Luke Wattenberg Drafted by Denver 171st Overall

Washington had its 4th player this weekend drafted as Luke Wattenberg was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 171st overall pick in the NFL Draft. Many thought there was a chance he would be a late selection but the 5th was higher than predicted. Clearly Denver valued Wattenberg's versatility and athleticism.

The 6’4 Wattenberg had a long (very long) and varied career with the Washington Huskies. He redshirted initially as a low 4-star recruit but rotated in at left guard from the start of his RS frosh year then took over at left tackle midseason once starter Trey Adams went down with a season-ending injury. As a sophomore he started every game at left guard as the Huskies won the Pac-12 and faced off against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Wattenberg’s junior year he once again started 13 contests as the left guard.

During Washington’s pandemic shortened 4-game season Wattenberg made the move to center for the Huskies starting all of those contests. He decided to return for a 6th year of college (5th on the field) in 2021 and once again started every game at center.

Per Pro Football Focus, Wattenberg gave up 5 snaps in 1,694 pass blocking snaps over the course of his Husky career. His PFF overall grade went up every single year he played from 59.4 as a RS freshman to 72.7 during his final year in college. Wattenberg was generally undersized but scored very well in his athletic testing at the combine compared to the average interior lineman.

For a more in-depth scouting report on Wattenberg and his pro prospects check out the article from our own Ben Glassmire.