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2019 NFL Draft: Calvin Anderson, Patrick Vahe headlining NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

By Andrew Miller

CARSON, CA - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Jatavis Brown #52, Antonio Glover #36, Luke Rhodes #51, Winston Rose #34, Tyler Kuder #95 and Kyle Kragen #91 of National Team celebrate after a defensive play against the American Team in the fourth quarter during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at StubHub Center on January 23, 2016 in Carson, California. The National Team defeated the American Team 18-17. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - JANUARY 23: (L-R) Jatavis Brown #52, Antonio Glover #36, Luke Rhodes #51, Winston Rose #34, Tyler Kuder #95 and Kyle Kragen #91 of National Team celebrate after a defensive play against the American Team in the fourth quarter during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at StubHub Center on January 23, 2016 in Carson, California. The National Team defeated the American Team 18-17. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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Texas football has a few key former starters competing in the 2019 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl to jostle for better 2019 NFL Draft stock.

The end of the month of January brings with it a lot of games and scouting events for the former college football players up for the upcoming NFL Draft. The 2019 NFL Draft features a handful of former Texas football players, some of which are set to compete in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. This will all culminate to the Senior Bowl, and the drills and workouts in the week leading up to the game, to kick off the festivities before the 2019 NFL Draft commences in April.

The two games that highlight the weekend of Jan. 19, that also features a few former Texas Longhorns football players, include the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. The Shrine Game is the more known of the two, and features former Texas football tight end Andrew Beck and defensive tackle Chris Nelson.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is set to feature two of the more important offensive linemen the Horns are losing this off-season, offensive tackle Calvin Anderson and guard Patrick Vahe. Texas returns two of its three starters along the offensive line next year, but Anderson and Vahe are bound for the 2019 NFL Draft.

Anderson and Vahe need a solid start to the workouts and games like this to jockey for solid positioning among the more prominent linemen in the 2019 NFL Draft class. Durable and experienced linemen like them are valuable at the next level, but neither sits among the top at their position in this class.

At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, Anderson has good size to earn himself a potential late round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Walter Football ranks Anderson as one of the top 25 offensive tackles in this class, and projects him as a fourth-to-sixth round pick.

Moreover, Vahe isn’t as high on most people’s draft boards as Anderson. He’ll need a bigger showing in this game than Anderson to prove his worth for the upcoming NFL Draft. Draft Scout ranks Vahe as the No. 41 offensive guard in this class, which would likely put him as an undrafted free agent.

The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl will be the first opportunity for both these players to take center stage through the NFL Draft scouting process. A few of the other important players in the 2019 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl include Iowa State cornerback Brian Peavy, Tennessee defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, Arkansas offensive guard Hjalte Froholdt, and Kansas wide receiver Steven Sims.

dark. Next. 5 most impactful 2019 NFL Draft early entrants from the Big 12 for Horns

You can view the entire rosters for both the American Team (led by former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano) and the National Team (led by former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice) here.

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