Texas Football: Where former Longhorns fit in after the NFL Draft
Sam Ehlinger, QB (217th overall, Indianapolis Colts)
I did want to save the final pick among the seven rounds of the 2021 draft for former Longhorns in this draft class for a larger space. Former star senior Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts and head coach Frank Reich 217th overall in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. That was a pretty good value find for them.
Ehlinger looked like he could go off the board as soon as late in day two, but that’s not what became a reality in the weekend festivities for the 2021 draft. This Texas Ex had to wait until later in day three to hear his name called. But this looks to be a pretty intriguing landing spot for Ehlinger at the next level.
The main pros to Ehlinger landing with the Colts are that he can compete for a key backup role behind the former North Dakota State Bison and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Both Ehlinger and Wentz are dual-threat quarterbacks that could bring a new dimension to this Reich-coached offense compared to what they had last season in Philip Rivers. Ehlinger could use his known skill set to thrive in a new role with the Colts.
But the main downfall for Ehlinger landing with the Colts is the fact that it could be easy to find himself as a third-stringer, not getting many key reps in practice and game action, this year. The two candidates at this point that look to compete for the Colts backup quarterback role behind Wentz are Jacob Eason and Ehlinger. Eason will not be easy to work past for Ehlinger this offseason.