Onwuzurike, Molden Selected On Day Two Of NFL Draft

Huskies Levi Onwuzurike and Elijah Molden were both taken on the second day of the 2021 NFL Draft Friday, going in the second and third rounds, respectively.
 
Onwuzurike became the second Husky to be chosen in the 2021 NFL Draft, as the Detroit Lions selected him with the ninth pick of the second round, the 41st pick overall. Molden was the 100th overall selection, taken by the Tennessee Titans in the third round.
 
Onwuzurike, from Allen, Texas, declared his intentions to enter the NFL Draft prior to the start of the abbreviated 2020 Husky season, but played in all but one game from 2017 through 2019, starting 12 of 13 in 2019. 
 
A first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2019, Onwuzurike was named a preseason first-team All-American by Athlon Sports in 2020, prior to declaring for the draft.
 
Molden, from West Linn, Ore., saw playing time all over the UW secondary in his fours seasons as a Husky, but set himself apart as the Huskies' nickelback the last couple of years. He started every game in 2019 and 2020 and earned first-team All-Pac-12 both of those seasons. In 2019, he earned Pro Football Focus second-team All-America and, last fall, he was named to that same team while also earning PFF's Pac-12 Player of the Year.
 
The son of former NFL first-round draft pick Alex Molden, Elijah was also a finalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors on-field, academic and community service performance, and earned an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. He also picked up a long list of UW team awards, including the 2020 Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational Award, the program's oldest and most prestigious team honor.
 
On the first day of the 2021 Draft on Thursday, former Husky outside linebacker Joe Tryon was taken with the final pick of the first round by the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32nd overall.
 
Dating back to 2013 Draft, a total of 20 Huskies have been selected in the first three rounds of the draft.