Standout Washington football tackle ranked among nation's top players

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Even though he would've likely made eight NFL draft picks for Jedd Fisch's coaching staff in 2026, Drew Azzopardi had no doubts about returning to the Washington Huskies for one more year of college football.

"It wasn't going to be a question," the right tackle said of his thought process to spend his final year on Montlake. "I was coming back no matter what, I wanted to have another year with my guys…It's been a huge part of my life, and there's nothing I wanted more than to be back here with them for one more year."

Now, after being one of the Big Ten's most improved players from the 2024 season to 2025, Azzopardi is expected to be an anchor for what Jedd Fisch's coaching staff believes will be one of the best offensive lines in the conference. According to On3's rankings of the best players in the nation, he's Washington's top returner, ranked as the No. 149 player in college football ahead of the 2026 campaign.

He also found himself among the top 100 players on Pro Football Focus' initial 2027 NFL draft big board, as the No. 85 prospect according to the analytics site.

While his presence is obviously crucial to keep quarterback Demond Williams Jr. upright this fall, while the Huskies work through some injuries and inexperience at the running back position, Azzopardi has found his voice as a leader in a room that has some high-end young talent in sophomore John Mills (who is also on On3's list as the No. 222 overall player), redshirt freshman Champ Taulealea, and true freshman Kodi Greene.

"This is my third year in the offense, and I wanted to take on a big role in the leadership because of that," he said. "I've experienced a lot of things in my career that some of the young guys haven't, so guys like Kodi, who's doing a great job right now, I just want to be able to bring them along with us and just show them the ropes."

With Azzopardi leading the way, Fisch and offensive line coach Michael Switzer have built a strong unit that can help the Huskies take another step forward in Big Ten play as they look to continue improving after a 9-4 season in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Standout Washington Huskies OT ranked among nation's top players

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