Tag: Longhorns in NFL

What draft analysts are saying about Devin Duvernay

Longhorns Wire scoured the web to find out how NFL Draft analysts feel about Devin Duvernay as a NFL prospect.

The NFL Draft is just a few days away and there are several hopefuls that are looking to make their impact at the NFL level. One such player is Devin Duvernay. The Longhorns wide receiver finished his career with the second best season in Longhorns history for a pass catcher. His 106 catches in a season finished 10 behind the mark set by Jordan Shipley in 2008.

His 12 receptions against LSU and Oklahoma State give him the fourth-most in a single game, tied with Eric Metcalf who accomplished that feat against Arkansas. Not to mention his 1,386 yards receiver in a season finished second to Jordan Shipley once again. Duvernay finished out his career with the eighth-most yards in Longhorns history.

The Draft Wire‘s thoughts on Devin Duvernay:

A compact slot receiver with plenty of ability after the catch, Duvernay is an electric playmaker who brings athleticism and toughness to the wide receiver position. His skill set isn’t one of anything more than a complementary weapon at the next level, but he should be a serviceable starter in the pros. – Jacob Infante

The NFL Combine profile from Lance Zierlein:

Straight-line speedster with a fireplug build who needs to close the ability gap between when the ball is in his hands and when it’s not. Duvernay is a challenging study because he carries long speed but he’s not a ball winner. He’s a slot receiver with tight hips and below-average routes but has outstanding hands and uses power to add yards after catch. The pieces don’t quite fit together, but great hands, YAC and speed are traits teams might look to mold. He’s not a classic developmental prospect but could become one if a team has a plan for him and can improve his routes.

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Mock Draft Monday: Texas Longhorns roundup

On a mock draft Monday, three seven-round mock drafts are observed to find out where former Texas Longhorns could wind up next week.

The NFL Draft is just 10 days away and for five Texas Longhorns, they are hoping to get the phone call they have worked hard to receive. For Brandon Jones, Collin Johnson, Devin Duvernay, Zack Shackelford and Malcolm Roach this is the first step towards continuing their football careers at the next level. Starting on April 23rd the draft will run over the following two days and conclude on the 25th.

With the NFL Draft approaching in just over a week, three mock drafts are featured on this Mock Draft Monday. Our colleagues at the Draft Wire have put together another seven-round mock that features four of the five draft hopefuls that wore burnt orange in their college career. Here is the latest mock by Luke Easterling.

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Draft Wire

3.80: Brandon Jones Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders could use some depth at the position that lost their former first round pick Karl Joseph. Jones would get a shot to start immediately even as a third-round pick.

4.142: Collin Johnson Washington Redskins

Washington is in dire need of playmakers on the outside to team up with Terry McLaurin who burst onto the scene in 2019. The team has a young quarterback in Dwayne Haskins under a new staff. Johnson helps bolster that receiving corp.

5.157: Devin Duvernay Baltimore Ravens

In this particular scenario the Baltimore Ravens add yet another wide receiver that hails from the Big 12 Conference to go along with Marquise Brown and Antoine Wesley. Duvernay adds slot depth and a reliable target that dropped just five passes during his time at Texas.

5.174: Malcolm Roach Tennessee Titans

Malcolm Roach joins Mike Vrabel’s 3-4 defense where he would like line up at either defensive end spot. His depth would allow him to plug right in as a rotational piece with promise to work his way up the depth chart. Roach feels like a New England type selection so landing with Vrabel seems like a perfect fit.

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2020 NFL Draft: Brandon Jones ready to step up

Texas Longhorns safety Brandon Jones is ready to step up to the next level, watch this video produced by the Green Bay Packers.

A lot has been made about Brandon Jones this offseason. While he was unable to participate, Jones didn’t let that stop him from impressing scouts and teams with his football IQ. It was made known that he spent countless hours grinding film while nursing an injury, breaking down each teams defense shows another way that he can make an impact at the NFL level. The Green Bay Packers put together this video on a prospect that the team could use, Brandon Jones.

Jones has been mocked pretty consistently in the third round of most NFL mock drafts. So when the Green Bay Packers come up in the third round with the 94th overall selection it would come as no surprise if they do indeed take Jones to help that defense.

The Packers aren’t the only team that is in need of a safety but one that makes sense from a selection standpoint. Other teams that have been linked to Jones are the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Las Vegas Raiders in most mock simulations.

 

 

Texas Longhorns Football: Mock Draft Monday

The latest mock draft roundup for the Texas Longhorns with Brandon Jones, Devin Duvernay, Collin Johnson and Malcolm Roach.

Our colleagues at the Draft Wire have released their latest mock draft. Luke Easterling has one Texas Longhorn in his latest three-round mock that has the Las Vegas Raiders landing safety Brandon Jones. Jones has frequently been the highest rated former Longhorn mocked through various media outlets.

80. Las Vegas Raiders: Brandon Jones

The addition of Jones would help bolster a defensive backfield that has added former Dallas Cowboy Jeff Heath and former Cleveland Brown Damarious Randall. While Randall has starter capability, Heath is more of a depth and special teams specialist for the Raiders. Brandon Jones would immediately get an opportunity to start for Paul Guenther’s defense.

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Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson could sneak their way into day two of the NFL Draft during the compensatory part of round three. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller actually mocked Duvernay to the Tennessee Titans with his latest mock draft at pick 93 in the third round.

The full breakdown of Miller’s mock for the Longhorns:

93: Tennessee Titans- Devin Duvernay

109: Detroit Lions- Brandon Jones

130: New Orleans Saints- Collin Johnson

241: New England Patriots- Malcolm Roach

 

 

Who are the highest-paid Longhorns in the NFL?

A list of the ten highest-paid former Longhorns in terms of guaranteed money.

There’s dozens of former Texas players currently active in the NFL, but it’s been a quiet offseason other than Colt McCoy, Adrian Phillips, and Hassan Ridegway agreeing to new deals. Continue reading “Who are the highest-paid Longhorns in the NFL?”

Pro Bowl safety, former Longhorn agrees to two-year deal with Patriots

Former Texas safety Adrian Phillips agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Former Texas safety Adrian Phillips is no longer an NFL free agent.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports announced that Phillips agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots on Thursday.

Phillips was a 2018 Pro Bowl selection that will bolster the Patriots secondary after safety Duron Harmon was traded to the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.

The versatile defensive back is also expected to contribute on special teams. Although his 2019 season was cut short with the Los Angeles Chargers due to a broken arm, Phillips compiled 94 total tackles, one interception, and nine passes defended in 2018.

Phillips was an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2014 and has spent his entire professional career with the Chargers.

Former Texas defensive lineman signs one-year deal with Eagles

Rotational defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway has re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFL’s negotiating period began on Monday, which brought an ample amount of excitement to the sport’s world which has desperately needed it.

A former Longhorn happened to be included in the headlines. The Philadelphia Eagles reached a one-year deal with defensive lineman Hassan Ridgeway just before he was able to negotiate with other teams.

Ridgeway is a rotational defensive tackle who provides plenty of upside behind Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson. Before suffering an ankle injury in 2019, Ridgeway played in seven games with the Eagles.

Prior to being selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Ridgeway was a four-year defensive lineman at Texas from 2012-15. He ended his collegiate career with 92 tackles, including 9.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss.

The Eagles originally acquired Ridgeway in a trade last season. The 6-3, 305-pound playmaker can revitalize his career in Philadelphia as long as he can remain healthy.

 

 

2020 NFL Draft plans adjusted, public events canceled

As the CDC now recommends no public gatherings over 50 people, the NFL Draft committed to adjusting its plans.

Health and safety is undeniably the top priority. As the nation attempts to contain the sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), numerous sporting events around the world have been canceled or postponed.

The Centers of Disease Control now recommends that Americans do not conduct gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. Merely a day after this announcement, the 2020 NFL Draft committed to adjusting its plans.

The NFL Draft was scheduled to take place on April 23-25 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the draft will still proceed without the typical public events or fans present, the league is still exploring innovative ways for how the process will be conducted.

It’s likely that all draft selections will be digital from remote locations. This shouldn’t impact NFL organizations from their usual selection process as they typically work from within the war room inside of their own headquarters. However, for some prospects, hearing your name called to the stage is a lifelong dream that unfortunately won’t materialize.

The Texas trio of safety Brandon Jones and wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay will be anxiously awaiting that special phone call.

NFL Mock Draft: Texas trio fall to day three selections

Former Texas players Brandon Jones, Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay are now projected to be selected on day three of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Former Texas safety Brandon Jones slid into the fourth round of the latest NFL Mock Draft.

In what feels like yesterday, Jones was consistently projected to be selected in the third round. An impressive showing at Texas’ Pro Day in April has the potential to increase Jones’ overall draft grade, but it appears that the trio of former Longhorns could now be selected on day three of the 2020 NFL Draft.

According to the latest NFL Mock Draft from USA TODAY’S Draft Wire, both Jones and wide receiver Collin Johnson are taken off of the board in the fourth round.

While this is the lowest projection for Jones thus far, Johnson’s draft stock has seemingly risen. Not only could each of Texas’ highest-rated prospects be selected on day three, it’s realistic that they could be taken off the board within a few picks of each other.

Although listed as the very first pick in the fifth round of this particular mock draft, speedy wide receiver Devin Duvernay has remained a consistent day three selection.

Take a look at where each player was projected below.

Brandon Jones – S

  • No. 110 overall
  • Fourth round
  • New York Giants

Collin Johnson – WR

  • No. 120 overall
  • Fourth round
  • New York Jets

Devin Duvernay – WR

  • No. 147 overall
  • Fifth round
  • Cincinnati Bengals

 

Former Longhorn Earl Thomas named No. 1 safety of the decade

According to Pro Football Talk, Longhorn legend Earl Thomas was named the No. 1 safety of the decade.

Since 2010, there’s been several well-known defensive backs to have successful careers in the National Football League.

Pro Football Talk recently graded their top 10 safeties of the decade, where Longhorn legend Earl Thomas snagged the No. 1 spot.

This is no easy feat, as Thomas beat out popular names such as Troy Polamalu, Eric Berry, Devin McCourty, Eric Weddle and Kam Chancellor. According to PFT, it’s primarily due to Thomas’ accomplishments throughout his stint with the Seattle Seahawks.

“Thomas anchored the best secondary of the decade during his time in Seattle and has a Super Bowl ring to show for their efforts. Thomas was named a first-team All-Pro three times during his run in Seattle and made an impact across the board, but especially in the passing game. He ranks third among all players in interceptions since 2010 and his play with the Ravens this season shows that there will be more to come.”

After being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Thomas has played in 140 games totaling 30 interceptions and 713 tackles. He was a leader of the Legion of Boom defense in Seattle whom hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the 2013 season. He later went on to sign a four-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens in March of 2019.

Thomas played under head coach Mack Brown at Texas from 2007 to 2009. After redshirting his first year with the program, he dominated his freshman season starting all 13 games at strong safety while earning numerous All-Freshman honors. As a sophomore, Thomas led the Longhorns defense to an undefeated season before losing to Alabama in the 2010 National Championship.

Although he only played for two years on the Forty Acres, Thomas remains one of the best players to ever come through the Texas program.