So far I have been pretty underwhelmed with the overall performance of the 6 Texas Longhorns taking part in the NFL combine. Colt McCoy performed pretty well in the 2 drills he took part in, coasting easily to a 4.79s 40 yard dash. Earl Thomas wasn’t among the fastest safties, but got some love from one NFL Network announcer who said he was the most instinctive safety he has seen in the last 8 or 9 years.
Below are the results so far. I will update when more information comes in.
Colt McCoy
40 yard dash: 4.79s (5th)
Broad jump: 9’6″ (4th)
Earl Thomas
Bench press: 21 reps (6th)
Sergio Kindle
40 yard dash: 4.71s (7th)
Bench press: 25 reps
Vertical jump: 36.5″ (7th)
Broad jump: 9’10”
Jordan Shipley
40 yard dash: 4.57s
Bench press: 16 reps (8th)
Lamarr Houston
40 yard dash: 4.85s
Bench press: 30 reps
Vertical jump: 33.5″
Broad jump: 9’6″
Roddrick Muckelroy
40 yard dash: 4.73s
Bench press: 19 reps
Broad jump: 9’2″
Adam Ulatoski
40 yard dash: 5.53s
Bench press: 24 reps
Broad jump: 7’10”
Earl Thomas had a Texas record 8 interceptions this season. (Image: Getty)
Redshirt sophomore safety [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] won’t be back in 2010 for the Texas Longhorns. The Thorpe Award finalist out of West Orange-Stark has announced he is leaving school early for the NFL. The news is not unexpected but didn’t think we’d get confirmation so soon.
Earl is projected to be drafted in the middle of the 1st round so this is a good decision for him and for his family. You go to college to prepare yourself for your future career and Thomas has done that (and then some) in his three years at Texas. Athletically he seems ready to play in the league and his biggest negative is his size which wouldn’t improve with more time on campus.
Thomas’ departure leaves the Horns a little thin on experience in the secondary for 2010. At safety, starter [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] is returning as is the promising [tag]Christian Scott[/tag] but neither has man coverage skills Thomas does. Someone else from the group of guys including [tag]Kenny Vaccaro[/tag] and [tag]Nolan Brewster[/tag] will also need to step up.
ESPN is reporting the USC Trojans’ head coach Pete Carroll and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks have reached an agreement in principle to make Carroll their next head coach. He may also become team president and have control over personnel decisions. This could be big for the Longhorns as top defensive end recruit Jackson Jeffcoat, who is believed to be deciding between Texas, Oklahoma, and USC.
When running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] left the University of Texas early, some fans screamed that he was making a big mistake. While the Longhorns could have certainly used him in the backfield last season, Charles’ NFL career is already going strong. After a promising rookie season even with limited touches, Kansas City Chiefs coaches and NFL media experts both think he could be headed for breakout season. The Football Outsiders think Charles is a good fit for the new KC offense:
In 2008, running back Jamaal Charles had an excellent rookie season for the Chiefs. Charles averaged 5.3 yards per carry (although he had just 67 carries) and caught 27 passes for more than 10 yards per reception. Those excellent numbers aren’t the only reason Charles is a good bet for 2009. Compared to backfield partner Larry Johnson, Charles has a style that’s a much better fit for the offense of new Chiefs coach Todd Haley. Charles is a speed demon who patiently looks for running lanes instead of lowering his shoulder and pushing the pile, and that’s a style that fits perfectly with a shotgun attack designed to spread out defenses and take linebackers off the field with nickel and dime coverages.
If you have an ESPN Insider account, read the full article on the Chiefs and check out more Football Outsiders team previews.
Brian Orakpo has agreed to a deal with the Washington Redskins. Terms of the deal to come later.
Former Longhorn offensive tackle [tag]Mike Williams[/tag] and NFL Draft bust is attempting a comeback. He’s still too heavy and he has a long way to go, but the Washington Redskins think his raw ability is still worth taking a chance on. He’s lost 40 pounds but still tips the scales at 404 pounds, more than 70 pounds more than any other player on the roster.
Williams can credit ex Texas teammate [tag]Derrick Dockery[/tag] and a Texas reporter with this chance:
Williams, selected fourth overall by the Buffalo in the 2002 draft, came to Washington in an unusual way. Pushing 450 pounds in February while running an oil services company, Williams decided to enroll in a fitness program at Duke to lose weight and become healthier. Around Easter, Williams and his wife, Enisha, moved in with former Texas linemate Derrick Dockery and the Redskins guard’s wife, their close friends, to take care of their goddaughter Madison while her parents were occupied with a baby due any day.
A reporter from Texas reached Williams on his cell phone for a where-are-they-now predraft story and wrote about his desire to play again once he got in shape and worked on football skills he hadn’t practiced in years. A Redskins official read the story Thursday and called Dockery to reach Williams, who worked out and signed the next day. He won’t participate in this weekend’s minicamp, but the Redskins hope he can lose 35 to 40 more pounds to reach his playing weight for the organized team activities that start June 1.
“I wanted something different for my life, just healthwise,” Williams said. “Then I’m like, ‘I’m feeling really good.’ I definitely missed playing. I know I still have the talent.”
Best of luck to Williams on dropping the weight fr his NFL comeback and more importantly his long-term health.
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