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NFL Draft (Brown, Hicks, Thompson, Diggs & Swaim selected - details & stories)

Jordan Hicks was picked by the Eagles with the 20th pick in the 3rd round (No. 84 overall). That's a good spot for him as most had him slotted as a 3rd day pick.

UT's release on his selection:

University of Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 20th pick (84th overall) in Friday’s third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, which is being held in Chicago. 
 
Hicks is the fourth Texas linebacker selected in the draft during the last six years. Keenan Robinson (fourth round in 2012 to Washington), Emmanuel Acho (sixth round in 2012 to Cleveland) and Roddrick Muckelroy (fourth round in 2010 to Cincinnati) join Hicks on the list. Acho has spent the last two seasons in Philadelphia.
 
“I’ve been talking to Philly for a while, actually,” Hicks said about being picked by the Eagles. “I went on a pre-draft visit there and had a great time, felt really comfortable and enjoyed meeting with all the coaches and getting a feel for the place. I really like the city, and I know the organization is doing big things right now, so I can’t wait to get there and get going.”
 
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Hicks is the second Longhorn to be taken in this year’s draft.  Defensive tackle Malcom Brown was selected Thursday with the 32nd choice in the first round by the New England. 
 
Texas has at least two players selected in the first three rounds in 13 of the last 15 years. There have been at least two taken overall in 51 of the last 54 NFL Drafts, dating back to 1962.
 
Last season, Hicks was a key cog in a UT defense that ranked No. 25 nationally in total defense (348.5 yards per game), No. 11 in both passing yards allowed (184.2 pg) and sacks (3.08 pg), and 22nd in third-down conversion defense (35.3 percent).
 
“Jordan has a lot of skill,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “He’s someone that can go in coverage and cover backs or anyone he needs to. He does a great job of dropping into a zone or matching up, but he’s also very physical at the point of attack where he can run downhill and take on blockers.”
 
Hicks ended his five-year career with 299 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He shook off a pair of injury-plagued seasons (2012-13) to record 147 tackles in 2014, a total that ranks tied for seventh on the school's single-season list. Hicks was a second-team All-America choice from both the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's best defensive player.
 
“The thing about Jordan is he’s very smart,” Strong said. “He’s just like another coach out on the field. He’s someone who did a great job this year getting our defense lined up, and guys respected him because of how hard he worked.”
 
Defensive tackle Chris Akins was the last Longhorn selected by Philadelphia, going in the seventh round in 1998. Britt Hager was last UT linebacker to get drafted by the Eagles (third round in 1989). But it will be Acho who will help provide guidance to Hicks moving forward. 
 
“Making this transition from college to the NFL is going to be huge, and I think having somebody like [Emmanuel] who I know and have a really good relationship with, we stay in contact all the time, he’s the guy I usually turn to if I need something like advice in football, because I know he’s been through it,” Hicks said. 
 
Hicks knows there will be an adjustment at the professional level, but his experience at Texas should help prepare him for the transition. 
 
“Obviously I’m not going to sit here and say I know what to expect because it’s new,” Hicks said of the transition to the NFL. “You can’t be ready for something brand new. You have no clue what it truly means to step into the situation, but I also know who I am, and I’ve been through some things in my life that I’ve overcome, and I’ve learned a lot about myself since I’ve been at The University of Texas.”
 
On Thursday, Brown became the fourth player under Strong to be drafted in the first round during the last two years. Last season, Louisville had three first round picks in safety Calvin Pryor (18th overall to New York Jets), defensive end Marcus Smith (26th overall to Philadelphia) and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (32nd overall to Minnesota). Strong was the head coach with the Cardinals from 2011 to 2014. Since 1995, Strong has coached 13 players selected in the first round and 31 taken in the first four rounds. 
 
The third, and final, round of the NFL Draft will be held Saturday.
 
Strong on NFL Network: While Charlie Strong appeared on NFL Network during the second and third rounds Friday, four players he has coached at either Texas or Louisville were chosen, including a stretch of three in four selections. The group includes LB Jordan Hicks (84 overall) from Texas, and OT Jamon Brown (72 overall), OG John Miller (81 overall) and LB Lorenzo Mauldin (82 overall) from Louisville. That brings the total to six combined for the 2015 draft (Malcom Brown of Texas - New England; DeVante Parker of Louisville – Miami).
 
You have to hand it to Charlie, he puts them in The League.

What would a team comprised of Charlie Strong players, from Louisville and Texas, have looked like on the field at Texas in 2013?

David Ash and Bridgewater at QB, and no concussion for Ash.

A good o-line

A great defense, with Big Mal leading the charge.

Discipline

Coaches on the sidelines and the field.

Recruiting problems?  Puh-lease.

That would take us to 2014, with a healthy David Ash.  I bet we would even have QB depth.  Now, what does the picture look like?  I know.  I know.  One can dream, right? 

 
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Comments about Jordan Hicks from Charlie Strong, Kiper, and McShay.

Here's what they said about Hicks. Strong, of course, coached the new Eagles linebacker last year:

"The thing about Jordan is, he's a coach on the field. A young man who has battled a lot of injuries, and I'm just so happy for him, for him to come back and have the senior year that he had, I was telling our players, you go through a season, and there are some guys you wish you could have back. He's one of those guys. I told big Malcom [brown], he can go ahead on, but I would love to have Jordan back because he is a very physical, smart player and a guy who can play in space when you talk about spreading him out, he can play in space.

"I thought he would go a round earlier, but that's me talking."

McShay:

"They're getting four-year players, graduates and smart football players and individuals, and Jordan Hicks is exactly what Chip Kelly is looking for. He graduated with a sports management degree. He's on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll, smart player. He doesn't run the fastest 40. He ran a 4.68. 6-1, 238 pounds. I think people really appreciated him at the Senior Bowl. They saw his tape, and his tape is really good because he's diagnosing quickly, and he's making plays in that Texas defense, and I thought he had his best year of his career in this past year under Charlie Strong and that defensive coaching staff. But at the Senior Bowl, you really got to see him and his instincts take over: matching up man-to-man when he wasn't as fast as the running back, but he was in his hip pocket because he was reading the route; reading the offensive linemen and getting his eyes into the backfield and diagnosing plays quicker than any of the other all-star linebackers at the Senior Bowl. I think Jordan Hicks really helped his draft stock during the pre-draft process. I think this is a really good pick and a really good fit for the Eagles."

Kiper:

"Well the thing is, he couldn't stay healthy, injury riddled seasons back-to-back. He finally was at full strength all year and had the best season of his career at Texas with 138 tackles. The UCLA game, 18 stops. Durability, though, with Jordan Hicks is the only concern."

Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2015/05/02/mayock-kiper-on-rowe-and-hicks/#PhBcxSC1z82tLd5E.99

 
Texas has had 4 5 players selected after Strongs first year.  Count 'em...5!  One each in Round 1, Round 3, Round 5, Round 6, and Round 7.  This after no Longhorns were selected last year for the first time, practically, since Texas became a state.

Our prodigal step-brother to the East (shhh, the one with issues) has had 2 players selected.  One each in Round 1 and Round 5, and if I am not mistaken, they were both Sherman recruits.

Hey, Charlie, you are the man!  How many Louisville players have you had taken in addition to our Longhorns?  Nine?  You have got to be kidding me!  You are making a lot of kids dreams come true this weekend - 13 14 so far.  Wow, just wow!!! 

btw, none of Stumblin's Houston players have been selected yet.  Sad, really.

 
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Devante has a smart mom.

DeVante Parker's Mom Says What We All Think About The Cleveland Browns

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Sports moms are usually good moms. Devante Parker, who was picked 14th overall by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of this year’s draft, has a good sports mom.

Parker has been deemed a pretty highly-rated receiving prospect. As he slid out of the top-1o of this year’s draft, any of the teams picking could’ve justifiably snatched him up. As it were, Parker’s mom Raneca was happy to see her son slip past Cleveland at No. 12 and end up with Miami. Here’s what Raneca had to say, via Adam Beasley of Miami Herald:

“We didn’t want him going to Cleveland,†Raneca Parker said Friday, less than 24 hours after the Dolphins took her son with the 14th pick. “They don’t have a team, really, or a quarterback. I knew I didn’t want the Cleveland Browns.

“I know the teams he could go to and the teams he couldn’t go to. We were happy with the Miami Dolphins. He was very ecstatic. We’re happy, we love the weather.â€

She left out the fact that Cleveland’s owner was associated with some serious white-collar crime and that the team may take draft advice from homeless people, but otherwise, yeah, a pretty solid assessment of the Browns.

http://deadspin.com/devante-parkers-mom-says-what-we-all-think-about-the-cl-1701747693

 
So we got 5 players drafted and it sounds like Boyer and Harris have already been signed as UDFA. 7 players in the league in one year should be a pretty good recruiting tool for charlie.

 
UT release on Mykkele Thompson getting picked:

Thompson picked in fifth round of NFL Draft by New York Giants
Defensive back chosen 144th overall Saturday, during final day of draft
 
 
Texas had its third player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft when defensive back Mykkele Thompson was chosen by the New York Giants with the eighth choice (144th overall) during Saturday’s fifth round. 
 
New England chose Malcom Brown with the final pick in Thursday’s first round and Philadelphia took Jordan Hicks in Friday’s third round of the draft, which has spanned the last three days in Chicago. 
 
The Longhorns now have had at least three players selected in 12 of the last 13 NFL Drafts. Thompson is the fifth UT defensive back to be picked in the last five drafts. 
 
“It’s always great,” Thompson said of continuing the tradition of Texas defensive backs playing in the NFL. “The older guys laid the foundation for us, and we just want to uphold the tradition they put ahead and keep it going. It’s great to part of something like that.”
 
Cornerback Aaron Ross was the last Longhorn selected by the Giants, going in the opening round in 2007. Thompson will join cornerback Chykie Brown and running back Chris Ogbonnaya as former Texas players on the New York roster. 
 
“I haven’t had a chance to spend time with Chris, but of course Chykie, with him being a DB, we’ve had conversations,” Thompson said. “It’s always great to know somebody that’s from your school on the roster. I know Chykie will do nothing but push me.”
 
A two-year starter who played in all 52 games the last four seasons, Thompson ranked seventh on the team in tackles (69) in 2014 and averaged 7.0 stops during the last seven contests. He posted a career-high 72 tackles in 2013. 
 
“Mykkele is really good cover guy and also played the nickel position, but he has a lot of skill and a lot of ability,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “He has a lot of range when he’s in the middle of the field, but he’s good enough to play man coverage because he has height, and can get into receivers’ bodies and make them work to catch the ball.”
 
For his career, Thompson started 25 games and tallied 213 tackles, including 125 solo stops, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions. He was also a regular on special teams, contributing three career blocked kicks (two punt/one field goal). His two blocked punts in 2012 tied for the Big 12 lead. 
 
While there are two Longhorns on the current New York roster, Thompson is just the third to be selected by the team in nearly 50 years. Rod Babers was picked in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Prior to him, Phil Harris was chosen in the seventh round of the 1966 draft. 
 
“That was the only team that I took a visit to,” Thompson said. “I went and saw their facilities and everything and got a great vibe from everyone on the staff. I had a feeling I would end up with them, I just didn’t know when it was going to happen.”
 
UT's release on Diggs' selection:

Diggs picked in sixth round of NFL Draft by Detroit
Defensive back is fourth Longhorn selected this year, goes 200th overall Saturday
 
 
Texas had its fourth player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft when defensive back Quandre Diggs was picked by the Detroit Lions with the 24th choice (200th overall) duringSaturday’s fifth round. 
 
Earlier in the day, the New York Giants chose defensive back Mykkele Thompson in the fifth round. New England selected defensive tackle Malcom Brown with the final pick inThursday’s first round and Philadelphia took linebacker Jordan Hicks in Friday’s third round of the draft, which has spanned the last three days in Chicago. 
 
The Longhorns now have had at least four players selected nine times in the last 13 years. Diggs is the seventh UT defensive back to be picked in the last six drafts. 
 
Texas has had two defensive backs taken in four of the last 10 years with the last occurrence in 2011 with Aaron Williams (second round, Buffalo) and Curtis Brown (third round, Pittsburgh).
 
Diggs is looking forward to the transition to the NFL and excited to be taken in the same draft as one of his closest friends.
 
“It’s great,” Diggs said of Thompson and he being drafted on the same day. “Mykkele’s my brother, that’s my best friend. He’s one of the people who definitely pushed me. I’m sure we’ll see each other, and it’s a blessing that we’ve got this chance. With us being roommates in college and friends and coming in together and both going out getting drafted together, it’s a blessing.” 
 
Diggs becomes the first UT player selected by Detroit since 2006 (offensive tackle Jonathan Scott, fifth round). Longhorns selected by Detroit since 1994 have also included wide receiver Roy Williams (first round, 2004), defensive end Cory Redding (third round, 2003), defensive tackle Shaun Rogers (second round, 2001), cornerback Bryant Westbrook (first round, 1997) and safety Van Malone (second round, 1994).
 
Last season, Diggs was a key cog in a defense that ranked No. 25 nationally in total defense (348.5 yards per game), No. 11 in both passing yards allowed (184.2 pg) and sacks (3.08 pg), and 22nd in third-down conversion defense (35.3 percent).
 
“A lot of people are going to question his size, but he plays very big,” head coach Charlie Strong said of the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder. “He can cover and may not have top end spend, but he makes up for it with his intelligence. He plays within himself, studies receivers, studies splits, studies everything the offense does. He can do those things because he’s such a smart player and he loves working at it.”
 
A four-year starter and three-time All-Big 12 selection (2011, 2013, 2014), Diggs ended his career tied for ninth on the UT all-time interceptions list (11) with Mossy Cade (1981-83) and William Graham (1979-81). Diggs' 37 career pass breakups are also tied for ninth with Cade on the school's all-time list.
 
Diggs ended his career with 241 tackles, including 157 solo stops and 17 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles. He had a career-high 73 tackles in 2014. 
 
A native of Angleton, Texas, Diggs joins his brother, former Longhorn player Quentin Jammer, on the NFL Draft list. Jammer, an All-America cornerback and a member of the Texas Athletics Men’s Hall of Honor, was selected with the fifth overall pick in 2002 by San Diego where he played for 11 seasons (2002-12). He also spent 2013 with Denver.  
 
Diggs’ selection has special meaning to his family. 
 
“It means a lot,” Diggs said. “It’s big for my family. I was actually the first one to graduate, and now me and my brother have this great thing for my family. That’s what’s important to me, just putting up my family and being respectful for them. I love them to death. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the day with them and soak it all in.”
 
Diggs envisions playing a similar role in the secondary as he did at Texas. 
 
“I think I’m going to playing a lot of nickel and inside out,” Diggs said. “They like my versatility. I just have to go out and prove myself. It’s the same thing I did when I was at Texas.”
 
UT's release on Swaim's pick:

Swaim picked in seventh round of NFL Draft by Dallas
Tight end gives Longhorns five picks in this year’s draft, most since 2010
 
Texas had its fifth player selected in the 2015 NFL Draft when tight end Geoff Swaim was announced Saturday as the 29th choice (246th overall) of the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys. 
 
Earlier in the day, the New York Giants chose defensive back Mykkele Thompson in the fifth round and Detroit tabbed cornerback Quandre Diggs in the sixth round. New England selected defensive tackle Malcom Brown in Thursday’s first round and Philadelphia took linebacker Jordan Hicks in Friday’s third round of the draft, which has spanned the last three days in Chicago. 
 
This marks the most Longhorns selected since there were six in 2010. This is also the fifth time in last 10 years UT has had five or more.
 
Swaim is the first Longhorn to be drafted by Dallas since 1999 (WR Wane McGarity, fourth round) and only the second since 1987.
 
The last UT tight end to be chosen was Jermichael Finley, going in the third round of the 2008 draft to Green Bay.
 
Swaim, who spent the last two years at Texas after transferring from Butte (Calif.) College, was excited to hear his name announced by the Cowboys.
 
“It was just relief,” Swaim said. “That’s the biggest thing. The past four or five hours have been pretty intense. No matter where you go in the draft, it’s exciting, and I’m just glad to have the opportunity to be where I am and excited to get to work for sure.”
 
A native of Chico, California, Swaim was primarily a run blocker at Texas, though he did post 10 receptions for 70 yards in 2014 when he was an honorable mention All-Big 12 choice. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder played in all 26 games during his two years, including 22 starts, and his 19 straight starts at the end of 2014 led the offense.
 
"Swaim is a physical, tough guy who just really plays hard at tight end and special teams or wherever he's needed,” head coach Charlie Strong said. “He's a guy that's going to leave it all on the field and he's willing to do whatever is necessary to be successful."
 
Swaim will see some familiar faces in Dallas as former Texas players Donald Hawkins, Tony Hills and Chris Whaley are on the current roster. Swaim, Hawkins and Whaley were teammates in 2013. 
 
“It will be cool to play with the guys that I’ve known and have a relationship with,” Swaim said. “That will be a nice way to transition for sure. After that point it will turn into business and I’ll get to work.”
 
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I'm happy Swaim and Thompson got drafted, but am surprised either were taken over Cedric Reed.

Cowboys should take him as a UFA

 
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