Washington

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 99, Washington edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2024

Unpacking Future Packers: No. 99, Washington edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL draft.

When Zion Tupuola-Fetui takes the field against the Texas Longhorns on New Year’s Day, it could mark the final time the edge rusher dons a Washington Husky uniform. If so, it’s been quite the journey for the former three-star recruit from Hawaii.

During his first season on campus, ZTF played in just two games to preserve his redshirt status. It wasn’t until the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season that ZTF started his first collegiate game. In just four games, he recorded seven sacks and 20 pressures.

Then, in spring ball leading up to the 2021 season, he tore his Achilles. He returned after missing five games to open the season and recorded one sack before missing the final two games due to a concussion.

In 2022, ZTF recorded 4.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and 32 pressures. He enters the College Football Playoff matchup against Texas with five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 24 pressures. It’s a season in which ZTF lost his father in the middle of the season.

Zion Tupuola-Fetui, whose father passed away only a month ago, was emotional while running out to hug his mom ahead of the game ❤️
It would have been his mom and dad’s 26th anniversary today 💔🙏 pic.twitter.com/h7STMOyHjH
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 25, 2023

“Zion has been an important part of the pass rush plan,” Roman Tomashoff, a UW writer for SI.com, said. “With a lot of youth behind him, he has been asked to play a ton of snaps and has done a great job, especially developing in run support.”

A big hurdle for ZTF during the pre-draft process will be his medicals. After suffering a torn Achilles back in the spring of 2021, the UW edge rusher has worked his way back to form. A few years removed from that injury, the former three-star recruit put together his best season since the breakout 2020 campaign.

So good to see #Washington DE/LB Zion Tupuola-Fetui (#58) back on the field Saturday after tearing his Achilles only 6 months ago.
Still a dude. pic.twitter.com/kn5VgQn7PM
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 18, 2021

“He displayed far more athleticism this season and he was really impressive with his get-off,” Tomashoff said. “He has lined up all over the formation to display his athleticism, he even took a few pass rush snaps where he lined up at inside linebacker.”

ZTF has adequate initial quickness off the snap and converts speed to power. He has powerful, active hands. The former three-star recruit displays natural pass-rush instincts and has a deep bag of tricks to get after the quarterback. He uses his long strides to quickly close on the quarterback.

“He offers a lot of speed,” Tomashoff said. “While he’s lost some of the power he had playing at 280 pounds he’s developed more of a pass rush plan and has improved with counter moves.”

ZTF is an inconsistent edge-setter. He’s powerful at the point of attack, but the consistency from snap to snap is lacking. He can get skinny and shoot gaps to disrupt the action in the backfield.

“He emphasized a commitment to setting the edge all spring and fall,” Tomashoff said. “While it is still clearly coming along, he has certainly made strides in that department.”

Fit with the Packers

A team can never have enough pass rushers and as it stands right now the Green Bay Packers have a formidable stable of edge rushers. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare are all scheduled to return next season and it’s safe to assume that Van Ness will see an uptick in snaps during his second year in the league.

What if the Packers move on from Smith? The veteran edge rusher will turn 32 in March and could wind up being a cap casualty. On top of that the Packers may be comfortable moving Van Ness into a starting role next season.

Regardless of what happens with Smith, if a team thinks they have enough edge rushers they should add another for insurance. ZTF is slated to be a day-three pick and would provide Green Bay with quality depth and a player who once looked like a potential Top 50 pick before suffering a torn Achilles.

On top of everything that ZTF brings to the football field, he’s a leader and a player who will likely interview well during the pre-draft process.

“I think he can be a really good rotational piece along the defensive line as a pass rusher,” Tomashoff said. “Zion has matured over the past few seasons and has grown as a leader, and offers a lot in terms of his potential because he still seems to be learning to play at a lighter weight.”

ZTF projects as a rotational edge rusher. With his pass-rushing upside, the Packers could roll the dice on the Washington edge rusher on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft as they look to add more depth on the edge.

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Washington

Community discusses installing locked gates at NYC’s Washington Square Park

Published

13 hours ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Community discusses installing locked gates at NYC’s Washington Square Park

Could one of New York City’s most iconic parks soon be surrounded by gates?

At a Wednesday night meeting of the local Community Board’s Parks Committee, tensions ran high over whether or not to install locked gates at Washington Square Park.

The historic Washington Square Arch welcomes visitors from near and far to the park, but when the clock strikes midnight, the police and Parks Department put up French barricades, cross-chained together, until 6 a.m.

Some residents, however, said the barricades aren’t aesthetically pleasing.

“Now it’s time to replace the unattractive police barricades with appropriate gates that really represent the history of that park,” landscape architect George Vellonakis said.

French barricades, cross-chained together, are used to close New York City’s Washington Square Park from midnight to 6 a.m. daily.

CBS News New York

Others said the barricades aren’t effective at keeping people out. One resident shared a photo of a person sleeping overnight on a mattress in the park.

Opponents, however, argued gates aren’t the answer to that issue, and some longtime residents said they hoped the park would be open 24/7.

“I think that the barricades have to go. I think they’re really, really ugly,” one person said. “They’re really hard for the Parks Department and the police to handle, and they don’t work.”

“Particularly Millennials and Gen Z will have these changes for the rest of their lives,” another person said. “I enjoy traveling other similar parks in Europe where you can walk at all hours of the night.”

Back in 2005, the Parks Department considered installing gates but canceled the plan after fierce opposition from the community. A Community Board member said the idea to install gates resurfaced during COVID when overnight gatherings in the park got out of hand.

“We are not anti-gate. We do believe that they should find more effective ways to support the NYPD,” Washington Square Association President Erica Sumner said.

The committee voted on a resolution to formally ask the Parks Department for its recommendations.

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Washington

Washington Nationals recall Zak Kent

Published

1 day ago

May 6, 2026

Press Room

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Zak Kent from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday and optioned right-handed pitcher Andre Granillo to Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday. Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni made the announcements.
Kent, 28, joins the Nationals after he was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on

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Washington

Why is the protester still on top the Frederick Douglass Bridge in DC?

Published

2 days ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Why is the protester still on top the Frederick Douglass Bridge in DC?

Despite saying he would “soon” come down, a protester has remained on top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Washington, DC since May 1, impacting traffic and extending a dayslong standoff with police.

Guido Reichstadter climbed the 168-foot bridge Friday, then draped a black banner and set up a tent while making the bridge his home for the past four days.

Here’s what to know about Reichstadter’s protest and how it is affecting locals in the nation’s capital.

Why is there a man on top of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge?

After Reichstadter climbed the bridge Friday, he identified himself as a protester, writing on X that he was “calling on the people of the United States to bring an immediate end to the Trump regime’s illegal war on Iran and the removal of the regime power through mass nonviolent direct action and non-cooperation.”

He has posted on X throughout his protest, reminding his followers of his cause as he thwarts attempts from the DC police to bring him down.

“The Trump regime occupying the office of the US executive is prosecuting a criminal war of aggression against the nation of Iran, enabled by the refusal of Congress to assert its constitutional power, and by the continued submission of the majority of the US population to this intolerable state of affairs without effective civil resistance,” he wrote on X, saying it’s the public’s responsibility to nonviolently put an end to Trump’s presidency.

Reichstadter said May 4 he hasn’t eaten for days, but previously told NewsNation he went on a 30-day hunger strike while protesting AI outside the Anthropic headquarters.

He has run out of water, however.

“I’ve got the stamina to stay up here a bit longer,” he told WTOP Monday.

What impact is the protest having in Washington, DC?

Reichstadter’s protest has caused lanes to shut down on the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, but lanes had reopened for traffic late Monday morning.

Tuesday morning, all lanes were open for traffic, but the pedestrian walkway was closed, according to the Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination (MATOC) Program.

If he stays on top of the bridge into Tuesday night, it’s unclear how his protest could impact people traveling nearby to the Washington Nationals game.

“My efforts here have had impacts on the local community and its people, and it is my desire not to harm but to work in communication, to lift up and to contribute what strength I can to the ongoing struggle for rights and freedom which this community has been engaged in for years,” Reichstadter said Sunday.

Police said Monday that their negotiators will remain on the scene.

Mike Stunson is the DC Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network.

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