Big 12 Insider: Sizing Up the Conferences Best Draft Possibilities: Part I

The 2011 NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, as have the Pro Days and almost all of the individual workouts, and now NFL teams are sizing up some of the best prospects from many colleges to try to figure out if any of the players involved would be a good fit for their team. 

The Big 12 has produced some of the best talent in the NFL recently and has provided the league with several solid (if not spectacular) prospects over the course of the NFL Draft’s history.

Teams of the Big 12 have once again going to put some great players in the eyes of NFL scouts during the combine, pro days and individual workouts. The combine gave NFL teams a chance to look at the top college players in the country, evaluate them and try to find out if these players can help their team on a larger level while the individual workouts and pro days allowed scouts, coaches and general managers to get an up close and personal look at each player.

So as we head closer towards the 2011 NFL Draft, let’s take a look at those players from each school in the Big 12 (including Nebraska and Colorado) and see who will be in attendance, and if possible what their numbers were for the combine along with a comment about each player.

In part one, we will take a look at the University of Texas, the University of Nebraska and Baylor. 

Texas Longhorns

Sam Acho—DE

Acho is trying to cement himself as an early to middle round defensive end and will need good workouts to move up some team’s draft boards. Acho’s performance at the combine was pretty decent, as he ran a 4.68/40, did 23 reps on the bench press and had a vertical leap of 33 and a half inches. He did his shuttle run in 4.32 seconds, did the cone drill in 6.69 seconds and had a broad jump of 9.4 feet.

Chykie Brown—DB

Brown is trying to make a name for himself as a viable defensive back, and could be of interest to someone looking for a good backup that could be developed as a future starter in the secondary. 

At the combine, Brown ran a 4.5/40, had a vertical leap of 36.5, a shuttle run of 4.00, a 6.50 in the cone drill, while not electing to do the bench press. Hopefully these numbers help him move his stock up in the draft, where he could be taken in the middle rounds.

Curtis Brown—CB

Brown is another Longhorns cornerback that should see some interest from NFL teams. He ran his 40 in 4.54 seconds, did the shuttle in 4.0 seconds and had got 6.59 in the cone drill. Not bad numbers for a guy that needs to get his draft stock up and make a name for himself in the draft.

Kyle Hix—OT

Hix needed to have a good combine in order to move his draft stock up a little bit, because heading into the event he was in danger of not being drafted.

At the combine, he ran a 5.46 second 40, had a vertical jump of 32 inches, ran 4.78 seconds in the shuttle drill and had a time of 7.77 seconds in the cone drill, while his broad jump was 8’8”.

Mechanically, Hix has some issues that he needs to work on and show NFL scouts and coaches that he can indeed work through and improve upon. If he can do that and show that he has some potential, then it’s possible he could get drafted.

Aaron Williams—CB

Of all of the players that the Longhorns are putting into the draft this offseason Williams is the best and the one that has a shot at going in the first round.  He’s an experienced player with a lot skill and one that could be taken in the first round of this year’s draft. 

At the combine, Williams ran a 4.52 40 yard dash, had a vertical jump of 37.5 inches, ran the shuttle in 4.07 second, had a 6.72 time in the cone drill and ended up with a 10’7” broad jump.

Williams could get into the first round of the draft, and there are some that feel that he could be heading to Seattle or Baltimore in that first round. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Pierre Allen—DE

Allen has graded out as potential mid to late round pick, but after his performance at the scouting combine when he failed to participate in many of the drills, it didn’t seem to help himself with his draft position. Besides getting all of his measurements taken, the only drill that he participated in was the vertical jump where had 24 inches.

Prince Amukamara—CB

Amukamara is rated as the second best cornerback in the draft, and is most likely a top 10 to top 15 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. At the combine Amukamara ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds, had a 38 inch vertical leap, as well as a 4.08 second shuttle and a broad jump of 10’8”. 

Amukamara didn’t do anything to lower his draft stock at the combine, and he should still be at top pick in the draft.

DeJon Gomes—DB

Gomes came into the scouting combine looking like someone that wasn’t going to get drafted, and even his combine performance probably hasn’t moved him up in scout’s eyes, so he will probably go undrafted. 

At the combine, Gomes ran a 4.51 40 yard dash (he didn’t participate in any other drills but did some of the on field positional drills). Gomes is going to have to have a good showing in pro day and other workouts in order to get drafted.

Eric Hagg—CB

Hagg’s on the field drills at the combine were pretty solid, while his 40 time (4.66) and cone drill (6.73) weren’t outstanding. He looks to be a mid to late round prospect right now, depending on how he works out before the draft, but should be able to find a spot on a team somewhere and attempt to make an active roster.

Roy Helu—RB

Helu may not be looked at as a starting running back in the NFL right away, but he has gotten a lot of looks and does look like a player that is going to get drafted this April.

During the combine, Helu ran a very strong 4.42 40 yard dash, had a shuttle run of 4.01, a 60 yard run of 11.07, a cone of 6.67 and a vertical leap of 36.5 inches. His speed really impressed scouts and may have moved him up on some team’s draft boards.

Alex Henery—K

Kickers aren’t the most sought after players in the draft and it’s likely that Henery isn’t going to get drafted at all. Look for him to get some tryouts at a few different training camps, but it’s unlikely he will stick on an NFL roster.

Richard Henry—OG

Henry didn’t have a good combine in terms of showing scouts his skill at the offensive guard position, and struggled in pass protection drills. 

He ran a 5.73 40 yard dash, did 20 reps on the bench and had a 4.75 second shuttle and a 7.57 second cone. Not outstanding numbers by any means, and he may have to find his way into the NFL as an undrafted free agent.

Niles Paul—WR

Niles Paul may be a much more developed player at the wide receiver position than some people give him credit for, and he could be a good mid-to-late round prospect. At the combine, Paul ran a pretty nice 4.51 in the 40 yard dash and had 24 reps on the bench.

Paul didn’t do any other workouts, but did raise the eyes of some scouts and has ended up getting some additional looks from NFL scouts and head coaches and should end up being a fourth or fifth round pick.

Keith Williams—OG

Finally, Nebraska is going to put another offensive lineman in the draft this year in Keith Williams. He is well adept at pass blocking and has some good power and skill, but does have some drawbacks that will cause him to drop in this draft.

His performance at the combine wasn’t too bad as he ran a 5.36 40 yard dash, had a vertical leap of 24.5 inches, a shuttle of 5.03 seconds, a cone of 8.42 seconds and a broad jump of seven feet nine inches. 

Right now he’s slated to go somewhere in the sixth or seventh round of the draft, but could creep into the sixth round if he has good workouts leading up to the draft. 

Baylor Bears

Phil Taylor—NT

Taylor has been making a name for himself in the weeks leading up to the draft, and he just might earn himself a first round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. Taylor is a big bodied defensive tackle that, with just a little work, could end up being one of the better players at his position in the draft. 

At the combine, Taylor ran a 5.20 40 yard dash, had 31 reps on the bench press and had a vertical leap of 29.5 inches. His cone was 7.75 seconds and he had a broad jump of 8’4”.

Barring anything strange that happens with Taylor, he should be a late first round pick. He would work well in a 3-4 style system as a nose tackle but could fill the bill at defensive tackle if needed.

Danny Watkins—OT

Watkins had an interesting path to the NFL, but he is definitely in the conversation as a prospect at the offensive tackle position, and could be taken as high as the second round. Watkins' combine performance wasn’t too bad and he definitely turned some heads.

Watkins ran a 5.40 40 yard dash, had 29 reps in the bench press, had a 26 inch vertical leap, 4.62 seconds in the shuttle, 7.61 seconds in the cone and earned 7’8” in the broad jump.

Watkins may end up being picked much earlier than anyone thought that he would be heading into this draft.  He is starting to look like a second or third round pick and could be a starter in the NFL in very short order.