Tag: Malcolm Brown

Countdown to Texas Football: Best to wear No. 90

The Texas Longhorns are now 90 days away from the college football season. We remember the two best to wear number 90.

In Longhorns recent history there have been two players who stand out that wore number 90. Continuing the kickoff to Texas football series, we remember these two players as the season is just 90 days away.

Rodrique Wright, Defensive End (2002-05)

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Wright joined the Longhorns after being named first team All-American in high school by Parade and USA TODAY. Wright was the sixth overall ranked recruit in the 2002 class that included Vince Young. Much like Young, Rodrique was a five star prospect out of Houston, Texas. He also ranks as the sixth all-time highest rated commit in Texas history according to 247Sports.

During his freshman season in Austin, Wright earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors as well as first team freshman All-American honors from FWAA and the Sporting News. That year he posted 65 tackles, 13 tackles for loss (TFL), 15 quarterback pressures and 4.5 sacks. He played in 13 games that year with nine starts.

Wright would finish his Longhorns career on a high note as the team won the BCS National Championship over USC that year. Wright was a finalist for the Lombardi Trophy as well as a first team All-American. Wright would go on to the NFL after being selected in the seventh round by the Miami Dolphins. He would retire from the game of football following the 2011 season with the Dallas Vigilantes of arena football.

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What would an NFL defense look like comprised of only Texas Longhorns?

A look at an NFL defense comprised of Texas Longhorns. Earl Thomas and Jordan Hicks were bonafide locks but who are the rest?

Some of the best defenders in the NFL hail from the University of Texas. Earl Thomas being one of the bigger names as he was recently named safety of the decade by Pro Football Focus. The lineage of defenders doesn’t begin with Thomas, but it goes all the way back to players such as Tommy Nobis, Tom Landry and more recently Casey Hampton. The series of professional teams comprised of Longhorns continues. Recently we published our list for the offense.

The focus will shift to the defensive side of the ball. After all there is that old adage of defense wins championships. Not necessarily the case in all championship teams but without one your team stands no chance of winning. Top defenders such as Brian Orakpo, Henry Melton and Roy Miller won’t make the list as they have retired from their professional careers but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty to choose from.

Let’s start with the defensive ends of our all Texas Longhorns team.

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What would an NFL offense look like comprised of only Texas Longhorns?

The Texas Longhorns have produced a plethora of offensive talent over the years. So what would an offense of only Longhorns look like?

The Texas Longhorns have provided plenty of NFL talent over the years, but a large portion of that talent came during the Mack Brown era. It wasn’t just Brown that produced NFL talent, as the first Longhorn ever drafted dates all the way back to 1938 when Hugh Wolfe was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round.  Other big names include Bobby Layne, Tom Landry, Tommy Nobis, Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Vince Young and many more.

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

Given the amount of Longhorns that have made the jump to the NFL and AFL, we were curious what an offense of former Texas players would look like in the NFL today. We used players from the XFL as well to fill out the starters. So let’s get started with the quarterback.

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Texas Longhorns first round picks since 1999

Take a journey back to every Texas Longhorn to be drafted in the first round since 1999.

The 2020 NFL Draft is just hours away from officially kicking off. There are a few ways that you can tune into the festivities on Thursday Night. Despite the fact that the Texas Longhorns don’t have a first round caliber player according to almost every major draft analysts board, we take a journey back to every first round selection since 1999. The Longhorns could have a first round pick next year if Samuel Cosmi decides to declare or another name jumps to the front.

1999

Ricky Williams: 5th overall to the New Orleans Saints

Brian Bahr /Allsport

In 1999 the New Orleans Saints and head coach Mike Ditka gave up their entire draft just to secure the rights for Ricky Williams. Williams went on to play for the Saints until 2001 when he had a career year for the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He earned his only Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that season with 1,853 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Williams played for one other team before hanging up the cleats, the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. He finished his 11-year career with 10,009 yards rushing and 66 touchdowns. Adding another eight receiving. His career was never the same after retiring in 2004 and returning to the NFL in 2005.

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Grading the moves the Saints made in 2019, and the moves they didn’t

The New Orleans Saints made a number of roster moves ahead of the 2019 season. Some were better than the rest, while others remain what-if’s

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The New Orleans Saints made a number of personnel moves heading into the 2019 season. On one hand, the Saints made some fantastic acquisitions. On the other,  they made some questionable non-moves heading that had much of the fan base scratching their heads in bewilderment.

We are going to break those moves (or lack thereof) down and give them a grade on how those moves eventually affected the team during the 2019 season.

Signing Jared Cook: B+

Cook was added to the team on a two-year contract worth $15.5-million over the course of the contract. His addition was supposed to give quarterback Drew Brees another option in the passing game. Despite a slow start, the tight end who is known for his route running abilities posted 43 receptions for 705 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. Imagine if Brees and Cook could have clicked even sooner?

Signing Latavius Murray: A-

After New Orleans failed to bring back Mark Ingram (more on that in a moment), the team turned to the veteran Murray to help replace that production. Murray was never supposed to replicate the volume of production of Ingram, but more to supplement Alvin Kamara. When Kamara went down with injury in 2019, Murray stepped up, and as a number two running back was able to put up 637 yards of rushing with five touchdowns. Murray was a fantastic low-cost, low-risk acquisition that turned up in a big way in 2019. The only downside is that he didn’t get more touches.

Not re-signing Mark Ingram: D

Ingram was signed by the Baltimore Ravens to a three-year, $15-million deal. By signing Murray instead, New Orleans only saved a maximum of $1.4-million a year. There have been rumors that Ingram’s agent is the one at fault for not allowing the Saints to try to match the Raven’s offer. Despite Murray’s performances in Kamara’s absence, it is hard to dispute what Ingram could have done in that same situation, and beyond. New Orleans would have been a better team in 2019 with Ingram’s presence.

Signing Malcolm Brown: B+

New Orleans inked Brown to a three-year deal worth $15-million last offseason, after the nose tackle became a free agent. In 2019, Brown played in 46% of the Saints’ defensive snaps. PFF gave Brown a grade of 68.2, which is a testament to his high level of play throughout the season. Brown played an integral part in helping the defensive line become one of the most feared in the league in terms of stopping the run.

Signing Nick Easton: C-

New Orleans brought in another former Minnesota Viking in the form of interior lineman Easton. The initial thought for Easton was to help replace Max Unger after his surprise retirement announcement after the 2018 season. Instead, Easton only saw six starts at left guard when starter Andrus Peat was sidelined with an arm injury. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 49.3, nearly average for the position. As far as a backup guard is concerned, he lived up to his expectations.

Drafting Erik McCoy instead of A.J. Brown: A-

Both players should be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. Many fans probably look back and think of the possibilities of Brown lining up opposite of Michael Thomas in 2019. However, McCoy’s performance in the second-most important position on the field played a pivotal role in keeping Brees and Teddy Bridgewater upright and the offense a well-oiled machine. McCoy’s PFF grade of 78.0 was the highest among all rookies in the position, and only three points lowest than the highest graded center in the league (Jason Kelce). Fantastic centers are hard to come by, and with his rookie year under his belt, he is poised to have an even better 2020 season.

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Former Longhorn Malik Jefferson waived by Cleveland Browns

Former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday

On Tuesday, former Texas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Jefferson is in just his second year as a pro. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

With the Browns in 2019, Jefferson only made an appearance in one game, and that game came in week one against the Titans. In that game, Jefferson recorded just one tackle.

Hopefully, we see Malik find a new home soon. After all, he was a third-round pick last year for a reason.

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WATCH: Quandre Diggs gets first interception with Seahawks

Watch as Seattle Seahawks defensive back Quandre Diggs gets his first interception with his new team

A few weeks ago, former Texas Longhorn defensive back Quandre Diggs was traded from the Detroit Lions to the Seattle Seahawks. Last night, Diggs saw his first action with Seattle in a clash between the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers went into this Monday Night Football matchup as the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Seahawks were able to stun the 49ers in San Francisco, winning in overtime by a score of 27-24.

About midway through the 3rd quarter, Diggs was able to intercept 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with the score being 10-7 in favor of San Francisco. This interception led to a Seahawks touchdown, giving them the lead.

On the night, Diggs was able to tally two tackles, one of which was solo, a pass defense, and this interception.

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