40 Acres Sports

After the first day of the draft saw four Longhorns find NFL homes, three former Horns were drafted in rounds 4 through 7 Sunday. The seven total Texas players drafted were the most for the school since the draft was scaled back to seven rounds in 1994.

Defensive end [tag]Brian Robison[/tag] was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the third pick of the 4th round. Teams get to contemplate the the first picks of the 4th round for about twelve hours so they’re some of the most thought out picks of the entire draft. There was a lot of talk about Robison being selected as a possible outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense, but the Vikings run the more traditional 4-3 so Robison will stay at end.

Corner [tag]Tarell Brown[/tag] was selected in the 5th round by San Francisco. If not for his off field issues, Brown would have likely gone in the 2nd or 3rd round. He’ll probably be the nickel corner for the 49ers his rookie year and should have a chance to compete for one of the starting spots.

The Houston Texans picked up offensive guard [tag]Kasey Studdard[/tag] in the sixth round. Studdard was one of my favorite Horns during his time at Texas, just a mean SOB that had fun and played hard every down. It might not be as a rookie, but he’ll have a chance to play for the Texans because as their offensive line is terrible.

Second day picks are pretty much a crapshoot and a lot of them don’t make the final roster cuts, but I think all three of the Horns should have a good shot. Robison and Brown could see some good playing time this year for their teams and Studdard adds much needed depth. Or maybe they’ll all get cut and end up on the Titans, that would be okay too.

With the 24th pick of the second round the Denver Broncos drafted Texas defensive end [tag]Tim Crowder[/tag]. Crowder will be a solid, every down defender for the Broncos who can not only rush the passer, but is a good run stopper as well. The Gators took pass rushing end Jarvis Moss (a fellow Texan) in the first round and Crowder should be able to team with him to really get after NFC West quarterbacks.

With Crowder, the Broncos have a chance to have an incredibly good and young defensive line.

[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag], the third Texas Longhorn taken in this year’s draft, was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 39th pick overall and the seventh pick of the second round. And I guess the Falcons tried to jump up into the first round to get Blalock, but were lucky enough for him to fall into their lap in the second round.

Blalock is versatile and durable (51 straight starts), and the Atlanta coaching staff seems pretty ecstatic to have him on the team. Let’s see if he can keep Mike Vick healthy.

The second Longhorn selected of the day, cornerback [tag]Aaron Ross[/tag] was drafted 20th overall by the New York Giants.

I was hoping Ross would fall a couple more spots to the Cowboys but the Giants are a good fit for him as well. The team needed more talent and depth. Ross should be able to contribute in the secondary immediately and could be the starter opposite Sam Madison by the time the season starts. He also should be able to contribute to the Giants as a punt returner as well.

The first Texas Longhorn has been taken in the 2007 NFL Draft as [tag]Michael Griffin[/tag] was selected by Tennessee Titans with the 19th overall pick of the first round.

I’m ecstatic to see Griffin going to Tennessee to join Vince Young. I’m a big Titans fan, as most Texas fans probably are these days, and it’ll be great getting to watch Griffin, Young, Bo Scaife, and Ahmard Hall play together in the NFL. This definitely means I’ll be ordering the NFL Sunday Ticket so I can catch all their games this season here in Dallas.

The Titans had one of the league’s worst defenses last season and lost Pacman Jones, so adding Griffin to the secondary should help them get the ball back in VY’s hands a little quicker.

The Dallas Morning News’ Rick Gosselin has been one of the more accurate draft prognosticators of the last few years and he’s posted his final mock draft this morning. His draft is definitely a bit different than most I’ve seen this week (Amobi Okoye is at 23 but I haven’t seen him below 10 in a while). He’s got two Longhorns in the first round, including cornerback Aaron Ross heading to the Dallas Cowboys at 22.

Here’s how Gosselin thinks of the Longhorns he has going in the first two rounds:

Round 1

22. Dallas – [tag]Aaron Ross[/tag]
The Cowboys need depth at cornerback, and Ross gives it to them. He won the Thorpe Award as college football’s top defensive back in 2006. The Cowboys also need help on special teams, finishing 21st in the NFL in punt returns. Ross has an 11.8-yard career punt return average with three touchdowns.

32. Indianapolis – [tag]Michael Griffin[/tag]
The Colts lost starting cornerbacks Jason David and Nick Harper in free agency. Griffin would allow the Colts to move starting safety Marlon Jackson back to his true cornerback position. Colts coach Tony Dungy likes DBs who hit – and Griffin leaves Texas with 364 career tackles.

Round 2

55. Seattle – [tag]Justin Blalock[/tag]
The Seahawks made a mistake when they allowed Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson to leave in free agency in 2006. A year later, they are still trying to fix it. Blalock started 51 games at tackle for Texas, but the Seahawks project him at guard because of his height (6-3).

Tully Janszen and Clint Haney are now competitive bass fishing. Janszen could go in late rounds of draft as deep snapper.

As an NFL fan, this Saturday is the second biggest day of the season and like many fans I’ll be bunkered down in front of the TV to watch the entire first day of the NFL Draft. Make the first round a little more interesting by making your own projections for the first 15 picks.

Use this link to sign up for the ESPN NFL Draft Forecast and you’ll join the “BevoSports.com” group. You’ll need a free ESPN account to play but our group is a public one so anyone can sign up. Feel free to invite your friends to the group. The picks lock in at 10:55 a.m. Saturday morning.

Sign up now and join our group so that my wife doesn’t win this like she did our NCAA Tourney pool.

ESPN NFL Draft expert Todd McShay doesn’t just predict the first round, or even the second round, he’s got a full seven-round mock draft up and available for ESPN Insiders. McShay has a lot of love for former Longhorns, with cornerback Aaron Ross and safety Mike Griffin going in the first round. Guard Justin Blalock and defensive end Tim Crowder then go in the early second round in his prediction.

Those aren’t the only Horns he’s high on, here’s how all the Longhorns faired in McShay’s draft:

Round 1

24. New England – [tag]Aaron Ross[/tag]
The Patriots never act as if they’re handcuffed by needs during draft weekend, but the Asante Samuel situation should increase their interest in this year’s cornerback crop. Ross lacks ideal man-to-man cover skills, but he has the size, instincts and playmaking ability to emerge as a difference-maker in the type of zone-heavy defensive scheme the Patriots run. Ross also can help in the return game, which adds to his value.

26. Philadelphia – [tag]Michael Griffin[/tag]
Although the Eagles certainly could use depth at several different positions, it’s hard to find a glaring weakness at any starting spot on their depth chart. One thing is certain: Philly will not be handcuffed by positions of need in this year’s draft. With that in mind, Griffin is a good value because he brings experience and versatility to the table after notching 250 tackles in his last two seasons at Texas.

Round 2

39. Atlanta – [tag]Justin Blalock[/tag]
42. San Francisco – [tag]Tim Crowder[/tag]

Round 3

92. Buffalo – [tag]Tarell Brown[/tag]

Round 4

106. Minnesota – [tag]Brian Robison[/tag]

Round 7

251. Jacksonville – [tag]Ramonce Taylor[/tag]

The NFL Draft is flooded with talented college tandems, including three pairs of Longhorns.