Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan, standout left tackle Troy Fautanu and edge rusher Bralen Trice all announced their plans to enter the NFL draft on Wednesday.
The trio joins wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk in declaring for the draft after the second-ranked Huskies lost to Michigan in the College Football Playoff championship game on Monday night.
There was a thought McMillan might return for a fifth season with the Huskies after a 2023 campaign that was limited due to injury. McMillan hurt his leg during a Week 3 win at Michigan State and played only sparingly until late in the season. He missed four games and played just a few snaps in four others before getting back into a more regular rotation in the Apple Cup win over Washington State.
McMillan’s big outburst came in the Pac-12 championship game win over Oregon when he had nine catches for 131 yards. McMillan caught touchdown passes in both the Sugar Bowl win over Texas and the championship game loss to Michigan. He finished the season with 45 catches for 559 yards and five TDs after having 79 receptions for 1,098 yards and nine TDs during the 2022 season.
Trice was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection as a pass rusher and had a huge game in the Sugar Bowl victory over Texas. He had five tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the victory over the Longhorns. For the season, Trice had 49 tackles, 11 1/2 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
Fautanu was regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the country and part of the unit that won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s best offensive line. Fautanu was a third-team AP All-American and first-team all-Pac-12 selection.