Texas Football: 3 NFL Draft prospects that would sit out a shortened season

2. Joseph Ossai, Linebacker

A player that is pretty widely considered to have legitimate first round pick potential for the 2021 NFL Draft is rising junior standout Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai. As one of the true breakthrough stars for the Longhorns last season, Ossai found himself in a position to have a very bright NFL future down the road.

Ossai went from taking on a bit of a dark horse contributor role in the Texas linebacker corps heading into the 2019 regular season, to becoming one of the most crucial producers on that entire side of the ball. He is one of the brightest stars that the Longhorns boast on either side of the ball in 2020 too.

Last season, Ossai did truly breakthrough by registering 90 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, two interceptions, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. That was a dramatic improvement from the 20 total tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble Ossai posted in seven games played as a freshman in 2018.

This 6-foot-4 and 245 pound monster of a linebacker and is one of the more promising potential underclassmen in this draft class. Ossai would have to declare early for the 2021 draft, just like Sterns would, but both could very well do it. Walter Football did rank Ossai as the No. 5 outside linebacker prospect in the 2021 draft class (projects him between second and fourth round).