Surprised no one has discussed it yet.
We could see 4 DE's taken in the top 5-6. Year after year, we're reminded that we haven't had a top tier DE since... Sergio? I guess he was drafted more as a pass rushing LB. Sam Acho? Omenihu? I'm tired of not getting in the backfield... but I'm also tired of other teams using this against us in recruiting. A&M might have three DE's drafted this year.
PFF doesn't have a single Longhorn listed in their Top-250 for draft prospects.
Texas draft hopefuls:
Josh Thompson - probably the only non-ST player with a chance. He's rated around #20 for available cornerbacks, and teams usually go to training camp with about 10 on the roster, so without accounting for UFA's, there will probably be like 5 CBs taken per round. So if he makes it to Round 6 and still hasn't been selected, I'd be shocked.
Cameron Dicker - might be the first foot specialist taken. Has the name recognition, although among the available K/P in the draft, I actually think he's one of the "middling" compared to what I've seen from the others. While that could hurt him in terms of teams looking for accuracy, I still think he gets taken towards the end of the draft. His kickoffs alone are good enough.
UFA territory:
Brenden Schooler - led most of the measurables at Pro Day. Someone will take a flyer on him as a S/ST player for camp.
Ben Davis & Ray Thornton - by merit of experience alone, I wouldn't be surprised if they made camps. I don't think they'll make 53-man rosters, however.
Jacoby Jones - on his talent, I could see him as like a 6th DE for someone's training camp. But kind of like Davis and Thornton, I don't see him going for long.
Justin Mader - can never underestimate the power of a long snapper if a team is in dire straits.
Donovan Duvernay - on name recognition, I wouldn't be surprised if he made an appearance at a camp.
Good luck getting your teaching certificate and becoming a coach:
Derek Kerstetter
Denzel Okafor
Cade Brewer
Darion Dunn
Gabe Watson
Fallout:
Social media is going to have yet another field day at our expense. A school with our resources is going to get "outdrafted" by the likes of Tech, HBCUs, and probably some Division II school thrown in there. 2014, 2016, and 2017 (in which we had zero, 1, and 1 draftees) coincided with the downfall of both Mack and Strong, and now 2022 is going to coincide with the downfall of Herman.
My concern is whether the 2022 team will use this as fuel towards next year. So far, I think we've seen some of the "jelling" behind the scenes, and the moment some other school's fan base uses this as argument fuel, we'll see if the team can circle the wagons and use it to propel them on the field. If not, we could be in for a rough growth curve for 2023 and beyond.
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