Pro Football Focus Ranks Husky Defenders Among Nation's Best
Really, there's someone better?
University of Washington outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui is rated by Pro Football Focus as the third- best "Edge Defender" in the nation, trailing only Oklahoma's Ronnie Perkins and Georgia's Adam Anderson.
See who else on the UW defense is drawing statistical attention.
Pac-12 Interior Defenders
Tuli Letuligasenoa played sparingly against Utah, grading out at 74.8 which puts him at sixth best in the conference. Josiah Bronson is the conference's ninth-best interior defensive lineman with a minimum of 140 snaps played.
- 84.1—Nathaniel James , WSU
- 83.1—Marlon Tuipulotu, USC
- 79.0—Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
- 79.0—Mustafa Johnson, Colorado
- 76.7—Roy Lopez, Arizona
Pac-12 Edge Defenders
Besides the UW starters, true freshman Sav'ell Smalls has played 92 snaps and is currently rated as the conference's 14th-best edge defender for those who've played a minimum of 90 snaps.
- 90.5—Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
- 90.2—Mitchell Agude, UCLA
- 79.8—Ryan Bowman, Washington
- 72.4—Nick Figueroa, USC
- 69.6—Carson Wells, Colorado
Pac-12 Linebackers
With a PFF grade of 86.2, Edefuan Ulofoshio is the nation's third-best Power 5 linebacker, overall. Ulofoshio's ability to rush the passer sets him apart from other linebackers with a grade of 90.2 while he ranks seventh in the country in pass coverage. For Washington, he leads the team with 27 tackles and 4 pass breakups.
- 86.2—Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
- 82.5—Devin Lloyd, Utah
- 76.4—Merlin Robertson, ASU
- 75.9—Nephi Sewell, Utah
- 75.1—Avery Roberts, OSU
Pac-12 Cornerbacks
Kyler Gordon is the conference's No. 1 cornerback in run support. However, he has played just 86 defensive snaps. Of cornerbacks who have played a minimum of 150 snaps, Elijah Molden and Trent McDuffie are the two best cornerbacks in the conference.
- 90.6—Elijah Molden, Washington
- 84.4—Trent McDuffie, Washington
- 81.0—Jay Shaw, UCLA
- 76.7—Nahshon Wright, OSU
- 76.4—Kyler Gordon, Washington
Pac-12 Safeties
No UW safeties rank among the top 10 as overall defenders. Given the grades of ZTF, Ulofoshio, Molden, and McDuffie, not many plays are left to grade out other defenders. However, when it comes to grading out in pass coverage, Alex Cook is the conference's sixth-best safety.
