Texas Football: Early predictions for Longhorns in the 2021 NFL Draft
The curious case of Sam Ehlinger
The most followed prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class off of the Forty Acres is going to be rising senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Returning for his senior season was good news, but it wasn’t shocking, for Longhorn fans. Ehlinger seems to bleed burnt orange, and has since he was a young kid. This 6-foot-3 and 230 pound tank of a signal caller is going to continue to draw mixed reviews until the 2021 NFL Draft arrives.
Common knocks against Ehlinger are going to be his inconsistent accuracy, limited size, and troubling injury timeline. Ehlinger rarely made it through a full season of college or high school football without any injury issues. The 2019 season was an encouraging sign, though, that he can make it through without those lingering concerns. Ehlinger didn’t have to miss any games due to injury last year.
Last year, Ehlinger registered 3,663 passing yards, 39 total touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 65.2 completion percentage, 8.5 adjusted yards per passing attempt, and a 151.8 passer efficiency rating. More good news for NFL scouts looking into Ehlinger is that his accuracy is improving, as is his awareness in the pocket.
As his career has moved along, Ehlinger trusted his offensive line more and was able to make quicker reads. He’s also been very efficient at managing turnovers over the course of the last two years. He’s tossed just 15 picks in his last 27 games. Ehlinger also topped four yards per carry last year on less total attempts than he had as a sophomore. That’s a good sign to his long-term health.