Seahawks get UW Huskies standout, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Ben Burr-Kirven in 5th round
Apr 27, 2019, 11:19 AM
Seahawks fifth-round pick Ben Burr-Kirven was the 2018 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. (AP)
(AP)
There are a lot of people in the state of Washington that are going to like this one.
With the 142nd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Seahawks looked across Lake Washington to take UW Huskies fan favorite Ben Burr-Kirven, the nation’s leading tackler in 2018.
See Ben Burr-Kirven’s prospect profile
Burr-Kirven, a linebacker, won the Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in his senior season with the Huskies after making an incredible 176 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions and six pass breakups during UW’s Rose Bowl season.
He is the first player to ever win Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Pac-12 Football Scholar Athlete of the Year in the same season.
From Menlo Park, Calif., the 6-foot, 221-pound Burr-Kirven joins Utah’s Cody Barton as a Pac-12 linebacker added in this draft by the Seahawks. In the pros, Burr-Kirven could be a difference-maker on special teams.
