Texas Football

By Travis Stewart/Texas Football -- Five more Texans could be drafted in the fifth.

In last year's NFL Draft, 36 kids from either Texas high schools or Texas colleges were picked by an NFL franchise to be a part of its future. As you would expect, that led all states -- as a matter of fact, the state of Texas had more draft picks (36) than the number of states that had a draftee (34)! Six of those kids went in the first round, and had Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtree not fallen down the draft boards, three of the top five could have called the Lone Star State (and Dallas, specifically) home. So with that in mind, what does the 2010 Draft look like?

Obviously, we're still about a month and a half away from the big day. But we already have a somewhat solid idea of where our natives will go and what the Draft order will look like. Starting today, TexasFootball.com is offering an eight-part series on the upcoming draft and how are Texans fit into the picture. Today we'll look at the fifth round -- next segment we'll view the sixth, and so on, until we get to undrafted free agents. Notice someone missing from the list? Email us.

The Fifth Round

We're officially in full-blown crapshoot mode -- so much could have happened between the St. Louis Rams' first overall pick and the fifth round that trying to guess where these kids are going to get drafted is like making predictions on dropping a tube on tennis balls through a Plinko board. So at this point, we're almost picking slots based on fit and overall talent order -- once you get to the fifth round, teams start sliding more towards the "best player available" mentality, and we've reflected that here. Enjoy!

#7 (135 overall), Oakland Raiders: Brandon Carter, OL, Texas Tech (Longview Spring Hill)
It's such a slam dunk it's not even funny. Has there even been a player that would better match his respective fan base than Brandon Carter (with face paint, of course) warming up next to the Black Hole? The Raiders have long since lost any sort of ferocity or bite that once accompanied them, now looking for all the world like a group of vastly overpaid children worrying more about Friday night than Sunday. Carter could be one small piece to fixing that puzzle -- he's a mean, rough and tough lineman that could offer a little bit of enforcer status to a creampuff group. Plus, Robert Gallery, whom the Raiders drafted high in the first years ago, has not been the answer at the guard spot. Carter is big enough to play tackle, but he could be plugged into the left guard spot right away and make a difference. The only clash? Carter spent the vast majority of his college career in pass protection, and the Raiders have the pieces to a good run game in place. Still, he'd be a good value at this spot in the draft.
 

#14 (142 overall), San Francisco 49ers: Vince Oghobaase, DT, Duke (Alief Hastings)
Mike Singletary is the kind of coach who is going to seek players that emulate his talents -- fierce, determined, hard-nosed and hard-working. So drafting the smart, game-savvy Vince Oghobaase to help shore up the middle of a defense that could be one of the league's best would be a good call. With Patrick Willis anchoring the middle of the field, Oghobaase could have a much easier time transferring to the pro ranks if he were to challenge for time right away. Plus, he's from Houston, like Singletary. Could that possibly play into things at all? The biggest thing working against a selection like this would be that it's San Francisco's offense that needs the most help, and if the 49ers spent almost the whole draft addressing those needs, I'd hardly be surprised.

#21 (149 overall), Cincinnati Bengals: Danario Alexander, WR, Missouri (Marlin)
I feel like I'm almost disparaging Danario Alexander's name by linking him with the Bengals, as Marvin Lewis seems near-obsessed with taking troubled souls and trying to convert them into NFL superstars. And this two years after he said they were on a character building kick! But Alexander doesn't fit that mold -- just a need at the wide receiver spot. The Bengals' wideout corps has been hurting, as Chris Henry's death and Chad Johnson's (I'm not calling him Ochocinco, because unlike at CBS, no one here can make me) gradual decline have left the once-great Carson palmer without a reliable group to throw to. The result? The Bengals, blessed with one of the best talents under center in the league, have become a running team. That's why the speedy Alexander could be a great fit here -- he might even be able to play right away. By the way, if there any doubt that is Chase Daniel was still at Missouri that Alexander would have been a higher draft pick? The Tigers' rebuilding year probably hurt his draft stock, but at this point in the draft, he's a steal. 

#28 (156 overall), San Diego Chargers: Brian Jackson, CB, Oklahoma (DeSoto)
The Chargers' recent move of Antonio Cromartie means that there's a gaping hole at the corner spot for a team that's otherwise built for a Superbowl title -- not as good sign. Jackson won't be able to fix that issue all by himself, but he could at least provide depth while the Chargers sort the situation out. He also continues a recent streak of astounding DeSoto production -- next year, Von Miller is sure to be a high draft pick, and over the past three seasons (including expected 2011 signees), the Eagles easily have put out double-digit kids to the FBS ranks. People talk a lot about Dallas Skyline, and GP North Shore, and a few others as the top talent producer in Texas. But DeSoto is a top five choice.

#32 (123 overall), New Orleans Saints: Earl Mitchell, DT, Arizona (GP North Shore)
I think the Saints, more or less, are going to have a need at most positions heading into the draft -- the free agency rules and the large number of unrestricted guys on the roster for New Orleans means there's going to be plenty of new faces to meet and greet in 2010. So with that in mind, it only makes sense for the Saints to hit a need tough for any team to fill -- defensive tackle, where tracking down athletic talent is more or less a primary goal for draft coordinators. Mitchell can offer that kind of production, though he might not be ready to see the field right away.