A late-blooming edge rusher who overcame a broken leg and multiple stops to reach Washington, Zach Durfee was drafted by Jacksonville in the seventh round in 2026.
Zach Durfee's path to the NFL ran through a Division II program in South Dakota before he landed at Washington, where turf toe injuries and CFP-title-run transfer rules delayed his path to the field. He finally broke out as a Huskies captain in 2025, and the Jaguars took him in the seventh round of the 2026 draft to add depth on the edge.
Path to the league
Durfee grew up in Dawson, Minnesota, missing significant high school time to a broken leg before walking on at Division II Sioux Falls, where he broke out with 11 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in his lone season. He transferred to Washington, sitting out 2023 under transfer rules while the Huskies reached the College Football Playoff championship, before working his way into the starting lineup. Jacksonville selected him with the 233rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Career highlights
After his standout debut season at Sioux Falls, Durfee battled turf toe injuries in his first Washington season, limiting him to three starts, 16 tackles, and 2.5 sacks in 2024. He bounced back in 2025 as a team captain, and PFF ranked him among the top pass rushers in college football by pressure win rate that season.
2025 season recap
In his final season at Washington, Durfee served as team captain and played in 11 games, recording 37 tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, two passes defensed, and a forced fumble. The performance ranked him among the top edge rushers in college football by pass-rush win rate and helped earn him a seventh-round selection by Jacksonville.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Zach Durfee
- ESPN: Zach Durfee
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Washington
- Hometown
- Dawson, MN, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
