Welcome to Day 13 of our 30 Day Countdown! Kickoff is just 2 short weeks away, and today, we are looking at who the best future pro will be on UW’s roster! Let’s get into it!
OT John Mills
This one is pretty much a lock if his current trajectory keeps up. As a Freshman All American, Mills already has plenty of tape for pro scouts to pore over, and he looks to be the anchor of the next great offensive line core for the Huskies. We Husky fans know what we have, and it seems that the national media has taken notice,
with Pro Football Focus ranking Mills on their Top 10 Sophomores list. Mills garnered high praise from PFF, with the article noting that “Mills generated the highest grade of any freshman lineman to play more than 300 snaps last season.” With a season under his belt, and at least one more guaranteed, Mills has the opportunity to win some postseason hardware, and maybe secure an All American spot, if he is to build on his stellar debut! The key thing for him, and really any offensive lineman is staying healthy! I could see him as maybe a first or second round pick, enjoying a long career in the NFL!
QB Demond Williams Jr.
This one is also a pretty good contender if current trajectories keep up. With the amount of pre-season watch lists that Williams is on, it should be no surprise that he is on this list. One mock draft even has Williams getting picked in the third round by…Seattle. The one thing that gives me pause is his size: at 5’11”, he is not the prototypical NFL quarterback, but his dual threat ability should mitigate that slightly, much like it did for Kyler Murray when he was picked first overall in 2019. Not saying that Williams will match Murray’s feat of getting selected first overall (though it would be great if he did, because that would probably mean a lot of wins for the Dawgs), but it’s just a point of comparison. He has the physical gifts, he just needs to iron out his decision making and show that he can not only win, but produce against elite defenses, like the Ohio States and Michigans of the world! If he catches on, with the right team and scheme, Williams could be a solid pro quarterback!
WR Dezmen Roebuck
This is another one that is kind of self explanatory. After a stellar Freshman season, Roebuck looks to build on his newfound role, with him shouldering more of the load in the passing game, and hopefully putting up more numbers in the process! His ceiling is also high, as he is only a sophomore and will have ample opportunity to catch passes from a variety of spots on the field, and versatility is something that NFL teams will be searching for in drafting their future receivers.
Right now, certain projections, like this one from Scout SZN, have his ceiling at Day 2, but where you get drafted doesn’t matter. I do think that Roebuck could be a contributor on a pro team someday, but whether or not he’s the best depends on his development while he is a Husky, and with his contributions from year one, I’d say that his future is bright!
My Choice: Give me John Mills. I’m not quite sure why, but I feel like he could be at the level of a Joe Thomas or a Steve Hutchinson if he stays fully healthy. Again, it all depends on his body holding up, but he showed me enough last year to have a solid foundation on which to lay the groundwork for his future. And I’m looking at the roster, and right now I’m not confident enough in, say, Alex McLaughlin to say that he could be a great future pro player, even though I like Alex. Some are just good college players, and that’s okay! But Mills could be not just good, but great at the pro level!
