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The Longhorns could realistically produce two first-round draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It’s never too early to take a glance at the top prospects eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Continue reading “Top 50 prospects for 2021 NFL Draft includes two Longhorns”
BetMGM has released their odds for the number one overall selection, which Texas Longhorns are in the running?
Is it too early to discuss the 2021 NFL Draft? Well maybe but let’s go ahead and do it anyway. The Texas Longhorns came away from the NFL Draft for fifth year in a row without a first round draft selection. The last being Malcolm Brown in the 2015 NFL Draft but could 2021 be the year the curse is broken?
According to BetMGM they have a couple Texas Longhorns who could make their way into the conversation.
Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated April 27th at 4:30 p.m. ET.
According to their odds both Sam Ehlinger and Samuel Cosmi come in with identical (+8000) odds to be the number one overall selection. Cosmi seems to be one that feels like a first round lock this early in the process considering that he is the only constant in these way too early 2021 mock drafts. Another name that could find his way into the first round discussion but missing from the list of odds is Caden Sterns.
Other names on the list:
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson (-250)
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State (+350)
Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon (+500)
D’eriq King, QB, Miami (+1400)
Micah Parsons, DE, Penn State (+2000)
Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia (+4000)
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama (+4000)
Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami (+4000)
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson (+4000)
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Lousiana State (+5000)
Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.
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BR released a 2021 NFL mock draft and includes two Texas players in the first round. UT hasn’t had a first-round selection since 2013.
Three Longhorns were selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, with Brandon Jones going to Miami, Devin Duvernay getting picked by Baltimore, and Collin Johnson heading to Jacksonville. All three were selected in the third round or later, extending the five-year streak of no Texas players in the first round.
Bleacher Report has released a mock draft for the 2021 NFL Draft and predicts the streak will come to an end next year. In fact, they even predict two Longhorn players will be selected in the first round, something that has not happened since 2007.
Caden Sterns is the first predicted player off the board from Austin, as Bleacher Reports says he will go 16th overall to the Cleveland Browns. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Cleveland drafted LSU safety Grant Delpit in the second round. With opposing safety Karl Joseph’s contract set to expire after the 2020 season, the Browns could be in need of a new partner to Delpit.
No safety was selected in the first round during this year’s draft. Alabama’s Xavier McKinney was the first selected in the second round by the New York Giants.
Playing great during his freshman season, Sterns spent some of his sophomore year injured. When he was on the field, he wasn’t his normal self. To keep his first-round draft status, Sterns must return to the form he was in during his first year in Austin. Expected to be a key contributor during the 2020 season for Texas, he could even crawl up the board a few more spots with solid production.
To end the first round, Bleacher Report thinks the Baltimore Ravens will take a new offensive lineman for MVP Lamar Jackson. Samuel Cosmi could have declared for the draft this season, but elected to come back for his redshirt junior year instead.
Selected to second-team All-Big 12 last season, Cosmi is one of the best offensive lineman coming back next season. Playing left tackle for Sam Ehlinger, his athletic ability and quickness are what make him so special. He even was able to display it by scoring a touchdown against West Virginia last season.
BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN! Sam Cosmi in for six #HookEm 🤘 pic.twitter.com/CT4g5MmmPt
— CJ Vogel (@cjvogel3) October 5, 2019
If taken, he would be just the second offensive lineman from Texas to be drafted. Connor Williams went in the second round to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. It has been since 2002 since the Longhorns have produced a first-round offensive lineman when Mike Williams went fourth overall to the Buffalo Bills.
With another solid season protecting Ehlinger’s blindside, Cosmi could rise up draft boards. In what is projected to be another offensive tackle heavy first round, the competition will be stiff atop the board. If Cosmi can have a first-team All-Big 12 type season for Texas, his projections will be looking towards the top 15 picks.
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If you could put together a team of Avengers using the Texas Longhorns football team, who would make the cut?
With no football going on, we decided to take a little different approach and bring some pop culture into sports talk. Over the last decade or so, Marvel’s Avengers movie series has been one of the hottest things to hit the theaters. Setting box office record after box office record. Here we compared current Texas Longhorns to their Avengers counterpart.
Nick Fury’s job is to lead his team of Avengers (Longhorns) against the evil group known as Hydra (Oklahoma). With Fury there is often times a plan in place but the end game is quite unclear on how to achieve it. The same can be said for Herman. At one point Fury disbanded the entire Shield team only to build it back up gain, Herman did the same with his new staff for 2020.
Hawkeye is the archer of the group who is all about his pinpoint accuracy. No one fits that better than Dicker the kicker. Cameron Dicker nailed 77.8 percent of his field goal attempts and 98.2 percent of his extra points in 2019. Poised for an even better year in 2020.
Three authors from Longhorns Wire rank the top returners on defense for Texas’ 2020 season.
Three Longhorns Wire authors rank their top returners on the defensive side of the ball.
These five Texas football players must have significant impact in 2020 in order for the Longhorns to reach the College Football Playoffs.
Texas head coach Tom Herman’s reshaped coaching staff will have a plethora of talented athletes throughout the 2020 season.
Expectations are sky high regarding the Longhorns football program. Although Texas has won two major bowl games the past two years, they’ve underwhelmed throughout the regular seasons.
Texas has consistently had one of the top recruiting classes each year, but player development has lacked. With the recent staff shakeup, Texas needs to compete for the Big 12 Championship and make a legitimate run for the College Football Playoffs in order to prevent another disappointing season under Herman’s guidance.
These five returning players will make a significant impact on the Longhorns success this upcoming season.
Obvious. Ehlinger is the heart and soul of Texas’ offense. He has consistently improved each year, surpassing several of Longhorn legend Vince Young’s school records in the process. Ehlinger has a serious chance to take home the Heisman Trophy as a senior.
Protect Ehlinger. Team captain and center Zach Shackelford is not returning, therefore left tackle Sam Cosmi will be critical in anchoring the trenches. Cosmi started every game at left tackle for the Longhorns in 2019. After forgoing the 2020 NFL Draft, Cosmi will likely groom into a top draft prospect in 2021 if another impressive season is on the horizon.
Sterns must stay healthy. The Junior defensive back will be a critical part of this Texas defense in 2020. Sterns started the first 13 games of his career as a true freshman, earning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big 12 honors. Injuries riddled most of his 2019 season, but his potential, knowledge, and athleticism is through the roof.
Ossai appeared in 14 games as a true freshman in 2018. After leading the team with eight tackles in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Georgia, Ossai garnered more playing time, starting in eight games throughout the 2019 season. He logged a career-high 10 tackles, including five solo stops against TCU. A breakout season is in his foreseeable future.
Potential. Many fans have not yet been able to witness the talent and impact Whittington can make each time he touches the ball. Due to a sports hernia surgery, Whittington missed the majority of the 2019 season. The former five-star prospect was initially recruited as a wide receiver but desperately switched positions to running back due to lack of depth. Whittington is the prototypical swiss army knife player that will likely be tasked with playing both positions in 2020.
Texas Longhorns safety has become a fan favorite both on and off the field. He recently visited Judson football player Bryce Wisdom.
Caden Sterns can be an absolute menace in the secondary for the Texas Longhorns’ defense. Whether it is delivering a bone-crushing hit across the middle of the field, blitzing from his safety position or plucking passes out of the air in front of opposing receivers, Sterns leaves it all out on the field. However, there is another side of the Longhorns’ safety and that has to be the compassionate side.
This afternoon Caden met with former Judson football player Bryce Wisdom in the hospital. He even took a photo that was shared by his mother Diana on Twitter.
Thank you @CSterns_7 for stopping in and visiting @BryceWisdom20. We appreciate you taking the time to put a smile on his face. #BryceStrong🎗🧡 #HookEm @RWisdom12 pic.twitter.com/fKNnHmV92p
— Diana Wisdom (@dianawisdom) January 9, 2020
Wisdom wanted to play varsity football like his two older brothers before him when he was diagnosed with stage two kidney cancer. He has been in the fight for his life but as you can see his spirits still remain high. The San Antonio community has come together for young Bryce. Even NFL players such as Tre Flowers has got involved.
If you would like to help this family, please visit his Bryce Strong GoFundMe page.
Texas Longhorns safety Caden Sterns will look to raise the bar in 2020.
For the 2020 college football season there will be ample opportunity to take hold of a starting role. One of those players is sophomore safety Caden Sterns. Sterns was a highly recruited five star safety who came to Texas with teams like Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana State all interested. He looks to raise his game next year under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.
While it wasn’t the sophomore year he was hoping for, Stern is definitely a ball hawk type safety. During his four years in high school, he picked off 11 passes turning four into touchdowns. Sterns also was honorable mention as a wide receiver in high school. As a freshman he picked off four passes for the Longhorns.
No question Caden Sterns is a player who will need to help this defense to take the next step under Ash. When at Ohio State, Ash’s defense had a top flight secondary that helped them to a National Championship. Sterns is looking to be the Longhorn’s version of Vonn Bell who snagged six picks that year. For Texas, they need the freshman version of Sterns to take the field in 2020. More than just the ball skills, Sterns has plenty of value for this defense.
Sterns is a rangy safety who can get sideline to sideline with ease. He will also lay the wood on ball carriers when given the opportunity. His closing speed makes him dangerous as a blitzer off the edge but can sometimes miss out on a play due to his aggressiveness. He has an opportunity to be the next great Texas safety to make the jump to the NFL much like Earl Thomas and Kenny Vaccaro.
With a strong junior campaign, Sterns can help this defense to take the next step. However, with that same strong campaign he is likely heading to the NFL after three years in Austin.
Caden Sterns will likely be one of the top Texas Longhorns in 2020 that has NFL scouts salivating at the opportunity to draft him.
If these players can take a step up, Texas is going to be sitting well next season. Here are five players that need to step up in 2020.
The win over Utah in the Alamo Bowl was a great way to end a rather lackluster 2019 season. The minute that game was over, the focus was onto the 2020 season. Much like this time last year, there is a lot of hype and speculation as to what type of team will show out for the Longhorns next season.
While it will more than likely be better than the 7-5 season from this year, there is a lot of room for improvement to take that next step up. New offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich and new defensive coordinator Chris Ash should be able to bring that improvement, but when it comes down to it, the players must execute.
In a season that Texas will return a lot of talent, some of the same players that were critical in the 2019 season will need to continue to do what they are doing. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, where Texas struggled for most of the season. If these players can take a step up in 2020, the Longhorns are going to be sitting well next season.
Here are five players that need to step up in 2020:
The third quarter recap from the Alamo Bowl involving the Texas Longhorns and the 11th ranked Utah Utes.
The Utah Utes started the second half running the ball and driving against the Texas defense. As they neared midfield the Texas defense were able to tighten up and forced a 4th and one. When quarterback Tyler Huntley kept the ball on a zone read, Joseph Ossai stops him in the backfield for a turnover on downs.
Once Texas got the offense back on the field, they got running back Keaontay Ingram involved in the offense. He received two Sam Ehlinger passes for big plays including a 11-yard completion to give Texas the 17-0 lead early in the third quarter.
Following the scoring drive, the Utes were able to get into the Longhorns’ territory following a facemask penalty from Ossai. Zack Moss, the Pac 12 co-offensive player of the year was able to get a big run on 3rd and two to extend their drive getting their deepest penetration into Texas territory on the night. Two big stops from defensive back Caden Sterns forces a Utah field goal to cut the lead to 14 points.
On the second drive of the third quarter, Texas found themselves behind the chains after a holding call on first down against Brennan Eagles. They were able to get a first down on a read option that quarterback Sam Ehlinger took for a big gain into Utah territory. A unnecessary roughness call put the Longhorns inside the red zone as the drive continued. Ehlinger did the rest on a six-yard run that appeared to be a broken play resulting in another Texas touchdown.
Third Quarter Stats
Sam Ehlinger 10/15 149 yards, 10 carries 68 yards Three TDs
Keaontay Ingram 10 carries 49 yards, two receptions 26 yards TD
