2024 was a monumental NFL Draft for the Husky football program. All told, 10 Huskies were selected, tying a program high in the modern 7 round draft era. Most of them played, and some of them had expansive roles immediately out of the gate. The task today is to grade the rookies who did end up seeing the field, using their old school counting stats, their PFF grades, Fantasy Football stats, and the good old fashioned eye test, as well as their performance relative to their draft position, to see who is deserving of the UWDP Pro Dawg Rookie of the Year Award, an honor I just made up, but one I hope will carry weight and sway among our Pro Dawgs at the NFL level. If you’d like me to do this, but for non rookies, please drop a comment and let me know! But with that out of the way, let’s get started!
QB Michael Penix Jr.
Drafted: Round 1, pick 8, Atlanta Falcons
Stats: 61-105, 775 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
PFF Grade: 87.9
FF Points: 44.1
The lefty gunslinger was surprisingly taken 8th overall by the Falcons, becoming the first Dawg off the board. After a solid preseason debut, Michael Penix had to wait to get on the field when the games counted, sitting behind starter Kirk Cousins until week 16, where he made his first start. In that first start, Mike threw for 202 yards and no touchdowns, tossing an interception, though that one wasn’t his fault, as it deflected off of (Kyle Pitts?). In his second start, although the Falcons fell short in overtime to the Commanders, Penix threw his first touchdown, a 24 yard strike to Kyle Pitts. All told, Penix finished that game with 223 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. In the final game of Atlanta’s season against Carolina, Penix had the best game of his nascent pro career, tallying 312 yards, 2 touchdowns to 1 interception, plus a touchdown on the ground.
Carolina Panthers v Atlanta Falcons Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
This grade is a little tough, given the small sample size I have to work with, but I think after Kirk Cousins’ disastrous 4 game stretch from week 10-15 (in which he threw 8 interceptions to 0 touchdowns, and lost 4 straight games), most Falcons fans would’ve taken the line that Mike put up, even if they lost 3 straight. All of what made him so great at UW was there: the velocity, the instincts to avoid pressure, the smarts to go through his progression and not rush throws, that was all present. It just so happened that the luck wasn’t on his side a lot of the time (seen mostly in all of his interceptions coming off of bobbled receptions, and Riley Patterson missing a game winning 56 yard field goal at Washington). Only time will tell if Penix can sustain the positive momentum into this season, but for now, he has shown that he has the tools to be a good pro quarterback, with plenty of talent around him for him to take the leap and lead the Falcons into the postseason as the unquestioned QB1.
Grade: A
WR Rome Odunze
Drafted: Round 1, Pick 9, Chicago Bears
Stats: 54 receptions, 734 yards, 3 touchdowns
PFF Grade: 63.8
FF Points: 90.9
Up next, we have Rome Odunze. While his target share was hampered by the fact that DJ Moore and Keenan Allen were WR1 and 2 in his rookie year, Rome was still a good 3rd option for a frustrating Bears team. His 13.6 yards per reception led the team, and his 734 yards was third among Bears receivers. For being a WR3, he played his role very well, although I personally would like to have seen him get more targets. An ESPN report stated that Odunze was first in the league in missed targets (on balls that were either underthrown or overthrown) with 37. In spite of that, Odunze had 2 games of over 100 yards (week 3 at Indianapolis, in which he had 112 yards and a touchdown, and week 9 at Arizona, in which he had 5 catches for 104 yards), showcasing his potential, which should take a leap under new head coach Ben Johnson and new receivers coach Antwaan Randle El.
Seattle Seahawks v Chicago Bears Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
This grade is pretty clear cut, as Rome’s situation is one in which most rookies are in: he’s not a number one guy quite yet, but he has the potential to be one in the future. There remains a number of question marks though. Chief among them, what is Rome’s role with the Bears going forward now that Chicago has drafted receiver Luther Burden from Mizzou? What resulted in 2024 though was a year that a rookie can be proud of, but also one that he can build on this upcoming season and beyond.
Grade: B
OT Troy Fautanu
Drafted: Round 1, Pick 20, Pittsburgh Steelers
Stats: 1 game played
PFF Grade: 64.4 (total), 69.3 (pass block), 59.3 (run block)
Troy Fautanu is an interesting case. After spraining his MCL in the preseason, Fautanu missed the start of the regular season. He made his NFL debut in week 2 against Denver, and according to our friends at Behind the Steel Curtain he did very well, not allowing a single pressure on 29 pass snaps. However, after his week 2 performance, Fautanu injured his knee in practice, landing him on the IR, and shutting him down for the year.
Because of his lack of games played, I hesitate to grade Fautanu. He did show what made him a first round pick, but he only played 55 snaps total. Granted, those 55 snaps were very solid, but the small sample size means that Fautanu will have to wait until next year to get fully graded.
Grade: N/A
WR Ja’Lynn Polk
Drafted: Round 2, Pick 37, New England Patriots
Stats: 12 receptions, 87 yards, 2 touchdowns
PFF Grade: 43.1
FF Points: 20.7
It was a rough year for the Patriots offense, and that extended to Ja’Lynn Polk, as he finished the year with only 12 catches for 87 yards and 2 scores. Polk also struggled with drop issues, as his PFF grade in the drop category reached a low of 28.8 in both week 5 and week 6. The offense wasn’t receiver centric by any means, with tight end Hunter Henry getting the lion’s share of targets, leading the team in receiving yards. Still, Polk’s struggles mean that he might have an uphill battle to get to an expanded role, especially given that the Pats made the splashy free agent signing of Stefon Diggs in the offseason. I really hope he gets it together, and becomes the receiver that I know he can be.
Grade: D
OT Roger Rosengarten
Drafted: Round 2, Pick 62, Baltimore Ravens
Stats: 17 games played, 14 games started, 933 total snaps played
PFF Grade: 66.0 (Total), 69.2 (pass block), 60.2 (run block)
Roger Rosengarten shook off a rough debut against the Kansas City Chiefs to become a member of the NFL’s All Rookie team, making him a great value pick, providing space for Derrick Henry and protection for Lamar Jackson. Playing mostly at right tackle, Rosengarten only allowed 4 sacks all year, with a 100 percent pass block efficiency rating in 5 of 19 games played for the Ravens. It was the same story in the penalty department, with Rosengarten only drawing 6 all year. Although the Ravens narrowly lost to the Bills in the Divisional Round, Rosengarten showed that he can be a key piece of the Ravens’ offensive front for years to come.
AFC Wild Card Playoffs: Pittsburgh Steelers v Baltimore Ravens Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Grade: A+
DE Bralen Trice
Drafted: Round 3, Pick 74, Atlanta Falcons
Stats: N/A
Bralen Trice is another “no grade” as he suffered a torn ACL in the Falcons’ first preseason game against the Dolphins, causing him to miss his entire rookie year. The Falcoholic, our Falcons sister site, believes there’s still a fit for Trice in 2025, as detailed in this article. I remain optimistic that Trice is still the game wrecking EDGE we saw in 2022 and 2023, and I hope for big things for Bralen and the Falcons in 2025.
Grade: N/A
WR Jalen McMillan
Drafted: Round 3, Pick 92, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stats: 37 receptions, 461 yards, 8 touchdowns
PFF Grade: 60.8 (Total), 62.8 (Receiving)
FF Points: 98.4
Next up we have Jalen McMillan, the final Husky wide receiver off the board. McMillan started the year with a bang, with his first reception being a 32 yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield. After that, it was very quiet for McMillan, with 9 catches for 77 yards across the next 5 games, with 2 inactives. Starting with the week 14 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, business picked up for JMac, with 4 catches, 59 yards, and 2 touchdowns. After that, in every remaining regular season game, he tallied at least one trip to the end zone, finishing with 8 on the season. That ended up being more touchdowns than receivers like AJ Brown, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Cooper Kupp.
NFL: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
With that, Jalen proved to be a very reliable 2nd option for the Bucs when called upon. This is a role that he may continue to occupy, but with Tampa drafting Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, the receiver picture becomes murkier beyond WR1 and WR2. But, especially for where he was taken in the draft, this was a very good season for a rookie that nobody expected to play much. This means that Jalen will get the highest marks available from me.
Grade: A+
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
Drafted: Round 5, Pick 160, Buffalo Bills
Stats: 6 tackles, 1 pass break up, 4 games played
PFF Grade: 69.7 (Overall), 51.8 (Pass Rush), 67.4 (Run Defense), 69.1 (Coverage)
The first Husky who logged meaningful time on defense, Edefuan Ulofoshio was used sparingly throughout the season, only playing his first game against the Dolphins in week 9, in which he played 8 special teams snaps. Eddie made his first tackle in a week 17 win against the Jets, and saw his most meaningful action in the regular season finale against the Patriots, when the playoff-bound Bills rested their starters. In that game, Ulofoshio recorded 5 tackles and a pass deflection, recording a total PFF grade of 69.7.
This grade is tough, because I’m not good at judging defensive output to begin with, and Eddie is a backup, playing behind Matt Milano, according to ESPN, so it’s difficult to judge when he has a small sample size. But he was impressive statistically when he did get the one start, so hopefully this translates into more opportunities this season.
Grade: B-
S Dominique Hampton
Drafted: Round 5, Pick 161, Washington Commanders
Stats: N/A
PFF Grade: 61.8 (Special Teams)
According to PFF, Dom Hampton only played in one game, the last game of the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys, which they won, 23-19. He saw action on 6 snaps, 5 on kickoff coverage, 1 on kickoff returns. This was enough to earn him a grade of 61.8 on PFF, although he recorded no other stats. He’s not listed at either safety spot on the depth chart for the Commanders on ESPN, so this is going to be another no grade.
Grade: N/A
TE Devin Culp
Drafted: Round 7, Pick 246, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stats: 5 receptions, 88 yards
PFF Grade: N/S (Not enough snaps)
FF Points: 8.8
Devin Culp is our last drafted Husky on our list today, and his is an interesting case. For one, he doesn’t have a PFF grade because of his lack of snaps, and for another, he only played in 5 games. Additionally, when he finally got thrown the ball, seeing his first target in week 17 against the Panthers, he was a pretty dependable pass catcher, catching 3 out of 4 passes thrown his way, for 52 yards. He followed this up with 2 catches for 36 yards in the final game of the season against the Saints. With this, he shows his potential to get more targets, as he was kind of buried on the depth chart (behind fellow Dawg Cade Otton and Payne Durham) but we will see if his role expands with the Tampa Bay Huskies Buccaneers in 2025.
Grade: B+
And there you have it, every 2024 draftee for the Huskies graded! And the 2024-25 Pro Dawg Rookies of the Year are Roger Rosengarten and Jalen McMillan! The 2024 NFL Draft was a monumental moment for the Huskies and I remember the draft being at the same level of hype as a game on Saturday. It was very exciting seeing these Dawgs get drafted and I cannot wait to see where their careers at the next level take them in 2025 and beyond!