Draft Day 2014: A Longhorn Roundup
1. WR Mike Davis 2. DT Chris Whaley 3. DE Jackson Jeffcoat 4. G Donald Hawkins
Are you ready for some football, Texas fans? It might be best to wait until this weekend.
The 2014 NFL Draft kicks off tonight with the first round, and, barring an incorrect draft card being turned in, it seems like Longhorn fans will have to wait until Saturday to see a former UT player come off the board, when the 4th through 7th rounds take place.
While the last five previous drafts have seen numerous Texas players taken on the first day—Earl Thomas, Kenny Vaccaro, and Brian Orakpo—most pundits have Jackson Jeffcoat as the top-ranked ex-Longhorn, and the highest he’ll apparently go is in the third round. According to Jeffcoat, he’s being scouted by teams as both a defensive end and a linebacker.
Most likely weekend picks are deep threat WR Mike Davis, speedy cornerback Carrington Byndom, and guard Donald Hawkins. Kicker Anthony Fera and defensive tackle Chris Whaley are expected to go at the tail-end of the draft, or to be picked up as undrafted free agents.
Whaley, intriguingly, could be a reach for a team looking for a boom-or-bust player. A converted running back, he was off to a solid year with the Longhorns in 2013 before an ACL tear curtailed his senior season. The word floating around to describe Whaley is “raw,” which usually means “we have no idea what this player will become or what his role will be.” Any team looking for a project—the Vikings, who recently hired vaunted defensive guru Mike Zimmer as their head coach, could be a good fit—could take a flyer on Whaley in the sixth or seventh round and try to turn him into valuable depth on the defensive line. Heck, he could even be the Fridge 2.0 and get a couple goal line carries.
Whatever happens tonight and the rest of the weekend, Longhorn fans might want to skip tonight’s selections. All signs point to three Aggies—including Mr. Football himself—and a Red Raider cashing in before any burnt-orange comes off the board.
Images courtesy UT Athletics.
