WSU Cougars Send Three Players to the NFL
By Ben Renner
The WSU Cougars sent three players to the NFL during the Draft and the days after. Joe Dahl, Destiny Vaeao, and Dom Willams will vie to play on Sundays for their respective teams.
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The WSU Cougars sent three players to the NFL during and after the NFL Draft. Offensive lineman and former Second-Team All American Joe Dahl was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round. Hopefully Dahl, a Spokane native and blindside protector for the nation’s top passing attack the last two seasons, will find a home in the offensive line rotation of the Lions. His senior year, he earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in addition to making it to the All-Pac-12 team twice in his career for the WSU Cougars.
Dahl is the first offensive lineman the WSU Cougars have sent to the NFL since the Carolina Panthers drafted Zack Williams in 2001, and the highest Cougar offensive lineman taken in the draft since the Houston Oilers drafted Scott Sanderson in the fifth round of the 1997 NFL Draft.
Dahl will hopefully see his teammates Destinay Vaeao and Dom Williams on the field on Sundays. Defensive tackle Vaeao signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, while receiver Dom Williams signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent. Both Vaeao and Williams will fight for a spot on their respective teams through training camp. Vaeao brings versatility as a 3-4 linebacker and defensive lineman. The Eagles, like many NFL teams these days, will likely see if he can hold up inside as a pocket pusher in the mold of edge rushers like Michael Bennett going inside to push the pocket on passing downs.
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Dom Williams will hope to see some snaps with the first-team offense and Philip Rivers in training camp and make an impression. Look for these WSU Cougars on Sundays this fall.