Back when he was playing youth football in Frederick and his shoulder pads looked big enough to topple him, Jalen Huskey dreamed of one day playing in the NFL.
And now, almost 20 years later, that dream is closer than ever to becoming a reality.
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Huskey, a Frederick native who helped lead Middletown High School to a state championship in 2019 and played safety for the last two seasons in the University of Maryland’s defensive backfield, expects to be drafted into the NFL this week.
He has an idea when that moment might arrive and possibly the team that might provide the opportunity. His agent keeps him apprised of all that he is hearing. But Huskey preferred to keep the intel to himself when asked about it earlier this week.
Most online draft forecasts project the 6-foot-1¼, 196-pound Huskey to be a late-round selection, likely coming off the board Saturday in the sixth or seventh round.
Huskey, 22, will be ready for the moment, alongside many of the people that helped make it possible. He plans to watch the draft coverage at his home in Frederick with friends and family.
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The group will include his parents, who drove him to all of those early football practices and games and with whom he still Facetimes before every game.
“Ever since I started playing football when I was 4 years old, I had that dream,” Huskey said in a phone interview with the News-Post this week. “You know, I started collecting football cards back in the day and watching football. All I did was play sports video games. So, I’ve always had this dream and I’ve always worked toward this dream my entire life.”
Huskey grew up playing on both sides of the ball. But his skills were best suited for defense, where most of his biggest sports idols — Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens — played.
“Once I started to get a real understanding of football, I always envisioned myself being a defensive player,” Huskey said. “That’s where everything led me to be. I just happen to be a little better at defense than I am at offense. So, that’s where I ended up.”
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In 2019, as a sophomore cornerback at Middletown High School, Huskey led the state in interceptions with 13. Two came in the Knights’ 34-15 victory over Potomac in the Class 2A state championship game, during which he also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Reese Poffenbarger in the first half.
“Jalen was always a special player,” Middletown coach Collin Delauter said. “He has a nose for the football that comes so natural.”
Huskey played two seasons at Middletown before transferring to another state power, Quince Orchard, in Gaithersburg, where he finished his final two years of high school.
In 2021, he produced the game-clinching interception in the Cougars’ 31-13 victory over Henry A. Wise in the Class 4A championship game. That capped a 14-0 season for Quince Orchard.
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“I still talk to all of those people from Q.O. still to this day,” Huskey said. “They’ll be there when I have my draft party. Those guys will be with me for the rest of my life.”
In college, Huskey played for two seasons at Bowling Green, where he earned First Team All-Mid-American Conference honors as a cornerback in 2023 as a sophomore. He started 12 of 13 games for the Falcons that season, notched 10 tackles in the season opener at Liberty and finished the season with four interceptions.
Instead of playing for Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl against Minnesota, Huskey chose to enter the transfer portal. He wound up at Maryland because he wanted to play closer to home and test himself against higher caliber competition in the Big Ten. Terps coach Mike Locksley tried to recruit him out of high school shortly after the coach arrived at Maryland.
After arriving in College Park, Huskey transitioned from being a cornerback to a safety. He wound up starting 11 of 12 games as a junior for the Terps and finished the season with three interceptions.
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Then, last season, he really began to flourish. He tied for the team lead with four interceptions and was second with 72 tackles, which was the sixth-most in the Big Ten for a defensive back.
The team voted Huskey its Defensive Player of the Year at the year-end banquet, and Huskey was named Second Team All-Big Ten by both media and coaches. He was invited to participate in the East-West Shine Bowl, a college All-Star scouting showcase, and the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“Both [college stops] helped me to grow as a player,” Huskey said. “Playing multiple, different positions and really understanding the game of football and growing as a person. I matured a lot. And that comes with the time of being in college and going through a lot of different things.”
NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein expects Huskey to be selected in the sixth or seventh round. Zierlein praised Huskey’s ball skills and instincts and willingness to take on blockers and ball carriers to stop the run. He also noted that Huskey lacks top-end speed and sometimes struggles to accelerate when changing directions.
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All of this had led Huskey to this week. His next step is uncertain yet exhilarating.
“Not only is Jalen a good football player, he is a great person,” Delauter said. “He loves his family and is a goofball when you get to know him. He will always keep you laughing. I have full confidence that he will have great success in the NFL.”
