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Former Washington DT Takes Local Pre-Draft Visit With Seattle Seahawks
TL;DR
Anterio Thompson, a former Washington Huskies defensive tackle, visited the Seattle Seahawks as part of the 2026 NFL draft process. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound player started three games last season and is one of the few UW prospects to meet with the team.
Former Washington Huskies defensive tackle Anterio Thompson became the latest 2026 NFL draft prospect from UW to take a local visit with the Seattle Seahawks this week.
Thompson, a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman who started three games and played in all 13 games this past season with the Huskies, joins running back Jonah Coleman as the only other public visitor to the Virginia Mason Athletic Center from the contingent of roughly 15 prospects in the 2026 draft class from UW.
A native of Madison, Wisconsin—the same state Seahawks' general manager John Schneider hails from—Thompson transferred from Western Michigan after previous stops at Iowa Western Community College and the University of Iowa.
Although Thompson only started three games, he played the third-most snaps (397 defensive snaps) of any true UW defensive lineman in 2025, behind Ta'ita'i Uiagalelei (492 snaps) and Elinneus Davis (424 snaps), and finished with the third-highest defense grade (76.0) from Pro Football Focus of any Husky defender this past season.
Over the years, the Seahawks haven't drafted or signed many former Huskies as undrafted free agents, but Thompson could be one that bucks the trend, having proven to be an effective force for defensive coordinator Ryan Walters in his lone season with the team.
At UW's Pro Day last month, Thompson bench pressed 225 pounds 30 times, an impressive number that should help his stock continue to rise with the draft right around the corner on April 23-25.
Whether the late attention ends up getting his name called is yet to be known, but even if the Badger State native has to earn his way once again as an undrafted free agent, he's proven multiple times during his college career that when the odds are against him, he still comes out on top.
Thompson earned first-team all-conference honors as a senior at Hempstead High in Dubuque, Iowa, registering 39 total tackles and seven tackles for loss as a senior in 2021. Although he put up solid numbers at the 5A high school level, Thompson had to go the junior college route—which led to a national championship ring at Iowa Western Community College—to earn his first FBS scholarship opportunity the following year at Iowa.
His first experience wasn't what Thompson expected.
Despite recording a pair of blocked punts for the Hawkeyes, he only played in seven games for the Big Ten program, two of which saw Thompson play one defensive line snap against Western Michigan and Rutgers in 2023.
Ironically, Thompson went on to start 12 games at Western Michigan the following season and finished eighth on the team with 34 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, which caught the attention of the UW coaches and a second chance to earn an opportunity to make it to the NFL—exactly where he finds himself right now.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Former UW Football DL Anterio Thompson Makes Pre-Draft Seahawks Visit
Q&A
Who is Anterio Thompson and what are his stats from last season?
Anterio Thompson is a 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive tackle who started three games and played in all 13 games for the Washington Huskies, finishing with the third-most defensive snaps and a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.0.
What is the significance of Anterio Thompson's visit to the Seattle Seahawks?
Thompson's visit is part of the pre-draft process for the 2026 NFL draft, highlighting his potential interest from the Seahawks among other prospects from the University of Washington.
How many prospects from the University of Washington are visiting the Seahawks for the 2026 NFL draft?
Approximately 15 prospects from the University of Washington are being considered, with Anterio Thompson and running back Jonah Coleman being the only public visitors confirmed so far.
