Welcome Back, Texas: The Longhorn Prospects

College football is a better place when the University of Texas has a great football team.  They appear to be on the doorstep to being a really strong team again and we’ll see evidence of that in this year’s NFL Draft.  After having only one Longhorn drafted in 2016 (DT Hassan Ridgeway) and one in 2017 (D’Onta Foreman) the school appears primed to have at least six players taken in the 2018 draft.  Welcome back, Texas.

Here’s our evaluation of each guy and where we think he belongs on draft day.

This is a tough evaluation for me because in watching some of his 2016 tape, he looked like a damn near perfect offensive tackle.  In watching his 2017 tape, even before his knee injury, it was a lot of bleh.  His 2016 tape makes him a clear 1st-round player, but his 2017 tape adds a lot of mystery to his 2018 draft status.  Before we get to the bullet points, let’s get a good look at examples of the difference in 2016 and 2017. (Williams is the left Tackle, #55)

2016 Connor Williams

2017 Connor Williams

Connor Williams when he’s pissed off after finding out that I didn’t like his 2017 tape.

Strengths:

• ​Wastes no time getting into his set against pass rushers.
• Moves his feet well, able to quickly slide and cut off the edge.
• Athleticism.
• Great core strength, there’s no questioning his power.
• He’s a big nasty. Not dirty, but mean. A real physical specimen who you don’t want to piss off.
• Smart in the run game, takes good angles, able to make a difference at the second level.
• Appears able to play OG if a team needed it, much like the Cowboys did with Zack Martin.
• Aggressive (spoiler alert: this will be a weakness too)

Malik Jefferson – Linebacker

Height: 6015

Weight: 240

Estimated 40 time: 4.72

Around these parts, this Texas middle linebacker is a pretty well-known commodity. In 2017, he was the Big 12 co-defensive player of the year. Expectations have been mighty high for Jefferson after being the Big 12 freshman defensive player of the year in 2015. It’s also important to remember that this came at a time when the University of Texas was suffering through an all-time drought of NFL talent. Going into 2017, Jefferson had only 121 tackles total in his first two seasons.  In 2017 he upped the production with 110 tackles and 4 sacks and made the decision to forego his senior year and enter the NFL draft.  Let’s get to the nitty gritty:

Strengths:

• ​Ideal size.
• Experience blitzing and appears to be capable.
• Has a little bit of coverage ability
• Position flexibility. While touted as a MLB, he might be better as an OLB. He has experience playing on and off the line of scrimmage.
• Will use hands to try to take on and try to shed blocks.
• Improved production each year during his college career.
• Will likely catch everyone’s attention with a strong combine.
• And finally: athleticism. Just watch his burst in space.

Weaknesses: 

• • ​Lacks instincts.  He is a guesser, and it’s very noticeable when he’s uncertain.
  • Bites on a lot of fakes.
  • Doesn’t always wrap up. Will sometimes just go for the money shot.
  • Doesn’t trust his eyes.
  • Effort level runs hot and cold. Sometimes you’ll see him coasting, sometimes you won’t.
  • A lot of false first steps, not an instinctual player.
  • Gets washed out of the play too often
  • Watch GIF below to see him get fooled.

Holton Hill – Cornerback

Height: 6016

Weight: 200

Estimated 40 time: 4.54

Suspended last 3 games of the year for ‘violation of team rules’.  Which can happen if you fail some tests. Not necessarily academic ones.

Off-the-field concerns aside, I like Holton Hill a lot as an NFL prospect.  He’s what a lot of NFL teams want from a size and physicality perspective.  He tallied 51 tackles, 2 INTs and 6 passes defended on the year.  What will be important for him is what his NFL team asks him to do.  Bring on the bullet points!

Strengths:

• • • One of the most physical cornerback prospects I’ve seen.  Doesn’t shy away from contact, goes hunting for it.
    • Blows up screen passes and swing passes to RBs.
    • When coming downhill in run and screen game he’s under enough control to not miss.
    • Would thrive in either a Cover 2 system where he can punish guys underneath and use length to shrink sideline windows in front of safeties OR a system that allows him to play press man because…
    • At his best when he’s getting his hands on guys at the line of scrimmage in coverage.
    • Outstanding tackler.  Wraps up and finishes forcefully.
    • Makes receivers uncomfortable in their routes when he’s able to line up in press.
    • Competes with physicality at the top of routes.

Weaknesses:

• • • Off coverage.
    • Lacks elite athletic ability to play man coverage without getting physical.
    • Will draw flags.  Regularly bangs or grabs his receiver deeper than five yards instead of trying to cover straight up.

Round Grade:  2.  That’s based on tape only.  Teams will have to figure out if they trust that he’ll be available to play.  The NFL will suspend players for the same reason he was suspended in college, if you smell what I’m burnin. Some teams might ‘weed’ him out as a prospect.  Do we understand yet?

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Poona Ford – Defensive Tackle

Height: 5111

Weight: 305

Estimated 40 time: 4.97

His name is Poona which immediately goes in the positive ledger.  It’s rare to see a guy under six feet tall playing the nose tackle in the NFL, but Poona’s good enough to do it.  He was the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and the anchor of the UT front that was a very good run defense.

Strengths:

• • • Movement skills.  He’s an agile guy for his size.
    • Contact balance.  He can bend toward the ball carrier while being contacted.
    • Plays well through traffic, ping pongs off and through blockers.
    • Motor.  Plays hard.
    • Beats zone blocks.  When guys want to get to one side of him to block a play he does a great job of beating them there and not getting turned.
    • Natural low center of gravity makes him a tough target to block.
    • He’s a fighter.  Fighters are hard for guys to sustain blocks on.
    • Good chase player.  The motor and his speed help him chase plays down from the backside.

Weaknesses:  

• • • Size.  5’11 isn’t the normal height of a defensive tackle.  The best one in the league (Aaron Donald) is only 6′ but he’s something of a unicorn.
    • Strength.  Not that he isn’t strong but he’s not going to toss offensive linemen around.  He can hold his ground, but isn’t going to overpower guys.
    • Average pass rusher.  He can win with initial quickness against a single blocker but if he doesn’t win early he’ll get stalemated.
    • Consistency.  He has stretches where he gets blocked up pretty well.

I really like Poona because he works hard and he’s slippery.  Those aren’t the ideal traits for a nose tackle where a lot of guys are just looking for refrigerator humans who are impossible to move but there’s a place for him on an NFL field.

Round grade:  4.  I think he’s a nice rotational player as a nose tackle with a chance to be a starter in year two or three.

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Michael Dickson – Punter

Height: 6016

Weight: 205

Estimated 40 time: 4.92

He’s the punter.  He can kick the ball really far.  He’s either the best or second best punter in this class and he’s going to get drafted.  That’s what I got.  I have never scouted a punter before.