Three landing spots in the 2020 NFL Draft for Collin Johnson

Johnson’s size and athleticism are what make him a desirable target for many NFL teams. Here are three spots for him in the 2020 NFL draft.

Forgoing the 2019 NFL Draft, Longhorns wide receiver Collin Johnson came back for his senior season. It did not fully go to plan, as he spent most of the year injured. However, when he did play, he put up mega numbers for the Longhorns, competing with Devin Duvernay for the title of the best receiver on the team.

Finishing his Texas career strongly, he had over 100 receiving yards in his final two regular-season games against TCU and Kansas State, while he hauled in 62 yards on three catches in the bowl game against Utah. What makes him so dangerous is his size, coming in at 6 feet 6 inches and 220 pounds.

His size and athleticism are what makes Johnson a desirable target for many NFL teams. While he is not going to walk in and be the star/main receiver for many teams, what he will be is a bigger guy who will be a matchup nightmare for a team’s second or third best corner.

Here are three landing spots for Collin Johnson in the 2020 NFL Draft:

2020 Texas Longhorns Profile: Brennan Eagles

In 2020 the Texas Longhorns wide receiver Brennan Eagles will be looking to lead the offense.

In 2020 the Texas Longhorns offense will have a different look on the outside without Collin Johnson. The player who stepped up in his absence will be looking to be the man next season. Brennan Eagles was a four-star recruit out of Houston, Texas. Eagles had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Clemson among others but chose to stay home with the Longhorns.

The former participant in the US Army All-American Bowl, is a big bodied receiver who can use his frame in a similar fashion to Johnson. Eagles can block out smaller defenders much like he is going up for a rebound. At 6’4″ he is a prime red zone target who can get up and snag the ball over defenders. Eagles is able to catch passes outside of his from with a huge catch radius, that makes him a weapon for quarterback Sam Ehlinger.

Given his size, his agility is a bit of a surprise for receivers his size. He can create separation beyond the line of scrimmage, if defenders lose track of Eagles he will make you pay down the field. Just ask Oklahoma State how true that is.

Eagles has played 11 games in each of the last two seasons, starting six games this past season due to injuries to Johnson. Going into 2020, expect Brennan Eagles to get more passes his way with no Devin Duvernay to lead the way. He finished third on the team in yards (522) with a 16.3 yards per reception average and six touchdowns (second on team).

With a huge season on the horizon for Brennan Eagles, he could be another Longhorn who will be on the radar for NFL scouts heading into his junior year.

2020 NFL Draft: Where are top Longhorns projected?

Where are Texas’ top three players expected to land in the 2020 NFL Draft?

Texas has not had a player drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2015. Although several Longhorns have been selected in middle rounds and have had successful professional careers, is it still worrisome that top level talent has not been produced?

Not quite. Former Longhorns offensive tackle Connor Williams stepped right in as a starter for the Dallas Cowboys, although injuries have somewhat put a pause on his career. Punter Michael Dickson continues to excel with the Seattle Seahawks. Even after being drafted in the sixth round, defensive back Quandre Diggs has clearly made a name for himself throughout his professional career. The list goes on.

However, player development could be a cause of concern within the Texas program considering they bring in a top recruiting class each year that hasn’t necessarily correlated over to the NFL Draft. With a new coaching staff in place in 2020, expectations will be high in the coming years.

Safety Brandon Jones and wide receivers Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson remain the Longhorns top draft eligible prospects heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. Mock drafts are merely a projection on where each player is likely to be selected, but let’s take a look at where these three athletes sit currently.

In Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s mock draft, Brandon Jones and Devin Duvernay are expected to be selected in the third round. Jones lands No. 78 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles and Duvernay No. 94 overall to the Oakland Raiders. Although Collin Johnson is not listed in the top three rounds, he is the No. 30 overall wide receiver on Miller’s 2020 big board.

CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has a similar trajectory of Texas’ top players beginning in the third round. Wilson lists Jones as the No. 85 overall selection to the Dallas Cowboys, while Duvernay heads to the New England Patriots at No. 93 overall. Johnson is listed at No. 118 overall to the New York Jets.

Although the buzz is centered around these three exciting players, don’t be surprised if Longhorns offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi and Zach Shackelford make a splash as mid-round selections also.

Impressive showings at the Senior Bowl and Pro-Day for Jones, Duvernay, and Johnson could raise these projections significantly, but the trend remains the same at Texas for the time being in terms day two and day three selections.

5 biggest what ifs from the 2019 season

Every week, Longhorns fans left leaving the game thinking “What if this went our way?” Here are the 5 biggest what-ifs from the 2019 season.

At the end of each football season, there is always a few what-ifs for each team. That is no different for Texas, especially after a disappointing 8-5 season. From the very beginning of the season to the final few games, every week, Longhorns fans left leaving the game thinking “What if this went our way?”

Boneheaded plays cost Texas all season, sometimes even in games they were in total control of. It started with having the LSU offense in a favorable 3rd and 17 position and ended with jumping offsides to give Iowa State a huge first down to run out the clock to end the Horns’ Big 12 championship hopes.

While these are not excuses as to why Texas lost, it is easy to wonder what would have happened if they went in the Longhorns’ favor. Each individual one could have completely changed the entire course of the season, for good or for bad.

Here are the five biggest what-ifs for the 2019 season:

Texas Longhorns Duo Leave Austin On A High Note

The wide receiver tandem of Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay finish their Texas Longhorns careers on a high note.

Throughout the 2019 college football season, it was clear that the duo of Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson were a talented duo at wide receiver. Unfortunately for the Texas Longhorns they were both dealing with injuries this year, Johnson lost half of his games during the year but both were in uniform for their 38-10 thrashing of the Utah Utes in San Antonio.

The Longhorns duo will now focus on life after Austin as they will embark on the journey to make a name for themselves in the NFL. The Reese’s Senior Bowl week get’s started on Monday January 20th. There will be a whole week where they will get to work with NFL coaches plus meetings with NFL teams as they prepare for the biggest job interview of the offseason.

The Longhorns will now look to Brennan Eagles and Jake Smith to fill the void left by Johnson and Duvernay after four years on the Forty Acres. The 6’4″ Eagles took on a much larger role in 2019 due to Johnson’s injuries with 32 receptions for 522 yards and six touchdowns. He will look to be the focal point at receiver next season. Freshman Jake Smith who also finished with six receiving touchdowns. The offense looks to be in good hands with the young duo who look to replace 1,945 yards and 12 touchdowns from this offense.

Keaontay Ingram and The Longhorns Jump Over Utah

The Texas Longhorns finish their season on a positive note by beating 11th ranked Utah in the Alamo Bowl.

The Texas Longhorns came into the Valero Alamo Bowl game seeking their third straight bowl season  win under Tom Herman in as many chances. Coming into the game the Longhorns were a touchdown underdog in this game against the 11th ranked Utah Utes.

The Longhorns got off to a quick start after an opening drive that ended in a Michael Dicker field goal, they finished the first half leading 10-0. The defense was able to bottle up this offense led by linebacker Joseph Ossai. He was able to keep Zack Moss in check who finished the game with a 3.6 yards per carry average. Tyler Huntley was also known as a quarterback who could beat you with his legs, was held to just 33 yards on 16 carries.

It was a complete game for Texas getting contributions in all three phases of the game. In the second half it was a lot of Devin Duvernay and running back Keaontay Ingram. Ingram would finish the game with 108 yards rushing and added a touchdown on the ground as well as one in the air. The offense was able to break the will of the Utes in the second half to go along with their suffocating defense.

The Longhorns finished the year on a positive note and sent their seniors off with a win in their final game for Texas. Collin Johnson, Duvernay, Brandon Jones and Malcolm Roach will be playing in bowl games to impress the NFL scouts in the near future. This win also gives Tom Herman and the staff some momentum heading into the offseason as they finish up the recruiting class and get ready for spring football.

WATCH: Collin Johnson scores Texas’ first touchdown

After only being able to kick an FG in the first quarter, Sam Ehlinger was able to find Collin Johnson in the endzone in the second quarter.

After only being able to kick a field goal in the first quarter, Sam Ehlinger and the offense was able to find the endzone early in the second quarter.

D’Shawn Jamison set the Longhorns up in a good position after a 71 yard punt return, going all the way down to the Utah six-yard line. Two plays later, Ehlinger found Collin Johnson wide open to give Texas a 10-0 lead.

The Longhorns have started out well against the 11th ranked Utes, getting good pressure on the defensive side of the ball. The offense is getting put in good positions and must continue to execute when given the opportunities.

Texas is currently playing Utah on ESPN.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Three reasons Texas will win the Alamo Bowl

Seen as underdogs, Texas is going to need a lot to go their way to win the Alamo Bowl. Here are three reasons Texas will win against Utah.

Wrapping up the third season under Head Coach Tom Herman, the Longhorns are in their third consecutive bowl game. While it is not exactly where Texas wants to be, after not even going to a bowl game for the final two years of Charlie Strong, it can be seen as an accomplishment.

Seen as the underdogs in the Alamo Bowl against Utah, the Longhorns are going to need a lot to go their way to win this game. Things have gone their way before the game has even kicked off, as they should have the home field advantage and star wide receiver Collin Johnson is expected to return for the game.

Here are three reasons Texas will win the Alamo Bowl against Utah:

Home field advantage

Whenever you play a bowl game in your home state, a huge crowd in your favor is expected. That is especially true when the venue you are playing in is around an hour and a half drive. The Longhorns should have a huge crowd in attendance for Tuesday’s Alamo Bowl against Utah. The Utes should have a decent-sized crowd themselves but will be hard to outnumber the following Texas will have.

In a similar situation early in the year, Texas played a “neutral site” game against Rice at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans. While Rice is located in Houston, the support was mainly for Texas fans. Utah has a bigger undergrad population and more likely more alumni, it will not be able to balance out Texas fans. Having a virtual home game will keep the Longhorns competitive throughout the game.

Collin Johnson is back

For most of the season, Texas has been without star wide receiver Collin Johnson. After deciding to skip the NFL and come back for his senior season, Johnson has only played in six games this season. He has been effective in those six games, having at least five receptions in four games. He last played against Kansas State in November, where he had seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Even if he does not make an impact with the ball in his hand, he is something Utah will have to think about. His presence in the lineup takes the pressure off other receivers like Devin Duvernay. Johnson may not be 100% but as this will be his final ever time to play in a Longhorn’s uniform, expect him to make a significant impact.

Recent bowl success

Under Tom Herman, the Longhorns are 2-0 in bowl games. The last Texas coach to win their first two bowl games with the program was Blair Cherry back in 1947 and 1948. Playing in the 2017 Texas Bowl, the Longhorns took care of old Big 12 opponent Missouri, 33-16. Last season, Texas got a huge win in the Sugar Bowl against sixth-ranked Georgia, 28-21. Herman has gotten the team to play well for the big occasion.

With this being the 11th Power 5 opponent (12th if you count BYU) they have faced this year, they are not stranger to tough competition. However, this will be the most prestigious bowl game the Utes have played in since defeating Alabama in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns have been on a big stage before and will be ready to play. Having that advantage over Utah will give Texas the ability to compete with the Utes.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Valero Alamo Bowl: Injury Updates

The updated injury report for the Texas Longhorns and Utah Utes in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

The Texas Longhorns are over 72 hours away from their Valero Alamo Bowl matchup with the Utah Utes. The Longhorns will need a 2018 Sugar Bowl like level of play to pull off the upset of the Utes in hopes of ending the 2019 season on a two-game win streak. The Longhorns have one player listed as probable (Collin Johnson) and the rest on the list are questionable to play per the latest injury reports.

The Longhorns have 13 players listed on the injury report to the Utah Utes three players. It will be next man up for the Longhorns searching for their first Alamo Bowl victory since 2012 under Mack Brown.

A Top Receiver Should Return For Alamo Bowl

Texas Longhorns’ wide receiver Collin Johnson should be good to go for the Valero Alamo Bowl

It has been a long time since Longhorns fans saw number nine suit up in burnt orange for Texas. Collin Johnson has been out since the Kansas State game on November 9th. In that game Johnson hauled in seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. According to head coach Tom Herman, Johnson has been running around great according to Jeff Howe of 247.

Despite the fact that Johnson has only played in six games this year, he has caught 35 passes for 497 yards and two touchdowns. The hamstring injury has really hampered his senior season for Johnson. It is important for Johnson to suit up on Tuesday, not only for the offense’s success but the fact that this will be his last game as a member of the Longhorns.

The Longhorns will need Johnson to help them pull off the the upset over the number 11 ranked Utah Utes. The Utes will be missing Jaylon Johnson who skipped the bowl game in preparation for the NFL Draft. The Utes secondary will also be depleted with the injury to Julian Blackmon who is a key starter for the Utes at safety.

Having both Johnson and Devin Duvernay will be huge for the offense led by Sam Ehlinger who will need to be on their “A” game to pull of this win in the Longhorn’s home state. This is also the last game for Johnson before he and teammates Duvernay and Brandon Jones switch focus to the NFL Draft and the Senior Bowl. This is their chance to end their season on a high note.