Insider notes on Washington and Wisconsin: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Denzel Boston, Billy Edwards Jr., and more

Just a few seasons removed from playing for a national title and having a trio of players selected in the top 20, Washington watched its fortunes quickly change for the worse. Likewise, Wisconsin, a team that consistently battled for Big 10 supremacy, has been a middle-of-the-road program in the conference and has not put a player in the first round of the draft for close to a decade.

Washington

The last time Washington had just a single player selected in the draft was 2013, albeit a first-round pick in Desmond Trufant. Last year the program came dangerously close to having no players drafted until Carson Bruener was selected with the 226th pick. The outlook is much improved moving towards 2026.

There’s a lot of love for receiver Denzell Boston, more so outside the scouting community rather than inside of it. The surehanded wideout is incredibly dependable, smooth and efficient. He uses his large frame to win out for contested throws and shows great football intelligence. Boston lacks long speed, and any comparisons to Rome Odunze, who showed a lot of big-play ability during his time with the Huskies, are wrong in my opinion.

I am very high on offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi and believe he has a huge upside. He’s a right tackle who shows the footwork, athleticism and mobility to move to the left side. Azzopardi easily slides off the edge in pass protection and shows a lot of ability blocking on the second level. He needs to get stronger and must start finishing blocks, yet Azzopardi has outstanding length and growth potential.

It wasn’t that long ago Tacario Davis was projected as a top-60 pick and possibly a first rounder. Yet his game has really slid off since. He now joins his former Arizona coach with the hopes of righting the ship.

Washington Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.85	2nd	WR	Denzel Boston	3Jr	12
3.58	4th	T	Drew Azzopardi	4Jr	74
3.41	5th	CB	Tacario Davis	4Sr	8
3.38	6th	RB	Jonah Coleman	4Sr	1
3.32	6th	CB	Ephesians Prysock	4Sr	7
3.11	FA	ILB	Jacob Manu	4Sr	9
3.04	FA	G	Carver Willis	5Sr	50

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Wisconsin

The Badgers are another program in distress, and the immediate outlook is still bleak. The team had two players selected in April’s draft, and both ended up in the seventh round. The quantity is slightly better looking ahead, as is the quantity.

Darryl Peterson is a nice-sized, pass-rushing linebacker who has shown a lot of skill the past two seasons. He has a stout build and solid instincts and gives effort rushing the edge as well as defending the run. Peterson had a breakout season in 2023 as a redshirt sophomore then watched his game regress last season. He has an upside, but he must hit on all cylinders this year.

Riley Mahlman is another prospect whose best football was two years ago. He’s a large, relatively mobile right tackle prospect with growth potential. The problem is, like Peterson, his game went in reverse last season, and Mahlman was tripping over his feet more than dominating opponents.

Jake Renfro looked like a top-75 prospect in 2021 when he was snapping the ball to then-Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder. Unfortunately for Renfro, he suffered a serious stress fracture in his lower leg and was limited to just a single game the following two seasons. He returned last season on a full-time basis and played well. If he gets back to playing form from the UC days and passes combine medicals, Renfro could be a middle-round choice.

I happen to like quarterback Billy Edwards more than scouts and feel the transfer from Maryland has a lot of next-level ability. Edwards possesses pocket-passer size and a next-level arm and plays with a lot of moxie. He’s a quarterback prospect who will get a lot of attention on the All-Star circuit in January.

Wisconsin Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.37	6th	OLB	Darryl Peterson	5Sr	17
3.31	6th	T	Riley Mahlman	5Sr	71
3.29	7th	WR	Vinny Anthony II	4Sr	8
3.27	7th	C	Jake Renfro	5Sr	57
3.21	FA	QB	Billy Edwards Jr.	5Sr	9
3.18	FA	OLB	Mason Reiger	5Sr	22
3.11	FA	S	Austin Brown	4Sr	9
3.07	FA	TE	Lance Mason	4Sr	85
3.05	FA	DE	Corey Walker	5Sr	92
3.03	FA	CB	Rico Hallman	5Sr	2