Yes, the Huskies have yet to play a game yet in the 2022 season, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to talk about the 2023 NFL Draft. Edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui has been a game wrecker so far during Washington’s fall camp, and looks like he has the potential to establish himself as one of the best pass rushers in the country this fall.
While he already showed what he can be in the COVID-shortened 2020 playing at somewhere between 270-280 pounds (probably closer to 270), he recorded seven sacks over four games and was named as an All-American. If it wasn’t for an Achilles injury that limited him to just five games in 2021, there’s a chance Tupuola-Fetui would be on an NFL roster, and he probably could have even been a late first-round pick in what was widely considered an underwhelming edge class.
In a much more talented pass rush class headlined by Alabama’s Will Anderson, Tupuola-Fetui has all the tools to be a first-rounder. On Pro Football Focus’ “NFL Stock Exchange” podcast, host Connor Rogers named ZTF as one of his top five players to watch this year. Rogers said on the podcast that the Washington edge rusher, “has hands that people in this class don’t have. They’re strong, powerful hands… his ability to convert speed to power, his ability to shoot gaps, [and] win outside with that hand usage is really impressive.”
As a pass rusher, Tupuola-Fetui displayed that he’s the full package. During his breakout season he showed that he could rush with power, speed, and break double teams with ease. One of the biggest questions going into his junior year where he’s weighing in at 249 pounds is can he play with that same strength that he showed in 2020?
Through five days of camp, the answer to that question has been a resounding yes. Not only has he shown that he’s back to full strength, but he’s added more speed, explosiveness, and much more refined hand fighting to his game as well. He’s been a game wrecker with every snap he’s taken so far in camp, which can all be summed up in one rep he took on Saturday, where he exploded off the snap, ripped his hands down before right tackle Roger Rosengarten even had a chance to throw a punch his way, and recorded a sack before the quarterback even knew what was going on. If he can carry this momentum into the season, he could shoot up draft boards nationwide, and hear his name called on the first night of the NFL Draft in 2023.
