Texas Football: SI Mock Draft: No Longhorns in the First Three Rounds
Sports Illustrated released its latest mock draft on Thursday morning, predicting the first three rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft.
If the SI pundits are right Texas Longhorn players will be waiting until at least day three to have their name called.
Receivers Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson have both flashed talent that could warrant a second or third-round pick to the right NFL team, but in a receiver-heavy draft SI has 16 other pass catchers going ahead of them.
SI predicts Jerry Jeudy (Alabama) will come off the board first at, followed by CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma), Henry Ruggs (Alabama), Denzel Mims (Baylor), Tee Higgins (Clemson), Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State), Laviska Shenault (Colorado), Jalen Reagor (TCU), K.J. Hamler (Penn State), Michael Pittman Jr. (USC), Chase Claypool (Notre Dame), Bryan Edwards (South Carolina), Van Jefferson (Florida), Dovan Peoples-Jones (Michigan) and K.J. Hill (Ohio State) will all come off the board before Duvernay or Johnson.
While it's extremely possible this happens, NFL scouts have been extremely high on Duvernay in particular, who had a strong showing in both the Senior Bowl and then at the NFL Combine. With one of the fastest 40-yard dash times, Duvernay is also sure-handed and elusive in the open field.
The biggest knock I've heard on Duvernay is his lack of size and that some worry about his ability to get off press coverage, but anyone who saw his first two years on the Forty Acres as an outside receiver would know he's more than capable of matching up with physical cornerback and get off tight coverage.
Johnson, on the other hand, was likely to go higher in last year's draft before deciding to return to campus. A hamstring injury in the first game of the year ended up hampering his entire senior season, then after he finally got healthy another injury - this time to his hip flexor - kept him from running at the NFL Combine.
While he very well could fall to day three, some NFL team is going to jump at the chance to get a guy who had first-round buzz 16 months ago on day three.
Other Longhorn draft hopefuls include Brandon Jones, who impressed with his mental acumen and film breakdown at the combine despite being injured and unable to work out, and Malcolm Roach, who many feel still has his best football in front of him.