NFL drafts 33 former Texas high school football players

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

More than a month of COVID-19 shutdown has people yearning for any good news.

For Texas high school football fans, that good news came in the NFL Draft where 33 former Texas high school football players were drafted into the National Football League during the three-day virtual draft. The former Texas standouts accounted for nearly 13 percent of those players drafted.

After three-consecutive years of a Texas player going number one in the draft, LSU quarterback and Ohio native Joe Burrow broke that trend by being selected first in 2020. 

However, it didn’t take much time for NFL teams to start collecting Texans, beginning with South Grand Prairie cornerback Jeff Okudah selected third by the Detroit Lions and Richmond Foster wideout CeeDee Lamb selected in the 17th spot by the Dallas Cowboys. Edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson of Galena Park North Shore was the next off the board to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 20th spot. Wide receiver Jalen Reagor of Waxahachie and Texas Christian University was the very next selection at 21.

Rounding out the Texas selections in round one were Kenneth Murray of Fort Bend Elkins (23rd pick - LB – Los Angeles Chargers), Jordyn Brooks of Houston Stratford and Texas Tech (27th – LB – Seattle Seahawks) and Jeff Gladney of New Boston (31st – CB – Minnesota Vikings).

Seven more Texas players were taken in round two, including another back-to-back selection of Burkeville’s Robert Hunt (39th – OL – Miami Dolphins) and Ross Blacklock of Fort Bend Elkins and TCU (40th – DL – Houston Texans). 

Desoto’s Laviska Shenault Jr. (42nd – WR Jacksonville Jaguars), The Woodlands’ Antione Winfield Jr. (45th – S – Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Channelview’ Jalen Hurts (53rd – QB – Philadelphia Eagles), La Grange’s J. K. Robbins (55th – RB – Baltimore Ravens) and Denzel Mims of Daingerfield and Baylor (59th – WR – New York Jets) closed out the second round selections.

Texas added five more players in round three, led by Brandon Jones of Nacogdoches and Texas (70th – S – Miami Dolphins). Justin Madubuike of McKinney North and Texas A&M (71st – DL – Baltimore Ravens), Josh Jones of Fort Bend Bush and Houston (72nd – OT – Arizona Cardinals), Houston Westside’s Jordan Elliott (88th – DL – Cleveland Browns) and Devin Duvernay of Garland Sachse and Texas (92nd – WR – Baltimore Ravens) closed out the third round with 18 percent of the selections coming from Texas.

Six more Texans were taken in rounds three and four with Reggie Robinson II of Cleburne being the first off of the board in round four (123rd – CB – Dallas Cowboys), followed by the first-ever draft pick from Round Rock James Lynch (130th – DT – Minnesota Vikings) to close out round four. Converse Judson’s Alton Robinson was first in round five (148th – DE – Seattle Seahawks), followed by Cedar Hill’s Trevis Gipson (155th -EDGE – Chicago Bears), Broderick Washington of Longview and Texas Tech (170th – DL – Baltimore Ravens) and Arlington Martin’s Jason Huntley (172nd – RB – New Mexico State) Huntley was a teammate of former Copperas Cove Bulldawg Shamad Lomax. Lomax was not drafted but is expected to find a spot on the free agent market.

Eight more Texas players were added in the final two rounds. Garland’s Hakeen Adeniji (180th – OT – Cincinatti Bengals), Spring’s Bravvion Roy (184th – DL – Carolina Panthers), Braden Mann of Cy Fair and Texas A&M (191st – P – New York Jets), James Proche of Desoto and Southern Methodist University (201st – WR – Baltimore Ravens), Wylie East’s Eno Benjamin (222nd – RB – Arizona Cardinals), Clay Johnston of Abilene Wylie and Baylor (234th – LB – Los Angeles Rams), Vernon Scott of Mansfield Summit and TCU (236th – S – Green Bay Packers) and Houston Westfield’s Tyrie Cleveland (252nd – WR – Denver Broncos) closed out the 33 players that got their starts under the Friday Night Lights of Texas.

In other football news, former Bulldawg and Texas Longhorn, JP Urquidez announced Sunday via Twitter that he will be transferring to the Texas State Bobcats for his final season of eligibility. Urquidez was slated to play ay Bylor under Art Briles, but a scandal rocked the program and led to a transfer of commitment to Texas where Urquidez saw limited playing time. A graduate transfer student, Urquidez looks to play in the right guard or right tackle position for the Bobcats.