Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in a drill during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in a drill during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
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By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Zach Durfee and the rest of Washington’s defensive line had a point to prove when they arrived at the Dempsey Indoor Center on a rainy Monday morning.
On Feb. 26, Durfee, the 6-foot-5 edge rusher who spent three seasons on Montlake after transferring from Division II Sioux Falls, watched college football players from around the country — including five of his former UW teammates — arrive in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL combine.
Durfee didn’t receive an invitation. Despite a career-high 37 tackles, five tackles for a loss, four sacks and a forced fumble while playing through an elbow injury that cost him two-and-a-half games.
“It definitely adds a chip to your shoulder,” Durfee said. “Especially for me, it did. I was a little pissed off.”
Durfee wasn’t the only former UW defensive lineman forced to watch the NFL combine from home. Fellow edge rusher Deshawn Lynch and starting defensive tackles Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Anterio Thompson didn’t receive invites either. So all four needed strong performances Monday, when they were among the 17 former Huskies who participated in UW’s pro day in front of scouts from nearly every NFL team.
“This is my only chance to really prove who I am,” Durfee said.
While UW’s defensive linemen didn’t garner a single combine invite, Durfee, Lynch, Uiagalelei and Thompson played crucial roles to help the Huskies take a massive step forward in 2025, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ first season in Seattle.
Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in the shuttle run during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
1 of 7 | Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in the shuttle run during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
Under former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the Huskies allowed 161.8 yards rushing per game during the 2024 campaign, 87th nationally. A season later, they surrendered just 100.1 yards rushing per game, the No. 11 rushing defense in the country.
Walters’ defensive scheme, already proven capable in the Big Ten during his tenure at Illinois, certainly helped. But UW’s defensive line personnel also changed significantly between 2024 and 2025.
Durfee missed most of the 2024 campaign with turf toe injuries. Despite his lingering elbow injury, the Dawson, Minn., native assembled the best season of his FBS career. Uiagalelei and Thompson both joined the team from the transfer portal, arriving from Arizona and Western Michigan, respectively, and formed a formidable defensive tackle tandem in the heart of UW’s defensive line.
Lynch stepped up from a fringe rotational role into starting snaps late in the season after a lower body injury limited starting edge rusher Isaiah Ward during the final five regular season games. Lynch, who transferred to UW from Sacramento State before the 2024 season, had seven batted passes, tied for most among all FBS edge rushers with Kansas’ Leroy Harris III, who played one more game.
Durfee, Lynch, Thompson and Uiagalelei combined for 15 tackles for a loss in 2025 and 8.5 sacks.
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“We had a really good defense,” Durfee said. “We were really a few plays away from two more wins and dang near the College Football Playoff.”
Since UW’s season ended with its 38-10 win against Mountain West champions Boise State in the LA Bowl, Durfee and the other defensive linemen have been training for pro day.
Their work appeared to pay off early Monday. Durfee, a former standout basketball player, registered a 39-inch vertical jump, on par with Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height’s best effort at the NFL combine. Only four players — Florida’s George Gumbs Jr., UCF’s Malachi Lawrence, Wisconsin’s Mason Reiger and Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton — performed better in Indianapolis.
Durfee also said he’d heard that his unofficial 40-yard dash time was around 4.55 seconds. Texas Tech’s David Bailey, a projected first round pick, Lawrence and Texas’ Trey Moore were the only defensive ends who registered times faster at the NFL combine. Durfee, who prepared for pro day at UW instead of going to an outside trainer, said he hoped to get under 4.5 seconds, but was happy enough with his time.
“I knew today was going to go really well for me,” Durfee said. “I’ve known my whole life that the best part of my game is my athleticism.”
Thompson also enjoyed a strong performance during testing. He completed 30 repetitions of the bench press, something only former Washington State defensive tackle David Gusta and Oklahoma’s Damonic Williams managed at the NFL combine.
But the 310-pound defensive tackle particularly shined in the 40-yard dash, running an unofficial time in the 4.7-second range. Penn State’s Zane Durant and Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor were the only interior defensive linemen to run a time under 4.8 seconds in Indianapolis. Thompson, who said he’d been in consideration for the combine before missing out on an invite, said the extra motivation helped fuel his strong showing on Monday.
“It was just more like, get ready for the pro day,” he said.
Uiagalelei, who made 20 tackles during his lone season at UW, said he was happy with his performance in the 40-yard dash and specifically the 10-yard split, though he didn’t have his specific times.
While all four defensive linemen wait to find out where they will start their professional careers, two of them admitted they’d considered returning for final seasons at UW.
Durfee and Thompson mentioned they’d considered appealing for an extra year of eligibility at UW, with support from the coaching staff. Durfee lost a season because of now-defunct NCAA transfer rules in 2023, and Thompson spent one year playing community college football at Iowa Western. The NCAA granted one-year blanket waivers to players whose eligibility expired in 2025 and had past experience at the community college level like former UW cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.
However, both said it seemed unlikely they’d get a waiver for 2026 after beginning the petition process and decided to simply focus on pursuing professional careers.
All four, however, said Washington was the perfect place to end their collegiate careers.
“I miss it so much over here,” said Uiagalelei, who has been training in Southern California. “It’s been really good to be back in the locker room with the boys. Coming back, I never really realized how much I missed this place. Seattle’s a really cool place, and I miss being here. Just being on this field.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in a drill during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
Skip Ad
By
Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Zach Durfee and the rest of Washington’s defensive line had a point to prove when they arrived at the Dempsey Indoor Center on a rainy Monday morning.
On Feb. 26, Durfee, the 6-foot-5 edge rusher who spent three seasons on Montlake after transferring from Division II Sioux Falls, watched college football players from around the country — including five of his former UW teammates — arrive in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL combine.
Durfee didn’t receive an invitation. Despite a career-high 37 tackles, five tackles for a loss, four sacks and a forced fumble while playing through an elbow injury that cost him two-and-a-half games.
“It definitely adds a chip to your shoulder,” Durfee said. “Especially for me, it did. I was a little pissed off.”
Durfee wasn’t the only former UW defensive lineman forced to watch the NFL combine from home. Fellow edge rusher Deshawn Lynch and starting defensive tackles Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei and Anterio Thompson didn’t receive invites either. So all four needed strong performances Monday, when they were among the 17 former Huskies who participated in UW’s pro day in front of scouts from nearly every NFL team.
“This is my only chance to really prove who I am,” Durfee said.
While UW’s defensive linemen didn’t garner a single combine invite, Durfee, Lynch, Uiagalelei and Thompson played crucial roles to help the Huskies take a massive step forward in 2025, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ first season in Seattle.
Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in the shuttle run during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
1 of 7 | Edge rusher Zach Durfee participates in the shuttle run during UW’s Pro Day on Monday, March 16, 2026, in Seattle. (Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times)
Under former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the Huskies allowed 161.8 yards rushing per game during the 2024 campaign, 87th nationally. A season later, they surrendered just 100.1 yards rushing per game, the No. 11 rushing defense in the country.
Walters’ defensive scheme, already proven capable in the Big Ten during his tenure at Illinois, certainly helped. But UW’s defensive line personnel also changed significantly between 2024 and 2025.
Durfee missed most of the 2024 campaign with turf toe injuries. Despite his lingering elbow injury, the Dawson, Minn., native assembled the best season of his FBS career. Uiagalelei and Thompson both joined the team from the transfer portal, arriving from Arizona and Western Michigan, respectively, and formed a formidable defensive tackle tandem in the heart of UW’s defensive line.
Lynch stepped up from a fringe rotational role into starting snaps late in the season after a lower body injury limited starting edge rusher Isaiah Ward during the final five regular season games. Lynch, who transferred to UW from Sacramento State before the 2024 season, had seven batted passes, tied for most among all FBS edge rushers with Kansas’ Leroy Harris III, who played one more game.
Durfee, Lynch, Thompson and Uiagalelei combined for 15 tackles for a loss in 2025 and 8.5 sacks.
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“We had a really good defense,” Durfee said. “We were really a few plays away from two more wins and dang near the College Football Playoff.”
Since UW’s season ended with its 38-10 win against Mountain West champions Boise State in the LA Bowl, Durfee and the other defensive linemen have been training for pro day.
Their work appeared to pay off early Monday. Durfee, a former standout basketball player, registered a 39-inch vertical jump, on par with Texas Tech edge rusher Romello Height’s best effort at the NFL combine. Only four players — Florida’s George Gumbs Jr., UCF’s Malachi Lawrence, Wisconsin’s Mason Reiger and Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton — performed better in Indianapolis.
Durfee also said he’d heard that his unofficial 40-yard dash time was around 4.55 seconds. Texas Tech’s David Bailey, a projected first round pick, Lawrence and Texas’ Trey Moore were the only defensive ends who registered times faster at the NFL combine. Durfee, who prepared for pro day at UW instead of going to an outside trainer, said he hoped to get under 4.5 seconds, but was happy enough with his time.
“I knew today was going to go really well for me,” Durfee said. “I’ve known my whole life that the best part of my game is my athleticism.”
Thompson also enjoyed a strong performance during testing. He completed 30 repetitions of the bench press, something only former Washington State defensive tackle David Gusta and Oklahoma’s Damonic Williams managed at the NFL combine.
But the 310-pound defensive tackle particularly shined in the 40-yard dash, running an unofficial time in the 4.7-second range. Penn State’s Zane Durant and Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor were the only interior defensive linemen to run a time under 4.8 seconds in Indianapolis. Thompson, who said he’d been in consideration for the combine before missing out on an invite, said the extra motivation helped fuel his strong showing on Monday.
“It was just more like, get ready for the pro day,” he said.
Uiagalelei, who made 20 tackles during his lone season at UW, said he was happy with his performance in the 40-yard dash and specifically the 10-yard split, though he didn’t have his specific times.
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While all four defensive linemen wait to find out where they will start their professional careers, two of them admitted they’d considered returning for final seasons at UW.
Durfee and Thompson mentioned they’d considered appealing for an extra year of eligibility at UW, with support from the coaching staff. Durfee lost a season because of now-defunct NCAA transfer rules in 2023, and Thompson spent one year playing community college football at Iowa Western. The NCAA granted one-year blanket waivers to players whose eligibility expired in 2025 and had past experience at the community college level like former UW cornerback Thaddeus Dixon.
However, both said it seemed unlikely they’d get a waiver for 2026 after beginning the petition process and decided to simply focus on pursuing professional careers.
All four, however, said Washington was the perfect place to end their collegiate careers.
“I miss it so much over here,” said Uiagalelei, who has been training in Southern California. “It’s been really good to be back in the locker room with the boys. Coming back, I never really realized how much I missed this place. Seattle’s a really cool place, and I miss being here. Just being on this field.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes.com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.