The 2021 NFL draft kicks off on Thursday night, therefore, analysts and writers have began to release their final mock drafts projecting which player(s) each team will pick.
It’s rare that analysts get these right. These projections are based on a combination of team needs, expected players available to fall to those respective teams and just a general feel for the board.
NFL analyst Bucky Brooks released his final first round mock draft for the 2021 draft, but interestingly enough, he didn’t include any Texas Longhorns to be selected in round one.
Offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi and pass rusher Joseph Ossai are both considered fringe first or second round players, but neither ended up in Brooks’ final mock.
In Brook’s top-5 rankings for each position, he mentions two Longhorns: Ossai is his No. 3 outside linebacker and Caden Sterns is listed as his No. 4 safety. There is a notable absence of Cosmi.
This is interesting considering Brooks had picked Ossai to go in the first round of his mock draft 1.0 previously. Obviously, you should take whatever mock draft with a grain of salt, but given Brooks’ connections and respect he has around the league, he might know more than he’s willing to let out.
It’s certainly possible that we will not see a Longhorn taken until day two of the draft.