SEATTLE — It wasn’t that long ago that the University of Washington football program would see an entire NFL draft pass without a single phone call.
This week, the Huskies have been a daily source of roster fortification.
A day after quarterback Jake Locker went to the Tennessee Titans with the eighth overall pick, linebacker Mason Foster was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Round 3. It marks the second consecutive year in a row that UW has had multiple draft choices after the Huskies went three consecutive years without a pick.
For Foster, the call came at around 7 p.m. Friday while he was at his Seattle apartment watching the NFL Draft with family and friends.
“I was over-excited,” Foster said of getting a call from the Buccaneers. “Everybody in the room was excited. I’m feeling really good.”
The Buccaneers took Foster, using the 84th overall pick. He was the third defensive player taken by Tampa Bay in the first three rounds.
“They’re a great team,” said Foster, who was the eighth linebacker drafted. “They showed they could play last year. They have a good, young defense, so I’m excited.”
Shortly after the choice, ESPN analyst Todd McShay told viewers:
“I thought (Foster would) be a second-round pick. He’ll be a great pick for the Buccaneers. He fits perfectly into that defensive system.”
Before Foster was picked, UW coach Steve Sarkisian said he would make a solid NFL player no matter where he ended up.
“I think he’ll be a great pro,” Sarkisian said Friday evening, about an hour before Foster was selected. “He’s such a versatile guy. He’s got the ability to play in space but yet play hard-nosed football. He’s an excellent pass rusher, and he’s got ball instincts.
“I don’t know how many times in two years, the ball gets tipped into the air and it finds its way into No. 40’s hands. He’s just got great instincts.”
Some other UW players are hoping to hear their names called sometime today, when the final four rounds of the draft are televised on ESPN. Safety Nate Williams and linebacker Victor Aiyewa are considered borderline prospects who may go in the seventh round or might have to settle for being undrafted free agents.
Also hoping to get picked today is University of Idaho safety Shiloh Keo, an Archbishop Murphy High School product who is projected by some to be a fourth- or fifth-round selection.
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