On the plus side, the Texas Longhorns won't suffer another ignominious NFL Draft like the historic failure in 2014 when the 2016 version begins on Thursday with the first round. The bad news is that junior defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway may be the only player selected and he may not come off the board until the third day.
So it does appear that another senior class will come up short of being drafted for the second time in three years unless cornerback Duke Thomas impressed a team enough during the Texas Pro Day to earn his way into the group of 256 players drafted. Last season, Mykkele Thompson was a surprising pick in the fifth round despite the fact he was widely expected to become an undrafted free agent -- at least there is recent precedence for the 'Horns in that regard.
Other draft-eligible players include defensive end Shiro Davis, fullback Alex De La Torre, offensive guard Sedrick Flowers, running back Johnathan Gray, offensive lineman Marcus Hutchins, defensive tackle Desmond Jackson, linebacker Peter Jinkens, wide receiver Daje Johnson, wide receiver Marcus Johnson, and placekicker Nick Rose. However, Gray and Jinkens are both recovering from injuries that have kept them from working out and will force them to rehabilitate before they can work out for interested teams.
There have been 335 Texas players taken in the NFL Draft, including five last year, and the streak of having a player taken in 76 consecutive drafts that ended in 2014 is an NFL record.
Here are the specifics for those who would like to tune in:
2016 NFL Draft
Chicago Auditorium Theatre (All times listed as central)
Thursday, April 28: 7:00 p.m. - Round 1 - ESPN and NFL Network
Friday, April 29: 6:00 p.m. - Rounds 2-3 - ESPN and NFL Network (ESPN's coverage moves to ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m.)
Saturday, April 30: 11:00 a.m. - Rounds 4-7 - ESPN and NFL Network