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In a Monday conference call, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock gave his opinion on several of the former Texas Longhorns expected to hear their names called in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Defensive tackle Malcom Brown
Mike Mayock on his conference call just now said #Longhorns DT Malcom Brown is "a first round guy all day long." Said will go between 20-32.
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHowe247) February 16, 2015
Mayock also called Brown a "low-risk pick." Possessing excellent quickness and a high motor is surely enduring Brown to draft analysts like Mayock and will be to NFL teams in several months.
Linebacker Jordan Hicks
Mike Mayock on Lakota West product, LB Jordan Hicks: "Like what I've seen. Like the size. He tackles, which is a little bit of a lost art."
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) February 16, 2015
Hicks helped his stock with a strong week at the Senior Bowl and could continue to help his cause by testing well at the NFL Combine this week, but his injury history hangs heavy over the draft process.
Cornerback Quandre Diggs
Mike Mayock on #Longhorns CB Quandre Diggs "Might fit as a nickel initially. Will have to make a living on special teams." #Hookem
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) February 16, 2015
Mike Mayock said he views #Longhorns CB Quandre Diggs as a mid-to-late round #NFLDraft pick
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) February 16, 2015
Of course, there was plenty of talk that Diggs could move to safety as a senior and while that didn't happen, Ian Boyd of Inside Texas and SB Nation think that the Angleton product could make a natural transition:
I wonder if @qdiggs6 would be rated higher on the draft boards if the prognosticators were perceptive enough to forecast him as a N OR FS.
— Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd) February 16, 2015
Diggs is great in deep coverage, instinctive, physical, why wouldn't he project great at FS? Because he hasn't played there? Lazy analysis.
— Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd) February 16, 2015
Diggs probably isn't as fast as current Seahawks star Earl Thomas, but he's of a similar size and has a similar disposition.
Maybe one team decides to think outside the box and falls in love with the potential for Diggs to play a number of roles in the defensive secondary?