The first aftershock from the victory over Notre Dame is in. For the second year in a row, the Longhorns tapped into the Temple pipeline to secure a talented prospect. Taquon Graham announced his commitment to Texas today after being considered a Texas lean for quite a while. Graham chose Texas over offers from Baylor, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Oregon, TCU, Texas A&M, and USC among many others.
The Longhorns have long been searching for a high impact pass rusher, and Graham shows some of the best quick-twitch pass rush ability in the state. Graham is close friends with 2016 Texas signee Davion Curtis, and the proximity to Austin made Texas a great fit for him. Graham has been on campus several times in the past year, and he formed a strong relationship with Texas coaches Vance Bedford and Brick Haley. The Texas staff also did a great job winning over Graham’s mother, who signed off on his commitment after meeting with them. Graham is the second defensive end in this class, and after stocking up on defensive tackles in the last cycle, Charlie Strong will now turn his attention to edge rushing talents.
Film Analysis:
Graham has good size at 6’4, 240 lbs., with long arms and room to add more weight. Graham is a superb athlete, with explosive quickness and legit speed for his size. He clocked a 4.75 on the laser at the Opening regional in Dallas, and it shows in his burst off the line. While he does lack an array of pass rushing moves, he does show an ability to use his hands well against opposing linemen, At the high school level, he defeats opponents with his athleticism for the most part. Graham prefers to use a bull rush with an inside rip to get to the quarterback. Graham also shows good strength to set the edge against the run, though he should work to play with proper leverage more consistently. He lines up on both the weak and strong side for Temple, so he has positional versatility to bounce between positions. Graham shows good flexibility and an ability to bend when turning the corner on an outside rush. Like most young pass rushers, he will need to work on converting speed to power in order to become an elite talent. He has a strong work rate, and he is a tenacious competitor. Graham is a strong tackler, and he wraps up well to bring the ball carrier down. Once he refines his pass rushing technique, he has the potential to turn into a devastating defender.
Final Verdict:
Texas really needed to find an elite option on the weak side end coming into this class, but Graham can play strong side as well. Graham already has good size, and his athletic ability along with his position versatility make him a candidate to play early. If Graham can learn some added pass rushing technique and grow some more size onto his long frame, he could turn into an all conference level player with a chance to be drafted early into the NFL.
