Texas Football: 3 NFL QB’s the Longhorns defense shut down

3. Drew Lock

Texas got to face the former Mizzou Tigers star quarterback and four-star recruit Drew Lock in the Texas Bowl to cap the 2017 season. Lock was entering the game as one of the more significant NFL Draft prospects at the quarterback position to watch in bowl season. It was also somewhat surprising that he decided to go bowling in the first place.

But while a lot of pundits anticipated Lock to enter the 2018 NFL Draft, and declare to leave the Mizzou program one year early, he ultimately decided to return for another season. The most productive season of Lock’s career came during that 2017 campaign, where he really rose to the point of stardom on the national scene as a junior.

During the 2017 season, Lock registered just shy of 4,000 passing yards, 44 passing touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a career-best 165.7 passer efficiency rating. But the 2017 campaign was still very much a roller coaster ride of a season, especially throughout SEC play. The fourth lowest passer efficiency rating he posted that season was during the Texas Bowl against the Longhorns.

In that Texas Bowl win that the Longhorns had over the Tigers, Lock registered just one passing touchdown and one interception, to go along with 269 passing yards. He also registered a completion percentage of 52.9, and only added two rushing yards and no scores on the ground.

Lock only helped the Mizzou offense to manage 16 points against a stout Longhorns defense in that game.

More than one year later, Lock was picked up by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s now vying to try and become the set in stone starter of the future for the Broncos.