall's shortened season, he again emerged as a first-team all-conference selection and is ready for the next step.
Tennessee will get the benefit of any pent-up emotion he might have over being underrated as a third-round choice.
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