NFL Draft: Washington LB John Timu Signs with the Chicago Bears

Considered by many to be a fringe NFL prospect, the moment of truth finally arrived for Washington LB John Timu. That moment came and passed as the final round of Saturday's NFL Draft came and went without Timu hearing his name called.  Fortunately for Timu, some NFL teams did call shortly after the draft and the Husky great linebacker ended up signing with Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.

Timu went into the 2015 NFL Draft as a player that was on just about everybody's boards but right around the edge of the draft line.  Teams who have scouted Timu love his football smarts, the versatility that he has in both coverage and side-to-side run defense and the oodles of productivity that he has demonstrated on tape as a three-year starting linebacker for the Washington Huskies.  Whether it is against "ground and pound" teams like the Stanford Cardinal or "petal to the metal" zone read teams like Oregon, Timu has demonstrated an ability to adapt and fit in against a variety of playing styles and against elite competition.  The fact that he was a two-year defensive captain also speaks to his overall leadership.

Despite the plaudits, Timu has some deficiencies that kept him from being a lock in the draft.  He lacks ideal size as an inside backer and doesn't have the kind of athleticism that teams like to see in an outside backer.  While he has demonstrated an ability to generate turnovers, he is a poor pass rusher.  The off-the-field incident he had with a stolen parking pass before spring practices began in 2014 are also a slight black mark on his resume.

You can read the NFL.com Draft Profile on Timu right here.

The 6'1", 245 lb linebacker originally came to UW in 2011 following a greyshirt year.  Timu was a Safety / Quarterback prospect out of Long Beach.  He was immediately converted to linebacker once he came to UW and was a spot starter in his freshman year of 2011.  He was the full-time starter beginning his sophomore year and finished his career with 328 total tackles over the course of 51 games.  He added six career interceptions including two that he returned for touchdowns in his UW career.

We here at the 'Pound have a strong appreciation for the leadership, character and contributions that John has made to the UW community over the years.  We wish him the best of luck in his career in the NFL.  #WOOF