A college football program is moving in the right direction if it is developing players with NFL potential and competing at the highest level. Both of those criteria were accomplished by the No. 3 Texas Longhorns this season, who ended with a 12-2 record despite falling short in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and being one victory away from competing for a championship. The roster, which is full of seasoned players who have flourished under the new coaching staff, is projected to witness a spike in the number of players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Byron Murphy II, DT Round: Three Pick: 82 Easterling projects that Murphy will end up being taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The physical defensive lineman helped form one of the most formidable defensive fronts in all of college football. He recorded career-highs in total tackles with 29 and sacks with five.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE Round: Two Pick: 62 Ja’Tavion Sanders has some of the best hands in all of college football, regardless of position. He is slated to go to the Miami Dolphins, which is one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. He racked up 45 catches for 682 yards and two scores this season for the Longhorns, in offense with three other NFL pass catchers on the roster.
T’Vondre Sweat, DT Round: Two Pick: 47 No one on this Texas roster benefited more from staying an extra year than T’Vondre Sweat. En route to recording career highs in every category with 45 total tackles, five pass deflections, and two sacks, he also won the Outland Trophy, which is given to the best defensive tackle. He is projected to end up in Cincinnati, where he’d team up with former Longhorn Joseph Ossai.
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