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Orangebloods Owned! Contact Andy Luedecke (aka @widespread panic) anytime at:
aluedecke@myperfectfranchise.net
(404) 973-9901
www.myperfectfranchise.net
With the NFL combine next week, I'll be in Indianapolis, where I've been for every NFL combine since 2012. I've seen venue changes for the media, protocol changes for how interview availabilities are handled, different catering companies for craft services and more than a few reporters come and go over the last 10 years covering the NFL draft. I've also made some great friends and industry contacts along the way, along with some great memories.
A lot of good Longhorns players have come through town in those weeks, along with reporters and draftniks from all over the world ... and usually a blustery and bitter cold:
In 2012, it was LB Emmanuel Acho, DE Keenan Robinson, DL Kheeston Randall and RB Fozzy Whitaker in attendance. In 2013, it was WR Marquise Goodwin, DE Alex Okafor and DB Kenny Vacarro. In 2014, it was WR Mike Davis, DE Jackson Jeffcoat and PK Anthony Fera.
2015 was headlined by DT Malcom Brown, but also included LB Jordan Hicks, DB Quandre Diggs, DE Cedric Reed and "the other Malcolm," RB Malcolm Brown. In 2016, the only Longhorns combine participant was DT Hassan Ridgeway. In 2017, the only Longhorns combine participant was RB D'Onta Foreman.
For 2018, the Longhorns were represented by OL Connor Williams, LB Malik Jefferson, P Michael Dickson, S Deshon Elliott, RB Chris Warren and CB Holton Hill. In 2019, it was DE Charles Omenihu, CB Kris Boyd, LB Gary Johnson, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey and CB Davante Davis.
The 2020 combine, the last time the event was held due its 2021 cancellation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Longhorns on hand to test were S Brandon Jones, WR Devin Duvernay, WR Collin Johnson and DE Malcolm Roach.
This year, we'll have on hand DB Josh Thompson -- a rotational cornerback who didn't win an outright starting spot his final year in college and a specialist in place kicker Cameron Dicker. While these two players certainly outnumber the two years where Texas only had one player on hand (Foreman and Ridgeway), one could certainly argue that at least both of those players were much higher profile and certainly locks to be drafted.
Indeed, D'Onta Foreman had just won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football and was a Day 2 selection of the Texans. Ridgeway was a consistent first-team All Big-12 player (even while playing injured) and a guy who elected to leave school early due to a reported second-ground grade from the NFL advisory committee. While he didn't actually get taken until the 4th round of that draft by the Colts, Ridgeway certainly came into Indy with a lot of steam. This 2021 group of two feels just as lean as those one-man years to be sure.
Maybe it will be the last year for that. It's going to be the last year for a lot of things Combine-related, in fact.
It's going to be the last year that the event is in Indy which hits me with all kinds of different feelings. I know where everything is in Indianapolis. I know my favorite places to eat. Hell, I know where the secret bathrooms are in the convention center if you need to sneak away from the crowd for some privacy talking to a man about a dog during the workday. I know where all my friends and all the scouts and agents and everyone else hangs out after hours. I know every year I'll get my fix of face-melting cocktail shrimp at St. Elmo's or Harry and Izzy's. I know I'll get to see my favorite bartenders who manage to remember you 51 weeks later every time. This is going to be the last year for all of that.
The NFL Combine in Indianapolis has been a place where I've spent a week of my year, every year, for a decade -- and I'll miss it. The old man in me says it shouldn't leave. I know a lot of NFL types feel that way, too. They like routines. They like knowing just what to expect, not dicking around with any "getting situated" stuff upon arrival -- hell, old-school scouts like comparing the 40-times of players who've run on that same patch of turf in that exact corner of the stadium for decades.
On the other side of the coin, Indianapolis is cold as hell and half the time I come home with a cold, myself. Much of the town is walkable through the climate-controlled skywalks but not all of it. I never understood how Indianapolis can be so cold. The White River which runs close by downtown is a big-ass river that actually freezes over sometimes. Imagine that. Also, if I'm going to spend a week a year away from my family, shouldn't I want it to be somewhere new every time? I only have so many years to go, and why does part of me want to continue spending one week of that year in Indianapolis, of all places?
One year, I can go to LA, then Dallas the next (not that I need to see much more of Dallas). I'm sure Las Vegas will be on the docket soon, maybe Miami. I'll be able to expand my horizons, see new places, meet new people, try new restaurants and bars ... I'm sure I'll be able to get along and figure things out. Hell, everyone else will be figuring it out just like I am.
Maybe the Longhorns are leaving an era behind, too. Of all the players I listed that I've seen come through Indy, only two (Malcom Brown and Kenny Vaccaro -- and Brown just barely at pick 32) ended up being first-round picks. But what if I told you that Texas could have not only first-round picks but the RB1 in the 2023 NFL draft and the WR1 in the 2024 NFL draft?
It really isn't a stretch to imagine it, either. Anyone who plays in dynasty leagues with developmental (nerdily called "devy") taxi squads -- basically the most dungeons-and-dragons version of the game -- knows that Bijan Robinson is the first-overall pick in this format. You can look across the media space for lists like this one or this one or this one or this one, which is probably most telling, as it takes into account the average of 4 different big boards and 13 different 1st round mock drafts. What you see is people not only projecting Bijan Robinson to be the top RB selected in the 2023 NFL draft, but, crazily, a Top 5-10 pick overall.
Now, media-types are always higher on running backs than the NFL industrial complex is these days given the nature of the position and the devaluing of the role in recent years. But still, as I've reported, actual NFL scouts are saying he's the best running back in next year's class. We're getting plenty of signal to support what our eyes as Texas observers have easily noticed: Bijan Robinson is a big, fast and elusive playmaker who is one of the best Texas running backs we've ever seen.
Then, we look at 2024 and Xavier Worthy is already being talked about in similar ways. As close observers of the Texas program, we have certainly noticed that Worthy's freshman season was more than just special -- it was one of precious few positives to come out of Steve Sarkisian's calamitous first campaign at Texas. It is not hyperbole to say that Worthy looks like he's squarely on a runway that could lead to him becoming the best WR in Texas history. If he lives up to Steve Sarkisian's visions of being a Devonta Smith 2.0 (a monster Sark himself had a big hand in creating at Bama), of course Worthy could (and would) be a Top 10 pick.
I found this article to be very interesting comparing Worthy analytically to some other highly notable WRs as far as track times:
Comparing Worthy to three of the fastest guys in the league (Jaylen Waddle, Brandin Cooks and Mecole Hardman) is insane. But just look at the numbers.
100m sprint - Waddle 10.68s, Cooks 10.72s, Hardman 10.64s, Worthy 10.55s
200m - Waddle 22.4s, Cooks 21.94s, Hardman 22.03s, Worthy 21.41s
Now, let's take into account that all three of those guys blazed sub-4.4 40-times (Waddle 4.37, Cooks 4.33, Hardman 4.33) and just imagine what Worthy is going to do. Now, stack that up with the fact that Worthy is an absolute dog with an alpha mentality who can go up and get it with excellent body control, balance and footwork AS AN UBER-PRODUCTIVE AGE 18 BREAKOUT FRESHMAN, and you tell me how it's not reasonable to expect he's the top WR taken in 2024. Especially when scouts say that he's the type of player that every team wants in their locker room, one who holds teammates accountable and is a rising tide-type that lifts all boats.
In fact, like with Bijan, WR1 in his class should currently not be thought of as a possible outcome, it should be the expectation. If there were a bet you could make on this in Las Vegas, there is zero doubt that Worthy, at this time, would be the odds-on favorite. Two years of this kind of attention at the Combine and in the NFL ethos sets Texas up on its own runway. You need the kinds of guys coming out into the broader football landscape as big-time faces of what your program is doing.
Times are changing in many ways. For the Longhorns, just like for me, a change of scenery from having the combine in Indy could serve as a benchmark for better and more exciting days ahead.
Find Your Perfect Franchise at MyPerfectFranchise.Net
Orangebloods Owned! Contact Andy Luedecke (aka @widespread panic) anytime at:
aluedecke@myperfectfranchise.net
(404) 973-9901
www.myperfectfranchise.net
With the NFL combine next week, I'll be in Indianapolis, where I've been for every NFL combine since 2012. I've seen venue changes for the media, protocol changes for how interview availabilities are handled, different catering companies for craft services and more than a few reporters come and go over the last 10 years covering the NFL draft. I've also made some great friends and industry contacts along the way, along with some great memories.
A lot of good Longhorns players have come through town in those weeks, along with reporters and draftniks from all over the world ... and usually a blustery and bitter cold:
In 2012, it was LB Emmanuel Acho, DE Keenan Robinson, DL Kheeston Randall and RB Fozzy Whitaker in attendance. In 2013, it was WR Marquise Goodwin, DE Alex Okafor and DB Kenny Vacarro. In 2014, it was WR Mike Davis, DE Jackson Jeffcoat and PK Anthony Fera.
2015 was headlined by DT Malcom Brown, but also included LB Jordan Hicks, DB Quandre Diggs, DE Cedric Reed and "the other Malcolm," RB Malcolm Brown. In 2016, the only Longhorns combine participant was DT Hassan Ridgeway. In 2017, the only Longhorns combine participant was RB D'Onta Foreman.
For 2018, the Longhorns were represented by OL Connor Williams, LB Malik Jefferson, P Michael Dickson, S Deshon Elliott, RB Chris Warren and CB Holton Hill. In 2019, it was DE Charles Omenihu, CB Kris Boyd, LB Gary Johnson, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey and CB Davante Davis.
The 2020 combine, the last time the event was held due its 2021 cancellation because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Longhorns on hand to test were S Brandon Jones, WR Devin Duvernay, WR Collin Johnson and DE Malcolm Roach.
This year, we'll have on hand DB Josh Thompson -- a rotational cornerback who didn't win an outright starting spot his final year in college and a specialist in place kicker Cameron Dicker. While these two players certainly outnumber the two years where Texas only had one player on hand (Foreman and Ridgeway), one could certainly argue that at least both of those players were much higher profile and certainly locks to be drafted.
Indeed, D'Onta Foreman had just won the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football and was a Day 2 selection of the Texans. Ridgeway was a consistent first-team All Big-12 player (even while playing injured) and a guy who elected to leave school early due to a reported second-ground grade from the NFL advisory committee. While he didn't actually get taken until the 4th round of that draft by the Colts, Ridgeway certainly came into Indy with a lot of steam. This 2021 group of two feels just as lean as those one-man years to be sure.
Maybe it will be the last year for that. It's going to be the last year for a lot of things Combine-related, in fact.
It's going to be the last year that the event is in Indy which hits me with all kinds of different feelings. I know where everything is in Indianapolis. I know my favorite places to eat. Hell, I know where the secret bathrooms are in the convention center if you need to sneak away from the crowd for some privacy talking to a man about a dog during the workday. I know where all my friends and all the scouts and agents and everyone else hangs out after hours. I know every year I'll get my fix of face-melting cocktail shrimp at St. Elmo's or Harry and Izzy's. I know I'll get to see my favorite bartenders who manage to remember you 51 weeks later every time. This is going to be the last year for all of that.
The NFL Combine in Indianapolis has been a place where I've spent a week of my year, every year, for a decade -- and I'll miss it. The old man in me says it shouldn't leave. I know a lot of NFL types feel that way, too. They like routines. They like knowing just what to expect, not dicking around with any "getting situated" stuff upon arrival -- hell, old-school scouts like comparing the 40-times of players who've run on that same patch of turf in that exact corner of the stadium for decades.
On the other side of the coin, Indianapolis is cold as hell and half the time I come home with a cold, myself. Much of the town is walkable through the climate-controlled skywalks but not all of it. I never understood how Indianapolis can be so cold. The White River which runs close by downtown is a big-ass river that actually freezes over sometimes. Imagine that. Also, if I'm going to spend a week a year away from my family, shouldn't I want it to be somewhere new every time? I only have so many years to go, and why does part of me want to continue spending one week of that year in Indianapolis, of all places?
One year, I can go to LA, then Dallas the next (not that I need to see much more of Dallas). I'm sure Las Vegas will be on the docket soon, maybe Miami. I'll be able to expand my horizons, see new places, meet new people, try new restaurants and bars ... I'm sure I'll be able to get along and figure things out. Hell, everyone else will be figuring it out just like I am.
Maybe the Longhorns are leaving an era behind, too. Of all the players I listed that I've seen come through Indy, only two (Malcom Brown and Kenny Vaccaro -- and Brown just barely at pick 32) ended up being first-round picks. But what if I told you that Texas could have not only first-round picks but the RB1 in the 2023 NFL draft and the WR1 in the 2024 NFL draft?
It really isn't a stretch to imagine it, either. Anyone who plays in dynasty leagues with developmental (nerdily called "devy") taxi squads -- basically the most dungeons-and-dragons version of the game -- knows that Bijan Robinson is the first-overall pick in this format. You can look across the media space for lists like this one or this one or this one or this one, which is probably most telling, as it takes into account the average of 4 different big boards and 13 different 1st round mock drafts. What you see is people not only projecting Bijan Robinson to be the top RB selected in the 2023 NFL draft, but, crazily, a Top 5-10 pick overall.
Now, media-types are always higher on running backs than the NFL industrial complex is these days given the nature of the position and the devaluing of the role in recent years. But still, as I've reported, actual NFL scouts are saying he's the best running back in next year's class. We're getting plenty of signal to support what our eyes as Texas observers have easily noticed: Bijan Robinson is a big, fast and elusive playmaker who is one of the best Texas running backs we've ever seen.
Then, we look at 2024 and Xavier Worthy is already being talked about in similar ways. As close observers of the Texas program, we have certainly noticed that Worthy's freshman season was more than just special -- it was one of precious few positives to come out of Steve Sarkisian's calamitous first campaign at Texas. It is not hyperbole to say that Worthy looks like he's squarely on a runway that could lead to him becoming the best WR in Texas history. If he lives up to Steve Sarkisian's visions of being a Devonta Smith 2.0 (a monster Sark himself had a big hand in creating at Bama), of course Worthy could (and would) be a Top 10 pick.
I found this article to be very interesting comparing Worthy analytically to some other highly notable WRs as far as track times:
Comparing Worthy to three of the fastest guys in the league (Jaylen Waddle, Brandin Cooks and Mecole Hardman) is insane. But just look at the numbers.
100m sprint - Waddle 10.68s, Cooks 10.72s, Hardman 10.64s, Worthy 10.55s
200m - Waddle 22.4s, Cooks 21.94s, Hardman 22.03s, Worthy 21.41s
Now, let's take into account that all three of those guys blazed sub-4.4 40-times (Waddle 4.37, Cooks 4.33, Hardman 4.33) and just imagine what Worthy is going to do. Now, stack that up with the fact that Worthy is an absolute dog with an alpha mentality who can go up and get it with excellent body control, balance and footwork AS AN UBER-PRODUCTIVE AGE 18 BREAKOUT FRESHMAN, and you tell me how it's not reasonable to expect he's the top WR taken in 2024. Especially when scouts say that he's the type of player that every team wants in their locker room, one who holds teammates accountable and is a rising tide-type that lifts all boats.
In fact, like with Bijan, WR1 in his class should currently not be thought of as a possible outcome, it should be the expectation. If there were a bet you could make on this in Las Vegas, there is zero doubt that Worthy, at this time, would be the odds-on favorite. Two years of this kind of attention at the Combine and in the NFL ethos sets Texas up on its own runway. You need the kinds of guys coming out into the broader football landscape as big-time faces of what your program is doing.
Times are changing in many ways. For the Longhorns, just like for me, a change of scenery from having the combine in Indy could serve as a benchmark for better and more exciting days ahead.
