Texas Football: Charlie Strong Will Make Longhorns Relevant on Draft Day Again

Ever so slightly, Texas football's presence in the NFL draft is returning. Second-year head coach Charlie Strong is the reason why, and he can make the Longhorns relevant on draft day once again. 

It's been well-documented that Texas was shut out of the NFL draft last year for the first time since 1937. It was an embarrassingly low moment for a college football blue blood used to recruiting top in-state talent and churning it out into the pros.

However, it validated that the Longhorns needed a change, that former head coach Mack Brown was no longer getting the job done on the recruiting trail or with player development. In hiring Strong from Louisville, Texas was getting someone with a proven track record of talent development. 

As Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports explains, the Cardinals' recent success in the draft—10 players were chosen last weekend, and four were taken in 2014—should excite Longhorn fans everywhere:  

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Four years ago, none of the major online recruiting sites ranked Charlie Strong's first full recruiting class at Louisville in the top 25, but it produced three first-rounders (Teddy Bridgewater, Calvin Pryor and DeVante Parker); three third-rounders (John Miller, Jamon Brown and Lorenzo Mauldin); two sixth-rounders (Deiontrez Mount, Charles Gaines); and one seventh-rounder (Gerod Holliman). 

In all, Louisville had eight picks drafted in the first three rounds in the past two years. The Cards had only seven players picked in first three rounds in the previous 10 years. U of L also had four first-rounders in the past two years compared to just two first-rounders in the 16 years before Charlie Strong was hired.

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Keep in mind too that Strong and his coaching staff were mostly developing players who weren't considered blue-chip prospects coming out of high school. Whether or not you believe being a 4- or 5-star prospect matters to future NFL hopes, the point remains Strong and his staff were crushing it on the player-development front.   

In one year's time in Austin, Strong has shown he can do the same thing at Texas. 

Five Longhorns were taken last weekend in the 2015 NFL draft: defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who went 32nd overall to the New England Patriots; linebacker Jordan Hicks in the third round to the Philadelphia Eagles; safety Mykkele Thompson in the fifth round to the New York Giants; cornerback Quandre Diggs in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions; and tight end Geoff Swaim in the seventh round to the Dallas Cowboys. 

Three of the picks—Brown, Hicks and Diggs—weren't surprising. But Thompson and Swaim getting drafted? Who saw that coming?

Granted, teams unexpectedly draft players all the time, but it does say something about Strong that he can get NFL organizations to pick up under-the-radar names. 

For a couple of more years at least, Strong may have to pull similar strings. Brown's final two classes at Texas—2012 and '13—have been notorious busts by and large.  

Strong's 2015 class, however, finally has his stamp on it and includes guys such as linebacker Malik Jefferson, the former No. 1 in-state player. Why is this important? Louisville's recent draft history shows Strong has an eye for evaluation and development. The '15 class is the first time we get to see that fully in action in Austin. 

And, from a raw numbers standpoint, blue-chip recruits do tend to be drafted higher. 

This doesn't mean Strong will necessarily win 12 games every season going forward. Schools like Miami (Fla.) continue to churn out NFL-caliber talent every year, yet head coach Al Golden can barely seem to get bowl-eligible. Mike Sherman, the former Texas A&M coach, recruited four future NFL offensive linemen in one year (2010) but couldn't keep his job. 

Whether Strong follows the paths of Golden or Sherman remains to be seen, but his recent history indicates Texas could have a bright future on draft day. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.