Thompson's Athleticism, Determination Lead to NFL Draft Pick

The defensive tackle gets picked up by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round.

Anterio Thompson (54), Bryce Butler (92) and Jacob Lane (48) formed a productive UW front line. | Dave Sizer photo

For Anterio Thompson, his football career has been all about regrouping and pumping himself back up.

He started out in junior college at Iowa Western before he could play for Iowa.

Not satisfied with his Big Ten season as a special-teamer with the Hawkeyes, Thompson dropped down a level and played for Western Michigan.

He next used that MAC season as a full-time starter to go back to the Big Ten and join the University of Washington football team.

Thompson appears to be only on the rise now after converting his 2025 season with the Huskies and ensuing pro workouts into an NFL draft pick on Saturday that sent him to the Atlanta Falcons as the 27th selection of the sixth round, 208th overall.

"Just heard Anterio got drafted," UW coach Jedd Fisch said right as his weekend practice concluded, with a roar going up among his players gathered around him.

Thompson became the sixth Husky to hear his name called over the past two days, joining wide receiver Denzel Boston (Cleveland), cornerback Tacario Davis (Cincinnati), running back Jonah Coleman (Denver), offensive lineman Carver Willis (San Francisco) and corner Ephesians Prysock (San Francisco).

While he started just three of 13 games for the UW, the 6-foot-2, 306-pound defensive lineman wowed the NFL scouts at his Husky Pro Day by running a 4.73-second 40-yard dash -- that would have topped all players at his position at the NFL Scouting Combine -- and he showed off an 80-inch wing span.

Anterio Thompson (54), Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei (11) and Elinneus Davis (90) bring down Rutgers' Antwan Raymond. | Dave Sizer photo

That sort of athleticism is what the pros look for to fill in their roster beyond the big-name guys. Even as a down lineman, Thompson three blocked punts in his college career.

"I know I've got a lot to bring to the table if I take the coaching," he said before last season began. "I know what I'm able to do. I know what I'm capable of doing."

Thompson will join a Falcons franchise that has two former UW players from the 2023 national runner-up team on the roster in quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and edge rusher Bralen Trice, both trying to bounce back from knee injuries that forced them to miss all or most of last season.

Maybe the presence of Thompson, a guy who's been very determined to succeed on the football field sometimes against large odds, will bring a good vibe to everyone in gaining a foothold in Atlanta.