Texas Football: Who Will Replace Longhorns' Top NFL Draft Prospects?

2014 was a year of firsts for the Texas Longhorns. The football program hired a new head coach for the first time since 1998, which also marked the first time an African-American was hired to become the head coach of a major sport in the history of the university.

It was also the first time since 1938 that Texas was shut out of the NFL draft.

And Longhorns across the nation are hoping the latter does not repeat itself.

It would be unlikely for the NFL to snub Texas for the second consecutive year because the talent leaving the 40 acres will not go overlooked.

The 2014 Longhorns finished the season with a losing record for only the second time in 17 seasons, and while that may not have been the type of start head coach Charlie Strong envisioned for his first season in Austin, the Longhorns made significant strides to help improve the team.

The end of the season means players will be leaving to pursue their dreams of playing at the next level. Putting players in the NFL is a positive step for any football program, and the Longhorns have a variety of players who will likely be selected in the 2015 NFL draft.

The negative of having players leave for the NFL is the program will be left to replace the departing talent. In the Longhorns' case, Strong will need to find players to fill the shoes of those leaving the program.

Here's a look at five Longhorns who will likely be selected in the NFL draft and will need to be replaced in 2015.

RB Malcolm Brown

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Texas running back Malcolm Brown was a four-year starter for the Longhorns. The 5'11", 222-pound back rushed for 2,678 career yards and picked up 24 touchdowns during his four seasons on the field.

Brown's production during his senior season was not as high as many expected due to a lack of experience from the offensive line. But the draft experts at CBSSports.com project Brown as a fifth-round pick.

The positive news for Texas fans is Johnathan Gray will return for his senior season and will be running behind a more experienced offensive line. But Gray is not the only back the Longhorns have on the roster.

Freshman Donald Catalon has a lot of upside, but the Longhorns have yet to see how he can produce at the college level. Catalon suffered a hamstring injury during fall camp and did not see the field in 2014.

Another name to remember is D'Onta Foreman, who saw playing time last season behind Brown and Gray.

Replacing Brown's production will not be an easy task, but there is enough talent at the running back position for the Longhorns to have continued progress on the field.

CB Quandre Diggs

Eric Gay/Associated Press

There are some players who will never be forgotten. Quandre Diggs fits in that category. The 5'10", 195-pound cornerback may not be the highest draft pick on the team, but he will be nearly impossible to replace.

Diggs is not the biggest guy on the field, but he plays like a monster, which is why he earned the nickname "Quandre the Giant" as a true freshman. But the reason why Diggs is irreplaceable has more to do with his leadership.

He had no problem calling out his teammates who were not playing up to the team's standards. And when he spoke, everyone listened.

Strong relied on Diggs to be his voice in the locker room, and Diggs took that role with pride.

Texas has a variety of cornerback options who can fill the void on the field, but who will take over the leadership role in the locker room?

Diggs said Duke Thomas could step up as a leader during his senior season, and the Longhorns will desperately need that to happen next year.

LB Jordan Hicks

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Linebacker Jordan Hicks had an outstanding fifth year at Texas. The 6'1", 234-pound linebacker was one of the most consistent players on the field and a guy the team looked up to in the locker room.

The Longhorns defense was significantly better when Hicks was on the field. If you don't believe it, compare last season's linebacker play to the position in 2012 and 2013, two years where Hicks was sidelined with injuries.

Hicks is projected as a fourth- or fifth-round draft pick by CBSSports.com, but he ranks much higher on the list of difficult-to-replace Longhorns.

Similar to Diggs, Hicks was also called upon by his head coach to be his voice in the locker room. Hicks' leadership and play on the field make him nearly irreplaceable.

The linebacker position will be one of the most inexperienced positions on the defense next season. Linebacker Peter Jinkens will likely have a starting role, but the person who will play beside him remains unknown.

The positive news for Texas fans is the Longhorns have verbal commitments from a variety of talented linebackers in the 2015 recruiting class, per 247Sports, most notably Malik Jefferson, Cecil Cherry and Anthony Wheeler.

The young linebackers will have the chance to compete for playing time, and the defense desperately needs the guys to step up sooner rather than later.

DE Cedric Reed

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Defensive end Cedric Reed is projected as a fourth-round draft pick by CBSSports.com. The 6'5", 272-pound defensive end made a name for himself following his junior season, but he did not see the same production in 2014. The reason was likely due to the fact that he played with a knee injury for the entirety of his senior season, according to Orangebloods.com on Twitter.

Overall, Reed had a successful career at Texas and will be difficult to replace next season.

The Longhorns have a variety of options at defensive end. Caleb Bluiett, Shiro Davis, Bryce Cottrell and Naashon Hughes are a few of the names who could step up in 2015. The foursome all have a decent amount of playing time and will likely compete for starting roles next season.

But don't count out some of the younger players, particularly Derick Roberson. 

The freshman did not see playing time in 2014 but has a lot of upside to get on the field in 2015.

DT Malcom Brown

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The headliner of the Longhorns who are departing for the NFL draft is junior Malcom Brown. The talented defensive tackle chose to forgo his senior season to enter the draft and is expected to be a top-round pick. Brown is a projected first-rounder by CBSSports.com.

He is one of the best defensive tackles the Longhorns have had on the field in recent years. Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford believes Brown is one of the best 3-technique defensive tackles he has ever coached, and it will be difficult to replace his talent on the field.

The Longhorns have options at defensive tackle with returning starters Hassan Ridgeway and Desmond Jackson, so the falloff may not be as drastic as some imagined.

But the depth behind Ridgeway and Jackson could be an issue.

Texas has a group of inexperienced defensive tackles in Poona Ford, Chris Nelson and Paul Boyette Jr. currently on campus. Boyette Jr. is the most experienced of the trio, but Ford and Nelson saw a little bit of playing time during their true freshman season.

It is very likely the starting group of defensive tackles will be Ridgeway and Jackson, but the group behind the veterans will need to step it up on the field and become valuable options in the two-deep.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter: @Taylor_Gaspar.