One of my favorite moments of the year comes in April and May as college athletes get to realize their dream of playing in the NFL. For the Longhorns there are a group of players who are on the cusp of realizing that dream. Sam Ehlinger, Samuel Cosmi, Caden Sterns and Joseph Ossai could be well on their way to the NFL next season. Outside of Ehlinger, the other three will have decisions to make as they are still underclassmen.

In the latest mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay, he has one Longhorn being selected in the first round. No shock at at all who that name is as he has been widely speculated as Texas’ first opening round selection since 2015.

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1.12 Denver Broncos select

Samuel Cosmi – OT

What Todd McShay says

Denver invested in its Drew Lock-led offense over the past few months, adding receivers Jeudy and KJ Hamler and center Lloyd Cushenberry III with early draft picks, and signing guard Graham Glasgow and running back Melvin Gordon via free agency. But even before right tackle Ja’Wuan James opted out of the NFL season, tackle was a concern. Garett Bolles hasn’t been great and could be gone after this season. Cosmi brings 6-foot-7, 310-pound size with superb mobility. He still has to develop a bit, but he has the talent to emerge as a high-end left tackle. And if you want a glimpse of his athleticism and quickness, check out his 12-yard touchdown from last October.

The idea of Cosmi to the Broncos would make a ton of sense. Denver has invested a lot of capital into their weapons around quarterback Drew Lock. The team now needs to find a way to protect him. Cosmi is a player that has gotten better each and every year. He will be expected to do the same in 2020 protecting quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Denver feels like a good spot for Cosmi to land, provided he declares after the season.