University of Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio of Anchorage became the 12th Alaskan to get picked in NFL Draft. Photo courtesy UW Daily Sports.
When it comes to fifth-round NFL Draft picks from Alaska, Edefuan Ulofoshio of Anchorage is in some good company.
The Buffalo Bills on Saturday drafted the All-America linebacker out of the University of Washington with the 160th pick, making him the 12th player from Alaska picked in the NFL Draft.
Four of them were taken in the fifth round – a rookie and veterans Mao Tosi, Chris Kuper and Zack Bowman, who combined to play in 215 career games and one Super Bowl.
Ulofoshio is a 6-foot-1, 236-pound freight train who can play with power to stop the run or precision in pass coverage. He ranked 20th nationally in solo tackles (62) and was named All-Pac-12 First Team and All-American Third Team.
He started 26 of 44 career games at Washington and racked up 251 tackles, which ranks third all-time among Alaskans at the Division I level.
Last season, he was captain of the Huskies’ defense and helped Washington reach the CFP national title game against No. 1 Michigan.
Ulofoshio, a former college walk-on, is the first Alaskan picked in the NFL Draft since 2011.
ALASKANS IN NFL DRAFT
47th – Daryn Colledge 2006 Green Bay
58th – Reggie Tongue 1996 Kansas City
93rd – Shane Bonham 1994 Detroit
136th – Mao Tosi 2000 Arizona
142nd – Zack Bowman 2008 Chicago
160th – Edefuan Ulofoshio 2024 Buffalo
161st – Chris Kuper 2006 Denver
181st – Travis Hall 1995 Atlanta
236th – Brandon Drumm 2003 Detroit
238th – Daniel Hardy 2011 Tampa Bay
247th – Rocky Klever 1982 New York Jets
263rd – Mark Schlereth 1989 Washington
George Nix, Tom Neville, Jeff Overbaugh, Brandon Pili were not drafted but played in NFL
Ulofoshio was born in Anchorage and lived in town through his freshman year of high school at South Anchorage.
In 2015, his family moved to Las Vegas, where he attended Nevada powerhouse Bishop Gorman. His team won 43 of 45 games with him on the field and Bishop Gormon finished the 2015 and 2016 seasons ranked No. 1 in USA Today’s final rankings.
At Washington, he played in only three games as a true freshman but made an immediate splash, forcing a fumble on the first play of his career.
From there, he recorded 47 tackles in 2019 and 2020 and 51 tackles in 2021 before an injury limited him in 2022. He got a COVID year in 2023 and took his game to another level with a career-high 94 tackles, including eight for loss. He also scored his first touchdown on a 45-yard interception return.
Ulofoshio racked up double-figure tackles in 12 games, with highs of 18, 16 and 14. His 18 tackles represent the state record he shares with Fairbanks’ Ward Dobbs, a linebacker for the University of Wyoming in the mid-2000s.
Edefuan Ulofoshio is a LB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.67 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 95 out of 2889 LB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/bzNGCwQzRq pic.twitter.com/M6EMvIl0fI
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 22, 2024