Texas Football: 3 former Longhorns who left too early for NFL Draft

The former four-star signee of the Longhorns 2012 recruiting class and Mansfield, TX, native defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway was originally viewed as a solid value pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts picked up the former Longhorn 6-foot-3 and 315 pound defensive line anchor Ridgeway in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Given that Ridgeway was coming off somewhat of a down season during his junior campaign, declaring early for the 2016 NFL Draft seemed like a bit of a premature move. Ridgeway was coming off career bests from his sophomore season, in 2014, where he registered 47 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, and 6.0 sacks.

During his junior season, Ridgeway registered 45 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries (one of which was taken back for a touchdown). He did also miss some game action during his final year on the Forty Acres due to injury. Ridgeway would leave for the NFL after the Longhorns missed on bowl eligibility in the second year under the direction of former head coach Charlie Strong.

Ridgeway would spend three seasons with the Colts to start his NFL career. In those three years, he would register 41 combined tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, one safety, and an approximate value rating of 5. Last season, he played in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles, registering 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Given another season in college, Ridgeway could’ve bolstered his draft stock and gotten a bigger role in the NFL out of the gate.