To make this list more challenging to write, and more fun to read, I’ve omitted the obvious first choice, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. With Washington off to a 4-1 start in 2022, and averaging the most yards per game in the Pac-12 along with the third highest points per game in the conference.

Rome Odunze

Starting this off with a somewhat bold take in the grand scheme of things, Rome Odunze is the best wide receiver prospect in the Pac-12 right now. With USC’s Jordan Addison unanimously projected as a first-rounder, some in the NFL Draft community might scoff at this take, but the 6’3, 201-pound redshirt sophomore from Las Vegas is starting to show off his true potential and why he might be a better NFL prospect.

“He is a savant in terms of his preparation,” said wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard of Odunze during fall camp. ” He does everything in his power to be prepared at a high level when he’s here, and when he’s not even in the building. His knowledge and understanding of what we’re doing in the playbook is tremendous, I really only am working technique with him. We’re trying to find ways to be more efficient when we’re getting in and out of cuts, it’s really only details of the position that we’re working on with him.”

Odunze has now put up 100-yard games in two straight weeks, and is showing off exactly what Shephard talked about in camp. The NFL is becoming increasingly reliant on young wide receivers, and whenever he decides to enter the draft, he’ll test and interview very well at the combine and could end up hearing his name called in the late first or early second round.

Bralen Trice

While all the hype coming into the year was around Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Bralen Trice has established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the nation, let alone the Pac-12 conference. According to Pro Football Focus, Trice has a pass-rush win rate of 33% this season, which is the best edge rate in the country, higher than the top overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, Alabama’s Will Anderson.

Keep in mind Trice has been doing that while wearing a club on his right hand for the majority of the season. The 6’4, 269-pound edge rusher is currently second in the Pac-12 in sacks with 4.5 on the year, and has been a huge part of a much improved Husky front. The fourth-year sophomore still has a fair amount of eligibility remaining, but with his size and athleticism, he’s shown in his first full year in the rotation that he’ll be able to make an impact at the NFL level.

Roger Rosengarten

Rosengarten has been excellent so far this year. While he got flagged for a few holding calls against UCLA, the redshirt sophomore has performed best when the competition has been at its toughest. After Washington’s matchup with then #11 Michigan State, Rosengarten and left tackle Troy Fautanu didn’t allow much of any pressure going up against the Big10’s sack leader Jacoby Windmon.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said that he “expected” the performance he got from his tackles, and added, “I would have been disappointed if they didn’t handle him.” The product of Valor Christian (Colo.) will surely have NFL scouts drooling over his elite athleticism, ability to finish blocks, and power. He was the second-highest-graded right tackle through the first two games of the year per Pro Football Focus, and looks like he’ll continue to impress in 2022.