Texas Football: Early predictions for Longhorns in the 2021 NFL Draft

Other names to watch

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Longhorns could be sending out one of the best draft classes of any college football program in the entire country come the 2021 NFL Draft. Texas had some down years since the beginning of the era of former head coach Charlie Strong, but Herman is beginning to turn all that around.

Marqez Bimage, Defensive End

Texas looks to have a pair of experienced and talented defensive ends returning to campus for the coming season. The first is rising senior 6-foot-2 and 270 pound defensive end and former four-star recruit Marqez Bimage. This could be a breakout season for Bimage, or it could be for rising junior lineman Moro Ojomo. We’ll have to wait and see who takes command of the defensive line at this spot.

Derek Kerstetter, Offensive Tackle

There are two Texas offensive linemen, as it stands now, that could be selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. But a possible later round pick, if he has a solid senior season, is offensive tackle Derek Kerstetter. The 6-foot-5 and 300 pound Kerstetter had a down year in 2019, so he’ll need to bounce back this coming season.

Cade Brewer, Tight End

Most of the names on this portion of the list among Longhorns that could be selected in the 2021 NFL Draft is limitations that go beyond the usual performance on the gridiron. For rising senior tight end Cade Brewer, just staying healthy this coming season will go a long way toward boosting his draft stock.

Josh Thompson, Defensive Back

There are a number of interesting case studies among the Longhorn upperclassmen in the secondary. Rising senior safety/nickelback Josh Thompson is about as versatile as it gets in this Texas secondary outside of the stars. Thompson and fellow rising senior defensive back Chris Brown have a lot of valuable parts of their skill sets that could translate quickly to the next level, including natural ball skills and solid quickness/agility.