Texas Football: Top 5 Longhorns 2021 NFL Draft prospects at halfway mark
3) Texas football 2021 NFL Draft prospects at halfway mark
Junior. Pick Analysis. 3. player. 851. Scouting Report. Safety. Caden Sterns
Given his just his raw talent and insanely gifted range and physical tools, the 6-foot-1 and 210 pound junior safety and former elite five-star recruit Caden Sterns could be the next Longhorn DB picked in the first round of the NFL Draft.
The biggest problems for Sterns over the course of the last year and a half are staying healthy and making plays in pass coverage. While it is true that Sterns started to round out his game as a sophomore, he hasn’t made near as many plays to draw turnovers in the last two seasons compared to his true freshman campaign.
And Sterns played in 13 of 14 games for the Longhorns back during the 2018 season, while he’s played in just 13 combined over the course of the last two years. Sterns had various nagging injury issues that have yet to go away. He missed the Red River Rivalry game against the Oklahoma Sooners, and was limited in practice in the last few weeks.
In four games played for Texas this season, Sterns registered 25 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and two pass deflections. Sterns is posting his best pass coverage and overall defensive grade since 2018 this fall, and the overall best run defense grade of his career to date.
Sterns really just has to establish some clean bill of health before the end of the 2020 season and keep performing like he has been in the first few games of the fall to solidify his status as a potential early round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.