For all of the impartiality that every good journalist tries to impart into his craft, I have to be honest in admitting that I threw out impartiality with DeMarvion Overshown a long time ago.
I just love the young man. I love his story. I love his genuineness. I love his personality. I love the fact that he's emerged as one of the best success stories that The University of Texas football program has produced.
I love rooting for him to succeed on the field as a player and off of it as a human being.
Consequently, when he was selected in the third round of this weekend's NFL Draft, I found myself getting into my feelings a little bit.
Coming from a town with a population of 892 people and a high school not known for producing players that reach the football summit, success didn't arrive easily for Overshown and the last five years haven't gone by without stress.
Early in his career, as he was still making adjustments from changing positions to linebacker, there was concern that Overshown might quit football because of a desire to stay home and help take care of his family. It wasn't always easy for Overshown to leave his loved ones while he chased a dream that no one from his town has ever truly chased before.
Yet, the thing you'd always say about Overshown is that he always hangs in there. No matter the challenge in front of him, Overshown doesn't let go of his grip on something. He holds on. He doesn't quit. He doesn't flinch because life isn't always easy.
Such was his desire to help his family, there were always suspicions that Overshown would depart from the Texas program and head to the NFL as soon as the rules allowed him to (post-2020 season), whether he was prepared for the jump or not.
Yet, he remained patient. He didn't depart the Texas program following the 2020 season because he listened to his family and support staff, which were able to convince him that his journey was a marathon instead of a sprint.
The fact that he didn't leave the Texas program until the end of the 2022 season speaks to his level of patience and self-awareness, but it also speaks to the importance of what NIL was able to create for a kid who should be the poster boy for the good that has come out of allowing athletes to cash in on their free market value with regards to NIL.
In the conversations I've had with Overshown, I've never asked him about it, but I can only imagine the peace of mind he's been able to have over the course of the last 20 months or so with the knowledge and understanding that rent, groceries and other bills were going to be paid without a pound of flesh in the form of anxiety being taken in the process.
Truth be told, the existence of NIL in college athletics helped allow for Overshown to play one last year of college football in 2022, which not only opened the door, but wrote the script from Friday night of this small-town kid overcoming some decent odds/hurdles to become a third-round pick of America's team ... the franchise that so many of his friends and family back home in Arp are so passionate about.
Last year's 90th pick in the draft (Dylan Parham) signed a 4 year, $5,131,429 contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, which included a $911,948 signing bonus, $911,948 in guaranteed money, and an average annual salary of $1,282,857.
To see Overshown looking slightly overwhelmed by the moment, while holding his young son in his arms while his friends and family celebrated made me a little emotional. I'm a sucker for seeing dreams come true.
One journey has closed, while another one is set to begin.
During the journey that has been completed, we watched Overshown grow from a teenage boy to a young man with responsibilities. We've seen him find himself as a person and never come close to losing the humanity that's inside of him.
"I wouldn’t do anything any different. Coming in as a safety then going through what I went through there as far as injuries and everything else, it’s something I would never regret, because it all came with me overcoming something, and with me doing that, it brought maturity," Overshown said. "So, the ups and downs, the coaching changes, I wouldn’t trade it, because I know everything I learned from Texas is going to help me at the next level. Everything that I’ve seen, was exposed to and around at Texas was something that’s going to better me, whether that’s in the NFL or later in life, so I want to thank Texas."
It's the moments like these, more than the wins and the games, that make all of this worth our time, energy and emotional commitment.
A football player wasn't just selected by a football team on Friday night. A life changed. A family's life changed.
DeMarvion Overshown is a success story in so many ways and it makes me smile to have been able to be a small part of the ride.
On to the next chapter of his story ...
No. 2 - Scattershooting on the Longhorns in the Draft ...
... It's hard to suggest that Bijan Robinson landing in Atlanta with the 8th pick of the draft is a bad thing, but I sure wish he was going to a team with a much better quarterback situation. If the Falcons don't figure out the quarterback position quickly, much of Robinson's prime is going to be wasted. That being said, he's going to get paid a lot of money and I think he's going to produce a lot of yards/touchdowns.
... Gerald Riggs is Atlanta's all-time leading rusher with 6,631 yards, while William Andrew is often regarded as the best running back in franchise history. I think all of that is about to change. By the end of his fourth season, I fully expect the new consensus to be that Robinson is the best running back the Falcons have ever had.
... I think Overshown fell to the perfect spot with the Cowboys. His skill set is one the team absolutely needs at linebacker and he gets to play for a guy in Dan Quinn that will have a very specific plan for him.
... Although I wanted Roschon Johnson to land with the Cowboys, he's in a pretty damn good spot with the Chicago Bears. The only person keeping him from the starting job is former Texas All-American D'Onta Foreman. Khalil Herbert and Travis Homer are the only other real names at running back in the picture.
... It's major progress that Texas finished tied for ninth with the most players selected over the weekend with five. It was a good weekend for Steve Sarkisian.
... Tashard Choice had his fingerprints on the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 8 running backs in this draft. That will get the attention of recruits, not that Choice needs help.
... It looks like Keondre Coburn fell into a good spot with the Chiefs. There's a good chance he'll own a Super Bowl ring in the next 2-3 years.
... The depth chart in Philly is so stacked that it might prove to be tough for Moro Ojomo to make a dent early in his career. Just make the team or the practice squad at the very worst and go from there. It looks like he's the No. 7 defensive tackle going into training camp.
... The goal for D'Shawn Jamison and Anthony Cook should be to make the practice squads of the 49ers and Chiefs, respectively.
... Ja'Tavion Sanders has to be licking his lips after watching the first two nights of the NFL Draft.
No. 3 - A Look at Next Year's Texas Draft Class ...
If I set the number of possible draft picks for the Longhorns in 2024 at 8.5, I think you can make a case that the over is the really smart play.
It's definitely enough to get the blood flowing when you think about what's possible in the 2023 season.
Here's how I would project things at the moment.
First round
Xavier Worthy - It's all going to come down to how well he runs in pre-draft workouts, but if he's running in the 4.3s, I think he goes somewhere in the bottom 10 picks of the first round.
Quinn Ewers - It's probably first round or bust because I'm not sure he would turn pro if he thought the first round was truly in doubt. It's going to require one hell of a season in 2023, but he's definitely on the radar. He just needs to back up the speculation with his play.
Second Round
Ja'Tavion Sanders - I'm basing this on the fact that only one tight end went in this year's draft in a year when the position was loaded. Most of those players went in round two.
Third Round
AD Mitchell - The talent is there. If he has a big 2023, NFL scouts will flock to him.
Ryan Watts - This might be confirmation bias on my part because he hasn't played like a top of the Draft type of player ... yet ... but I just love his physical tools and think he's due for a monster breakout in 2023.
Fourth Round
Jaylan Ford - He had a great season in 2022, but he plays a position that NFL teams tend to devalue in the Draft and I'm not sure that he's going to test in a way that puts him in day two.
Jahdae Barron - There's a lot of room for him to climb with a big 2023 season, but he's just been pretty good so far in his career. Even with all of his versatility, "pretty good" can sometimes keep you in day three instead of say two.
Fifth Round
Christian Jones - After a really good final season in 2023, I think this player with what could be nearly 50 college starts is going to end up being a sneaky valued prospect next year.
T'Vondre Sweat - He's got the frame and upside to go two rounds earlier, but he hasn't played at a level yet to warrant that kind of conversation.
Sixth Round
Jordan Whittington - His draft positioning will come down to how well he tests in the pre-draft workouts. A big 2023 would help as well.
Jerrin Thompson - If he stays healthy, he's going to be a guy with nearly three dozen career starts under his belt. He plays a position that is devalued to some degree, so it will come down to how well he tests, but he definitely feels like a player that goes in the final three rounds.
Seventh Round
Jalen Catalon - If he can stay healthy ... a big IF ... a big season likely moves him into day three.
Wildcards
Isaiah Neyor - I think he's a player that would love to turn pro after this season if possible, but the workload following a major injury might prevent that from happening. Trust me, he didn't come to Texas to play for three-plus seasons.
Keilan Robinson - If he runs really well in workouts, it's not an impossibility.
Barryn Sorrell - The word we've received is that if he blows up and has a double-digit sack year in 2023, there's a very good chance that he would turn pro coming off such a season.
No. 4 - Updated Texas Scholarship Board ...
No. 5 - Two down, one to go ...
Where the hell did this West Virginia team come from?
The Big 12 race isn't over, but the Mountaineers just won't stop winning, with their three-game sweep of Baylor pushing their conference win streak to six games.
The good news is that the Longhorns have won the first two games against TCU this weekend (series-finale is Monday). Finishing a sweep in Ft. Worth will leave the Longhorns three games back in the loss column with a series against the Mountaineers left to play.
The bad news for the Longhorns is that the margin of error at this point is minimal. It's hard to imagine where things would stand had the Longhorns not handled their business in the last two days.
No. 6 - Ok, let's talk about Rodney Terry ...
As a person who spent most of the Texas basketball season trying to tell people that the hire of an assistant coach was less than optimal, I've tried to keep my mouth shut and act as a voice of reason during the last month as the emotional roller coaster goes around the OB theme park.
On one hand, there are people out there that believe that I have some kind of axe to grind with Terry because of my stance that someone better than him should have been hired for the job.
On the other hand, there's not much one can say about Texas basketball that everyone is going to agree on. We live in a world where every positive or negative is pushed to such extremes that it makes having a rationale conversation about what's happening with the program difficult.
The elephant in the room with Terry is that he's very similar to Steve Sarkisian in that he's not a ready-made elite coach with a proven track record.
Like Sarkisian, Terry has been a head coach for a while, but is still learning on the fly. Like Sarkisian, Terry was regarded as an elite assistant. Like Sarkisian, Terry can recruit.
The Longhorns currently have a type in the major men's sports.
Like with Sarkisian, you're going to have to hope that Terry improves with a new level of resources to work with. Through a 13-12 start, Sarkisian still has a big vote of confidence from those in burnt orange that believe he will ultimately figure it out. We'll see if Terry receives the same level of patience and understanding.
There are going to be some bumps and bruises along the way. We all have an idea that this is a work in progress. The loss of Ronald Holland sucks because he was going to be the best player/talent on next year's team, but a one and done player is not going to determine the fate of Terry's program. How Terry performs as a program planner/developer, while bringing in talent through the Portal, will determine how long he's in the job.
Texas didn't get to the Elite 8 because it had anyone with Holland's profile driving the bus.
You can either chill the hell out and realize that Terry is going to get a couple of years to figure this thing out or you can let your blood pressure rise with every unfortunate moment that occurs. Honestly, the latter sounds exhausting.
Beyond that, what else is there to say?
No. 7 – BUY or SELL …
(Sell) I'll say one (Xavier Worthy) for right now.
(Buy) I think that's probably the smart play ... barely.
Not a Buy or Sell Question (shame, shame), but...
Senior: Ryan Watts, Jaylan Ford, Jahdae Barron, T'Vondre Sweat and Jordan Whittington
Junior: Xavier Worthy, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Barryn Sorrell, AD Mitchell and Hayden Conner
Sophomore: Kelvin Banks, Quinn Ewers, Ethan Burke, Cam Williams and Terrence Brooks
Freshman: Arch Manning, Johntay Cook, Anthony Hill, Malik Muhammad and Jelani McDonald
(Buy) Maybe even three 500-yard backs than one 1,000-yard back.
(Sell) *ducking*
(Sell) I'd probably set it at 3.5
(Sell) Why is Malik Davis' spot secured?
(Sell) Thin ice? He hasn't coached a game yet as the official head coach.
(Sell) Sloooooow down. Neyor? We don't even know how much he's going to play? I'm not sure Ford is a day two player because of his position. Also, Jones feels like more of a third day guy.
(Buy/BuySell) You are within your right to worry about a completely unproven running game.
(Sell) Big 12? Yes. Playoffs? I'm not there yet.
(Buy/Sell/Buy/Buy) Sign me up for that Muppets rendition right now!
(Sell) Who?
(Buy) Jesse Plemons in the next 5 years.
(Sell) I only like jalapeño's in my sausage.
(Buy) He's an elite coach. No one is giving Ole Miss much of a hard time right now.
No. 8 - 10 Things About the NFL Draft ...
1. The Eagles might have won the Super Bowl this weekend. To add that draft class with the team they already have ... let's just say I'm concerned.
2. I was ok with the draft that Dallas had. I come away thinking that DT Mazi Smith, TE Luke Schoonmaker, LB DeMarvion Overshown and RB Deuce Vaughn are going to have first-year impacts. Beyond that, I'm not sure. It felt like Dallas reached a little in a few spots on each day of the draft, but at the end of the day, I tend to trust the Dallas drafting. If you include the likes of Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore into the mix, this draft looks a lot better.
3. I'm still not sure what to think of what Houston did this weekend. I'm not sold on CJ Stroud. I hated them giving up a 2024 first-round pick for Will Anderson. Yet, I liked what they did on day three in getting Henry To'oTo'o and Xavier Hutchinson. Stroud better be fantastic or this team will be garbage for the rest of the decade.
4. I loved Indianapolis' draft. I think the Colts are going to be competing with the Jags for the top spot in the AFC South for the remainder of the decade. Anthony Richardson is going to be the best quarterback in this draft. Write it in ink. Just a hunch.
5. Bijan Robinson is definitely going in the first rounds of your fantasy drafts this year. I'll set the over/under of pick placement at 7.5.
6. Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones is going to be a guy that Joe Burrow LOVES. I think the Bengals got a 4th round steal.
7. Of course, the Packers draft three wide receivers, two tight ends and a running back for the offense as soon as Aaron Rodgers leaves. Of course.
8. The Dolphins taking Devon Achane is the single most on-brand pick of the entire draft. My goodness ... the speed on that offense.
9. Seattle very quietly walked away from the draft with almost a half-dozen guys that I think might turn out to be somewhere between pretty good to very good NFL players.
10. This got me in my feels.
No. 9 - Scattershooting on anything and everything ...
... The NBA did the Sixers a big favor by starting this series on Monday instead of this weekend. Here's hoping that the Sixers can make it count and that Embiid can be close to 100 percent-ish before the week is over. It sounds unlikely. I have a feeling the Celtics win the series in six. Ugh.
... Steph. Freaking. Curry.
... Warriors Lakers is going to be the best No.6 vs. No.7 playoff series of all-time.
... Is Jimmy Butler doing it again? I can't believe the Sixers gave him up.
... The Grizz talked all that smack and then got beat by 40 at in an elimination game. lulz
... Kody Clemens having an early best moment of a young career by going yard in his hometown against the defending world champions.
... I feel for you, Rangers fans. The Jacob deGrom news sucks.
... Can Arsenal win the Premier League before some of its best players decide they want to play in Spain? Man, I don't know. Man City is the pain in the ass that won't go away.
... Of course, Dortmund pulled a Spurs this weekend ...
... I just started watching Barry on HBO and so far, I'm not sure what the fuss is all about. It's ... ok.
No. 10 - The List: Top 10 Jamie Foxx movies ...
Something happened to Jamie Foxx two weeks ago in the way of a "medical complication" and he's been in the hospital since then.
"We wanted to share that my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday," shared his daughter Corinne in a statement.
"Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers," the statement read. "The family asks for privacy during this time."
I thought I would take the chance to wish the native Texan a speedy and full recovery.
In the meantime, let's take a look at what a Foxx top 10 looks like.
10. Baby Driver
9. Miami Vice
8. Just Mercy
7. Soul
6. Ali
5. Spiderman: No Way Home
4. Ray
3. Any Given Sunday
2. Collateral
1. Django Unchained
