Onwuzurike Signs Lions Contract, Becomes 8-Million-Dollar Man

The former Husky defensive tackle seemed happy to be a second-round pick headed to Detroit.

Why is this man smiling?

Well, lunch is on him the next time you Huskies get together.

This week, former University of Washington defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike signed his first NFL contract with the Detroit Lions. As the 41st pick of the April draft, Onwuzurike received a deal worth a total value of $8.1 million, including a $3.3 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac.

Wonder if this newcomer to the Motor City will go out and spend some of that newfound cash on a motorized upgrade?

All along Onwuzurike has seemed to enjoy this ride as a pro football player that comes with all of the trappings. 

Not even falling out of the first round, as some draft analysts and even he had suggested would be his landing place, could cause any disappointment.

"It was cool," he told Lions media members on draft night. "I wasn't trippin', I wasn't chillin'. Wherever I go, I'm going to ball out. That's all it is."

Levi Onwuzurike now wears 75 for the Lions after pulling on 95 at the UW.

Lions photo

While he earlier proclaimed himself a first-rounder, Onwuzurike simply feels he has the necessary attributes to play in the NFL. 

Asked to describe himself, Onwuzurike wasn't shy about telling anyone with a noteback or camera what he did while in Seattle. 

"Get-off and strength are the two most important things," he said. "As a defensive lineman, I've got both of them."

Onwuzurike, while somewhat subdued in media interviews at the UW, let it all hang out on that first Zoom session with the Lions beat writers.

“I like [bleeping] people up,” Onwuzurike said unfiltered. “I like to get off the line and just put my helmet or my hands on an offensive lineman and [bleep] up an offense’s scheme, pretty much. I like pushing them back 2, 3 yards and just making them feel like [bleep].”

As candid as he was, Onwuzurike's new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn took note of the rookie's bold promises and said for him to show me.

“I told him that when he made that statement, I better see it when we put the pads on,” Aaron Glenn said. “With him saying that and what I see in college, I expect nothing less from that player. That’s who we’re going to be as a defense. We’re going to be aggressive. We want ass-kickers."

And big spenders.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated