{"id":85879,"date":"2026-03-17T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=85879"},"modified":"2026-03-17T09:25:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T13:25:37","slug":"anterio-thompson-increases-traction-at-pro-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/03\/17\/anterio-thompson-increases-traction-at-pro-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Anterio Thompson Increases Traction at Pro Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anterio Thompson<\/a> said that he entered Washington\u2019s Pro Day<\/a> showcase with tangible goals in terms of his measurables. On Monday, Thompson put up testing numbers that exceeded those goals and earned him increased traction at the next level. The defensive tackle played college football at four different programs, taking pieces of expertise from each school en route to his showcase inside the Dempsey Indoor facility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anterio Thompson Pro Day<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Individual Testing Numbers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of those tangible goals for Thompson was to reach 30 or more reps on the bench press. The 6\u2019-4\u201d and 306-pound defensive tackle began the day on the bench press and put up an impressive 30 reps of 225 pounds. \u201cI felt like I definitely did better in some aspects than I expected. Especially when it comes to bench, getting 30 reps,\u201d Thompson said afterwards. \u201cIt was kind of like I lost count as I was doing the reps. So when I got up, and they said 30, I was actually surprised.\u201d After the bench press, the defensive tackle jumped 29.5\u201d in the vertical jump. He then headed to the other side of the field for the 40-yard dash.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to run a 4.7 40,\u201d Thompson said after the event. \u201cI don\u2019t know the exact number or what\u2019s been out, I heard a little bit of jazz of 4.7 or 4.6\u2019s. But that\u2019s one of the numbers I was really trying to go for, a 4.7.\u201d Thompson ran the sprint twice. Unofficially, he was clocked at a 4.73-second dash. Again, the former Husky defensive tackle had met one of his Pro Day goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thompson was not invited to the NFL Combine earlier this month. That’s despite the way he played all season for the Husky defensive line. He said he had a bit of a chip on his shoulder after receiving the news that he wasn\u2019t going to Indianapolis. But Thompson\u2019s response to that was clear: \u201cMan, you just gotta attack the Pro Day.\u201d And he did just that with the testing numbers he put on display in front of NFL Scouts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s Journey to the Next Level<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It wasn\u2019t a typical path through college football for Thompson. It started at Iowa Western Community College in 2022. He then transferred to Iowa the following year, primarily playing special teams, where he blocked two punts. Thompson spent the 2024 season as a starter at Western Michigan before playing his final year of eligibility at Washington as a Power Four starter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d say I just learned things from every university I’ve been to,\u201d Thompson said after Pro Day. \u201cComing from Iowa, just learning about the weight room, lifting, and just waiting your turn and stuff like that.\u201d The defensive tackle discussed how each school offered him a different component of his skill set that he has ultimately used to form himself into a prospect for the NFL.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But he didn\u2019t necessarily want his college career to end after 2025. \u201cI would definitely say I definitely got a lot more to improve on. I really felt like I wanted to get an extra year to fine-tune some techniques and tools.\u201d Thompson said that he had a waiver in the process to appeal to the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility. But based on how things were trending nationally regarding eligibility waivers, he and his advisors ultimately decided another year wouldn\u2019t be a possibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive Tackle Skill Set<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite knowing he has things he needs to improve on, Thompson made a strong case for himself at Pro Day. His testing numbers comprise one component of his resume. The other is his quality of play on the field. Quickness is one of the characteristics he\u2019s talked about in the past and one he\u2019s also shown in live reps. After Pro Day, Thompson spoke to that and how it can help him translate his game to Sundays.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust beating guys to their step [and] having that quick first step,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cBeing able to have that sideline-to-sideline speed. If a QB throws a jet screen, being able to run over there, being able to react and put your foot in the ground and get there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thompson said that he\u2019s being looked at as an interior and outside defensive lineman by various NFL organizations. \u201cI\u2019m willing to do that,\u201d Thompson explained. \u201cI\u2019d say for me, I played inside so I\u2019ve been more of an inside guy. But I\u2019m just willing to do whatever it is, whatever change it is to make it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>In 2025, Thompson finished with 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and a pair of pass deflections. He played over 800 snaps along the defensive line over the last two seasons as a primary starter at Washington and Western Michigan. That, combined with his performance in front of NFL Scouts at Pro Day, Thompson has certainly made a case for himself at the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Courtesy Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anterio Thompson said that he entered Washington\u2019s Pro Day showcase with tangible goals in terms of his measurables. On Monday, Thompson put up testing numbers that exceeded those goals and earned him increased traction at the next level. The defensive tackle played college football at four different programs, taking pieces of expertise from each school […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3944,"featured_media":85884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,35612],"tags":[1666,34868],"class_list":["post-85879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-washington-huskies","tag-jedd-fisch","tag-pro-days"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85879"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85885,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85879\/revisions\/85885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}