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Texas Football: 10 Longhorns that could go in the 2019 NFL Draft

By Andrew Miller

WACO, TX - OCTOBER 28: Breckyn Hager #44 of the Texas Longhorns tackles JaMycal Hasty #33 of the Baylor Bears in the first half at McLane Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Waco, Texas. Texas won 38-7. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
WACO, TX - OCTOBER 28: Breckyn Hager #44 of the Texas Longhorns tackles JaMycal Hasty #33 of the Baylor Bears in the first half at McLane Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Waco, Texas. Texas won 38-7. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 27: J’Mon Moore #6 of the Missouri Tigers makes a catch as he is hit by P.J. Locke III #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 27: J’Mon Moore #6 of the Missouri Tigers makes a catch as he is hit by P.J. Locke III #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the Academy Sports & Outdoors Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 27, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Possibly the least talked about senior on the defensive side of the ball for the Horns is the versatile defensive back P.J. Locke III. During his time in Austin, Locke III showed flashes of a few different skills coming from both the free safety and cornerback positions.

Ultimately, Locke III has a skill set more attuned to that of a safety in the NFL. At 6-foot-0, Locke III does have the height necessary to compete with some NFL wide receivers, but his tackling ability makes him a better fit at safety. Yet, if he can nab the same number of interceptions he had in 2016, or more, that would go a long way to drawing attention from NFL scouts.

The problem for Locke III at this moment is that he has little to no hype surrounding his draft stock. There’s so much talent and experience to go around in the Texas defensive backfield that Locke III might be getting lost in all of it. That’s just another reason why he’ll need a big 2018 campaign to prove his worth for the next level.

His steady improvement in tackles for loss and total tackles is a sign that he is getting better in pursuit of the ball carrier. Locke III had more trust from the Texas coaching staff in pass coverage back in 2016, when he had two interceptions and six pass deflections. Combine the increased number of total tackles and tackles for loss with a few interceptions, and Locke III is good to go here.

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