Lets start off with apologies for the lack of communication last week. The combination of work, family, social obligations, and travel crescendo-ed last week. I didn't stop paying attention to the Huskies but I really didn't have the time to write about what was going on with the team in any type of intelligent manner.
Thanks to all the readers who filled in with their fan posts during my absence. So lets try to catch up on a few things starting with the NFL draft.
NFL Draft
I was in Minneapolis the later half of last week and everyone I spoke to kept asking me about Jake Locker. I went as far to predict that Jake would be a Viking. Alas it did not happen and he will end up being a Tennessee Titan. Hard to believe that he is the only Husky QB to ever be drafted in the first round. Even harder to believe that he is one of the highest draftee's in the history of the school.
So if we we were conducting a draft today that included every Washington QB since 1950 who would you choose? Would it be Jake Locker, Don Heinrich, or somebody in between? Personally I think the UW QB Jake most resembled the most was Bob Schloredt.
"I don’t believe I have an accuracy problem, so I’m not worried about it, and you guys don’t have to be worried about it, either," said Locker, who completed about 55 percent of his passes as a senior at Washington last season.
Mason Foster went a little lower than I thought falling to Tampa Bay in the third round. The Buc's plan to use him as a MLB and are grooming him to be an immediate starter. So it looks like Mason ended up in a pretty good place.
"He's just got great instincts, and in the NFL he equates to a three-down linebacker, meaning he can play first- and second-down football, but even in nickel situations, he can rush the passer or cover people — he can do that really well, too."
Nate Williams and Victor Aiyewa didn't end up being selected. You can count on someone signing them over the next couple of days as free agents.
Recruiting
QB Jeff Lindquist from Mercer Island HS verbaled to Washington last week. Lindquist is one of the most sought after QB's in the West and is the 13th rated QB in the country according to Scout. His selection will cause some dominoes to start falling out West. Washington would like to take two QB's in this class if they can get the right guys.
Lindquist compares well to Jake Locker and incoming QB Derrick Brown. He is a big athletic kid who runs and throws well. He has exceptional arm strength and he did very well at Elite Eleven camp last summer. Jeff is a big time get and his addition will convince the majority of the best in the state to stay at home.
"We kind of laid it out and at the end of the process, we were like, 'We think UW is the overall better place for me.' So that's where I'm at," the 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior said.
Team Captain's Selected
Cort Dennison, Alameda Ta'amu, Jermaine Kearse, and Senio Kelemete were named the 2011 team captains by vote of the team. Pretty tough to argue with the selection of any of these hombre's.
Spring Highlights