Hau’oli Kikaha is fourth Husky selected in NFL Draft, 44th to Saints
May 1, 2015, 5:29 PM | Updated: Apr 8, 2016, 10:50 am
(AP)
A history-making NFL Draft for the Washington Huskies continued in the second round Friday, with linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha becoming the fourth player from UW to be selected.
Kikaha was taken 44th overall by the New Orleans Saints, joining a trio his former teammates on the Washington defense that were picked in Thursday’s first round.
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Despite lasting into the second round, the 6-foot-2, 253-pound Kikaha was the star of the UW defense as a senior in 2014. He tallied 19 sacks, a school record that tied him for the lead in the nation, on his way to becoming a unanimous first-team All-American. He was a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year, Lombardi, Butkus, Lott Impact and Ted Hendricks awards.
Kikaha finished his career with 36 sacks, also a Washington record. He also set program marks for single-season tackles for loss (25) and single-season tackle-for-loss yards (139) in 2014.
Injury concerns may have hurt Kikaha’s draft stock some – he tore his left ACL in back-to-back years, 2011 and 2012.