On April 22, 1995, former Washington tight end Mark Bruener was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL draft. 

Now, three decades later, Carson Bruener has received the same call. 

The 6-foot-2, 226-pound linebacker from Woodinville was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round with the No. 223 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Carson Bruener, who played in 52 games during five seasons at Washington, is the first former Husky picked in this year’s draft.

Bruener experienced a highly successful, yet turbulent, time in Washington’s history. He played for three coaches — Jimmy Lake, Kalen DeBoer and Jedd Fisch — and had five defensive coordinators including Pete Kwiatkowski, Bob Gregory, Ikaika Malloe, William Inge, Chuck Morrell and Steve Belichick.

Despite the mass coaching turnover, Bruener helped lead the Huskies to an Alamo Bowl win during the 2022 campaign and was a key piece of UW’s 2023 season, helping Washington win the Pac-12 championship, the Sugar Bowl and earn a trip to the College Football Playoff national championship game under DeBoer. Bruener was a 2023 All-Pac-12 honorable mention after making 86 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and four pass breakups. 

Yet Bruener solidified his status at Washington in 2024 after choosing to stay at UW following DeBoer’s departure. He was voted a team captain, and helped transition the program into the Big Ten.

Bruener made a career-high 104 tackles, along with three interceptions, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble, earning consensus third-team All-Big Ten honors from coaches and media. Bruener was the only UW player invited to the 2025 NFL combine.

He also helped UW reach bowl eligibility in Fisch’s first season, and made 11 tackles in his final game as a Husky during the team’s Sun Bowl loss to Louisville. 

“I committed in 2020,” Bruener said after the Sun Bowl. “I’ve been here ever since. I never even thought about leaving, no matter what. I love this university.”