2019 NFL Draft: Drew Lock, Charles Omenihu 1st rounders post-Senior Bowl?

Is there a chance that both defensive end Charles Omenihu and quarterback Drew Lock are first round 2019 NFL Draft selections after the Senior Bowl?

The 2019 NFL Draft is still a few months out, but there’s plenty of storylines to follow in the meantime relevant to the Texas football program until then. On Jan. 26, we got a glimpse into what the 2019 NFL Draft class will turn out as come April with the 2019 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicking off at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL.

Two of the players that stood out in this year’s Senior Bowl in relation to the 2019 NFL Draft class were the former Mizzou Tigers quarterback Drew Lock and Texas football defensive end Charles Omenihu. The other former Texas Longhorns football standout playing in this year’s Senior Bowl is the physical and athletic cornerback Kris Boyd.

One of the factors that was so exciting in the 2019 Senior Bowl this weekend was the host of potential first round offensive prospects present on both sides. The North and South teams had an abundance of possible 2019 NFL Draft first round selections, namely at quarterback and wide receiver.

However, there were also a few prospects in the front seven for the North Team that stood out and could climb up draft boards very soon. Omenihu appeared as one of those 2019 NFL Draft prospects that made himself a lot of money and gained a lot of hype from his Senior Bowl performance, if nothing else.

In the Senior Bowl, Omenihu racked up numerous tackles for loss and even forced a fumble on an impressive pass rush against former Auburn Tigers quarterback Jarrett Stidham. The social media reactions from Omenihu’s Senior Bowl showing was very indicative of what NFL scouts could be thinking about his profile too.

The projections coming from national pundits for the 2019 NFL Draft, like draftscout.com, are going to have to adjust their scouting reports for Omenihu after the Senior Bowl. Coming into Senior Bowl week, Omenihu was anticipated to be a middle round selection for the 2019 NFL Draft. After Senior Bowl week, he’ll likely be considered a day two selection at the very worst.

Projecting Omenihu as a potential 2019 NFL Draft first round selection might be a bit far fetched. But, he definitely should be taken off the board by the end of round three. Who really knows where he will be selected until the NFL Combine concludes.

One prospect that for all intents and purposes solidified his first round stock is the former Mizzou standout signal caller Lock. Bleacher Report’s 2019 NFL Draft expert Matt Miller named Lock and Stidham as two of his biggest winners from the Senior Bowl. With former Duke Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones having a down game, and down week in general, Lock could become an even more valuable prospect.

Some of the throws that Lock made in the Senior Bowl showed that he does in fact have an NFL level arm and could make an immediate impact at the next level. He answered a lot of questions he had coming into the week, as did Omenihu.

The entire week of workouts for Omenihu and Lock showed what they could do at the next level after the 2019 NFL Draft. It wasn’t just the game itself for the Senior Bowl that proved their worth. We’ll see how they’re able to follow up these big performances in the next few months.