Texas Football: Week 2 Spring Practice Stock Report for the Longhorns

Following a Saturday scrimmage, Texas head coach Charlie Strong and his staff have shaken up their personnel two weeks into spring practice.

As expected, offensive coordinator Joe Wickline has shuffled the deck with his offensive line. Tristan Nickelson worked with the second team on Monday, making way for true freshman Connor Williams to work at right tackle.

Nickelson's move from the first team is hardly anything final, but it's good to see Williams living up to the hype. This will be part of the process for everyone not named Kent Perkins as Texas tries to figure out the right combination of bodies up front.

Where fans should be concerned is with the linebackers, a group that just lost senior Dalton Santos for the spring and gave up some big plays in Saturday's scrimmage. This group needs somebody to step up; otherwise, one or two of these spots could go to freshmen. 

Then there's the big news at quarterback, where Jerrod Heard has boosted his stock by showing off some arm talent.

Stock Up: QB Jerrod Heard

He's having his ups and downs to keep him squarely behind Tyrone Swoopes on the depth chart, but Jerrod Heard is starting to make things interesting for Texas.

Heard has started stringing together some good practices behind Swoopes, and Strong told TexasSports.com that he believed his redshirt freshman has been the better quarterback of late. "Right now Jerrod [Heard] is playing better, but if you look at Tyrone [Swoopes], he's been consistent," said Texas' head coach.

The difference for Heard has been his passing. 247Sports' Jeff Howe came away very impressed with three of his throws, including two for touchdowns, while Horns Digest's William Wilkerson called a throw to Daje Johnson "as good as any throw I'd seen a Longhorns QB make in a year and a half."

Texas' highly touted freshman is turning a corner. He still has a ways to go in terms of consistency, but his game-changing athletic ability is undeniable. If he's even close to Swoopes as a passer by the start of the season, it'd tough to imagine him sitting when Texas takes on Notre Dame in the opener.

This quarterback battle is officially interesting.

Courtesy of 247Sports

Stock Up: WR Dorian Leonard

One play hardly makes a star or even indicates one in the making. The difference is that Dorian Leonard has backed up that one play with a solid body of work and is emerging as a legitimate candidate to lead the Horns in receiving this season.

Strong has been praising Leonard since spring practice began, citing his energy and work ethic last Monday, per TexasSports.com:

"And another guy who is really working is Dorian Leonard," Strong said. "Dorian is one of those guys who comes out every day with a smile on his face, and he just works. He has a lot of energy, talks and doesn't mind talking, but he talks all the time. But he is one of those guys who never gets tired."

It turns out that those comments were more than a coach favoring a hard worker. Leonard might have some really dynamic talent, which he displayed on a circus one-handed catch.

As a result, it should surprise no one that Leonard has been consistently running with the first team. At 6'3", 203 pounds, he's easily one of Texas' biggest pass-catchers.

The Horns need a receiver who can block, extend drives with tough catches and go get the ball down in the red zone as John Harris did in 2014. Leonard has the body to do all of those things, and his big-play ability puts him in the running to be the team's No. 1 receiver.

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Stock Down: The Linebackers and Defensive Backs

The troubles continue to mount for Texas' defense, which lost two more major contributors along the back seven over the weekend. 

Senior Dalton Santos and redshirt freshman Jermaine Roberts each suffered knee injuries over the weekend, joining senior corner Sheroid Evans on the shelf for the rest of the spring.

Santos is the biggest loss here, as he's really the team's only true middle linebacker. His speed may be a liability, but he's an experienced starter who can drop the hammer. The Roberts injury means that Bryson Echols and Antwuan Davis would start on the outside if the season started today.

Yikes.

The freshmen better be ready to play, because there's just not a lot of talent at these spots.

Chris Covatta/Getty Images

Stock Up: Defensive Line

Even without Malcom Brown and Cedric Reed, Texas' defensive line looks like a strength through two weeks of spring practice.

Coming off a breakout, six-sack season, you knew junior Hassan Ridgeway was going to be one of Texas' best players. Senior Desmond Jackson has also been a dependable talent, and Poona Ford showed some real potential as a freshman.

Those three are all defensive tackles, though. The pass-rushers were a different story not long ago with Reed off to the NFL and modest production from Fox hybrid Naashon Hughes.

As a group, these guys are chucking those concerns out the window, and it starts with that Fox position.

Per Howe, Strong wants a multiple look from his defense to confuse the offense even while using a nickelback. A player like Hughes, who combines linebacker range with defensive end length, allows him to do just that.

Hughes is having a good spring, but it sounds like freshman phenom Malik Jefferson has found a home here, as well. He's an absolute physical freak with game-breaking speed at almost 220 pounds, and he told ESPN's Max Olson that he's loving the role.

On the other side, both Shiro Davis and Quincy Vasser are showing out. Strong called Davis the "most surprising" standout along the defensive line, while Vasser picked off a pass on Saturday to show off some agility.

While the rest of the defense figures out what it has, this group will provide the foundation upon which to build.

Stock Up: WR Jacorey Warrick

The competition for Texas' third and fourth receiver spots is a jumbled mess thus far in spring ball. This week, it's Jacorey Warrick who's been making his case for serious playing time.

With Dorian Leonard taking hold of an outside job, Marcus Johnson and Lorenzo Joe will fight for No. 2 duties. That will leave two more open spots for three explosive talents to carve out roles before the freshmen arrive.

Until now, those spots seemed to belong to Armanti Foreman and Daje Johnson. Foreman became a playmaker late last season as a freshman, while Johnson has worked hard for one last chance to make an impact.

But Warrick is talented in his own right, generating some buzz last offseason when he did some mean things to his teammates in one-on-one drills. 

The junior is back at it this spring, shredding his current teammates for a big gain over the weekend.

Each of these three guys has the talent to change the complexion of a game, but there might not be enough touches to go around. Summer arrival Ryan Newsome is every bit as impressive in the open field, and Strong has really liked what he's seen from possible third-down back Duke Catalon.

There are featured roles in the offense waiting for one or two of these guys. This week, it's Warrick who has been making the strongest case.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com.