The Texas Longhorns haven’t had a player go in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2015 when Malcolm Brown was taken by New England. With the 2020 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, some media outlets are already looking towards the 2021 NFL Draft. For Longhorns fans they might finally get to hear a Texas player selected in the first round. Walter Football already published their first mock and a Longhorn was taken in the top ten.
Cincinnati Bengals select Samuel Cosmi with the eighth pick:
Cordy Glenn is gone, so the Bengals will be looking for a new left tackle to protect Joe Burrow.
Sam Cosmi is very athletic, but is considered raw at the moment.
The Bengals are in rebuild mode and recently got their quarterback in Joe Burrow from Louisiana State. Now with this mock draft, they get a blindside protector for their new franchise quarterback. Cosmi submitted paperwork to the NFL Advisory Board before making his decision to come back to Austin.
With another season under his belt, he should be one of the top offensive tackles in the upcoming class. Pro Football Focus graded him as the highest returning offensive lineman in the conference. He is technically just a sophomore having enrolled in 2017, so the Junior could return to Austin beyond this season. However, most will expect him to declare for the draft following the 2020 football season.