The Big 12’s Nightmare Draft
The Big 12 had its worse draft ever. Even Mike Reinfeldt and Jeff Fisher think so. It took 36 selections before the second Big 12 player was drafted. This is from a conference with four of Top 10 in the final AP rankings. Pathetic.
Powerhouse programs like Troy, Vanderbilt, Delaware, and Tennessee State had picks before anyone from the Big 12 was selected. God kills a blue hen every time that happens.
Alabama, on the other hand, had no one drafted for the first time since 1970. Bear Bryant rolled over in his grave and then tipped his houndstooth to Saban.
Big 12 First Round Selections - 1 - Aqib Talib #20
USC First Round Selections - 4 - Sedrick Ellis 7, Keith Rivers 9, Sam Baker 21, Lawrence Jackson 28
Next Three Big 12 Players Selected:
Jordy Nelson, Kansas St. WR/KR at Pick 36 by Green Bay
Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma LB at Pick 37 by Atlanta
Jordon Dizon, Colorado LB at Pick 45 by Detroit
Drafted Players by Conference (per college in parentheses):
Pac 10: 34 (3.4)
SEC: 35 (2.9)
ACC: 34 (2.8)
Big 10: 28 (2.5)
Big 12: 29 (2.4)
Biggest Big 12 Names Not Drafted:
Adarius Bowman
Todd Blythe
Sam Keller
Derek Lokey
Maurice Purify
DJ Wolfe
Early Entrants from Conference:
Aqib Talib #20
Curtis Lofton #37
Malcolm Kelly #51
Martellus Bennett #61
Jamaal Charles #73
Reggie Smith #75
Jermicheal Finley #91
Anthony Collins #112
Breakdown by Teams:
Texas 5 (10-3)
Texas A&M 5 (7-6)
Kansas 4 (12-1)
Oklahoma 4 (11-3)
Nebraska 3 (5-7)
Colorado 2 (6-7)
Iowa State 2 (3-9)
Missouri 2 (12-2)
Kansas State 2 (5-7)
Bill Little’s Texas Draft Notes:
The 2008 class consisted of WR Limas Sweed (53rd overall, second round, Pittsburgh), RB Jamaal Charles (73rd overall, third round, Kansas City), TE Jermichael Finley (91st overall, third round, Green Bay), OT Tony Hills (130th overall, fourth round, Pittsburgh) and DT Frank Okam (151st overall, fifth round, Houston).
Mack Brown has now had at least one player selected in 23 straight NFL drafts, including a total of 38 draft picks at Texas.
This is the third straight draft where Texas had five or more players taken.
Also, today, the following former Texas Longhorns players signed UFA contracts: CB Brandon Foster with the Colts, S Marcus Griffin and WR Nate Jones with the Vikings, and DT Derek Lokey with the Kansas City Chiefs.
KC just improved an already great haul.
April 28, 2008 at 7:42 am
Lokey strikes me as a backup with a long career.
April 28, 2008 at 7:53 am
KC pwn3d this draft.
April 28, 2008 at 8:34 am
Mo Purify (Nebraska) should catch on somewhere; he’s got a heck of a lot of ability.
April 28, 2008 at 8:49 am
I agree on Purify, Parlin, assuming he passes multiple background checks.
Vikings also signed OU’s Marcus Walker.
Missouri’s Tony Temple and Darnell Terrell were signed by the Browns.
Joe Jon Finley was signed by the 49ers.
The Broncos signed Garrett Hartley. No indication as to whether he could just clock in and go home.
April 28, 2008 at 8:56 am
Carolina signed Nebraska CB Courney Grixby. Chiefs signed Nebraska LB Steve Octavien. Jamaal Charles chuckled.
Oakland signed Missouri C Adam Speiker. Chargers signed Missouri’s OL Tyler Luellen. Ravens signed Missouri DE Lorenzo Williams.
Rams signed Kansas RB Brandon McAnderson - I don’t see the fit there.
The Steelers signed Okie State’s Donovan Woods.
Oh yeah, and Danny Amendola of The Woodlands and Texas Tech signed with the Cowboys.
April 28, 2008 at 9:02 am
Purify flicked me off when Nebraska was in town last season. I didn’t think he would hear the “Your mother wanted an abortion” taunt. Or see me giving him the bird.
I really don’t like that guy.
April 28, 2008 at 9:26 am
“Carolina signed Nebraska CB Courney Grixby.”
As a Nebraska fan, let’s just say I wouldn’t recommend taking Carolina’s D/ST in any fantasy football league next year …
April 28, 2008 at 10:40 am
You can survive at 285 in Edwards’ defense, but Lokey is going to have to play the 3 technique and show he can disrupt in the backfield.
April 28, 2008 at 12:19 pm
The only people who thought Sam Keller would be drafted were Sam Keller and whomever is drunk with him right now.
As for Courtney Grixby, Grange, get a brain. The guy was a decent punt returner and kick returner on a team that never focused on special teams, and he was a pretty fair corner considering the other guys that were back there with him.
April 28, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Thanks for stopping by, CB. Hope things are going well at Corn Nation.
April 28, 2008 at 3:29 pm
CB–easy on Grange. Grixby wasn’t even close to being the best returner on his own team. Terrence Nunn outclassed him like Hyperion to a satyr.
Grixby is a hard worker and did yeoman service for his team. That counts for a lot. Grange is absolutely right, however, to suggest that Grixby’s career as an NFL corner will be a short one.
April 29, 2008 at 7:25 am
CB–Grixby was a four-year player and three-year starter, yet had only four career INTs. At 5′9″, opponents would work their tall receivers against him in the red zone, typically resulting in a TD or a pass interference call.
Obviously the guy has some talent, and some of his shortcomings were more the result of covering for an overall anemic front eight the past two years, but his size makes him a serious liability in any NFL defensive backfield.
As for kick returns, again, he was good but not great. Per huskers.com:
The total yards stat is deceptive: with the Huskers giving up TDs seemingly every other possession, there were a LOT of kickoffs to return. The key stats are the average return (solidly in the bottom half of the conference) and the percentage of returns > 30 yds. (9/45 or 20%). Let’s face it, Grixby just isn’t a Devin Hester or Dante Hall where you worry about giving up a TD by just kicking it to him. Given the limited NFL rosters, there’s no reason to keep Grixby around to return kicks when any random RB or WR can probably get roughly the same results.
In short, Grixby was a good but not great college CB who simply lacks the size needed for the pro game. As a Husker fan, it’s great to see Husker players succeed in the NFL, but I just have my doubts Grixby will be the next former Husker D-back to make it big in the pros.
April 29, 2008 at 10:10 am
Billy Pittman signed with San Diego.
April 29, 2008 at 11:40 am
Brandon McAnderson was getting some looks from teams too; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t get picked up as a free agent somewhere… actually I think he may have already signed with St. Louis… crap I can’t remember. Maybe I should get more sleep…
April 29, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Drew Kelson also signed with San Diego.
April 30, 2008 at 3:29 am
Pittman should have walked on at Titans camp
May 2, 2008 at 4:45 am
Richmond McGee signed with the Eagles.
May 2, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Nate Jones should have gone to the Titans.
May 2, 2008 at 2:55 pm
If Kelson signed with the Chargers, they are keeping it a secret. They have all the free agents on the roster on the web site and he is not listed.
May 6, 2008 at 11:00 am
Where did Ramonce Taylor go?
May 6, 2008 at 11:08 am
He did not pass go.
May 6, 2008 at 11:28 am
Ramonce didn’t pass. He just puffed.