The One Trait That Makes Every Texas Draft Prospect Draftable

What skill will get each Longhorn drafted this year?

Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe holds up his horns with the fans during the singing of the Eyes of Texas after a victory over the San Jose State Spartans | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has a penchant for sending his guys to the NFL. While this year's class will not reach the heights of the record-setting 2024 and 2025 classes, the Longhorns will still be well-represented at the draft.

Players do not get drafted for just one skill, however they always have at least one trait which stands above the rest.

Here is that skill for each of this year's Longhorn draft-hopefuls.

Anthony Hill Jr. - Power

Texas linebacker Anthony Hill runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When Anthony Hill Jr. gets going downhill, he can clobber puller and demolish ballcarriers.

While Hill is not the biggest or fastest linebacker in the draft, he possesses a compelling combination of the two. Force equals mass times acceleration, and if Hill is anything, it is forcedful

Whichever team drafts Hill will do so because they believe his power will help them shut down opposing run games.

Malik Muhammad - Game IQ

Malik Muhammad played in 40 games and made 29 starts during his time at Texas, which shows in his ability to understand the game and developed footwork.

Muhammad was asked to execute complicated match-coverage schemes, which blend zone principles with man rules, on a majority of his snaps in Austin. That experience fine-tuned his knowledge of coverages, something which defensive coordinators will prize at the next level.

Muhammad has just adequate speed and questionable size, but all of that can be forgiven because of his superb game IQ.

Jack Endries - Hands

Jack Endries is the definition of a quarterback-friendly tight end. He finds the soft spots in zone coverage and boxes out his defenders.

Where he really helps out his passers is on passes outside of his frame, where he uses his big mitts and concentration to pull in passes that are less-than-ideally located. His strength and focus also help him control catches through contact

That ability will get him drafted in spite of his subpar athletic tools. His solid blocking sense and capable route running will not hurt either.

Michael Taaffe - Leadership from the Deep Middle

Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taaffe in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Clemson Tigers in the CFP National Playoff First Round | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While highlighting Michael Taafe's leadership is cliché at this point, however that is for good reason. Taaffe has earned every bit of his authority in the secondary, joining Texas as a walk-on and eventually becoming an All-American.

'Leadership' is more than a catch-all way to highlight a player's story, it is an important, though intangible, skill. Taaffe kept his teammates organized in former defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkoski's aforementioned complicated match-coverage system.

Taaffe does not lack athleticism, however he probably only has adequate speed to play centerfield and is undersized. Still, his contribution to the locker room and on-field leadership will land him on an NFL team this June.

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