Texas Football

By Travis Stewart//TexasFootball.com

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 seventh round, and tomorrow will be our final installment -- potential undrafted free agents. Notice someone missing from the list? Email us.

The Seventh Round
Believe it or not, at this point in the draft, a lot of players are actually hoping that they don't hear they name by one of these last 32 teams. The reasoning? They might actually have more leverage and more say in where they take their skills if they're allowed to compete on the open market as an undrafted free agent. Does it work for everyone? Of course not -- Graham Harrell's case proves that. But in some instances, players actually can do better for themselves in the open waters. So this final handful of players may be considered the lucky few or the unfortunate final four. Depends on your outlook.

#13 (204 overall), Denver Broncos: John Skelton, QB, Fordham (EP Burges)
Skelton might be the most anonymous player from Texas in the draft -- being from El Paso, he was largely overlooked by the rest of Texas during his high school career (he wasn't even a Top 300 selection his senior year) and then took his game out to Fordham, where nex to no one from the Lone Star state would ever find him. But he was critical to the team's success almost immediately -- he started seven games as a true freshman, all 12 as a sophomore, all 11 as a junior and all 11 as a senior. Phew! An iron man! But then again, he should be -- he's a massive, powerful guy that sports a truly prototypical NFL frame. Though he wasn't playing at the FBS level, his career numbers, overall athleticism (he used to be a pretty good baseball player, too) and build make him an attractive option at this point in the draft. Wherever he goes, he won't be starting right away. He may not ever start. But he has the tools to hang around the league for a while, and there's absolutely no shame in carving out a career as a backup QB in the NFL. Shoot, I'd take that job.

#23 (214 overall), New York Jets: Keith Toston, RB, Oklahoma State (Angleton)
I still think it's ridiculous that Toston sits this low on the draft boards, and if it were up to me, I'd have him much higher. But the consensus seems to be that he's not worth much more than a measly seventh or sixth rounder, and more often than not the consensus is somewhat close to accurate. But Toston is an impressive runner, one of my favorites over the past four years -- he's got a powerful stride and he can really hit a gap to find some open space. But he did suffer a season-ending injury in 2007 -- to his knee, which scouts usually prize like diamonds. I didn't see much ill effect from that in either 2008 or 2009, though, and I think his experience in a spread style offense could be very valuable to one of the numerous NFL teams slowly integrating the modern wide-open attack popularized in college. But ironically, I have him going to the Jets, one of the few power running teams left in the league. Toston may not be the kind of guy that you want to carry the ball 30 times a game, but he could certainly handle six to eight in an offense like New York's. With Thomas Jones now gone, the Jets will likely look higher in the draft for a guy to develop. But this late in the draft, someone to bolster depth at your most important position is a no-brainer. 

#27 (218 overall), Dallas Cowboys: Hunter Lawrence, K, Texas (Boerne)
Speaking of no-brainers, the Cowboys almost have to draft a kicker, right? Nick Folk was so bad that he lost his job, and Cowboy retread Shaun Shuisham surely isn't the long-term answer at a scoring position -- hence why he wasn't tendered and is now looking for a job. Lawrence is one of the top five kickers in the draft, but none are expected to go off the board until the sixth and seventh rounds, and Dallas may not get anyone else down here that could make an impact immediately. Picking up a free agent who can connect would be the first choice, but that's far more difficult than it seems. There's a lot of kickers out there, yes. But not that many of them are good enough to kick for a team that is expecting a Super Bowl ring. Lawrence may be a rookie, but it's not like he's never seen a big kick in his life -- for example, the Big 12 title game against Nebraska. He may not have the cannon leg to hit from 56 yards out on a consistent basis, but throughout both his high school and college career, he's been very accurate and very consistent. Right now, the Cowboys will take that any day and twice on Sunday. 
 

#32 (223 overall), New Orleans Saints: Emmanuel Sanders, WR, SMU (Bellville)
Year after year, the guy affectionately known as Mr. Irrelevant has come and gone with absolutely no impact on me. The final pick of the draft holds very little appeal besides pure novelty -- at that point, it's definitely better to just go to free agency and hope for a better outcome. But this year, I have a sneaky suspicion that Mr. Irrelevant will be a record-holder of considerable repute around these parts -- Emmanuel Sanders, one of the top wideouts in SMU history. If Sanders does indeed get picked up in this spot, he would become the first Mr. Irrelevant from a Texas college since Charles Hill (Sam Houston State) in 1971. But I digress. In a passing game like New Orleans', wide receivers are always in demand. Right now, the Saints have an excellent corps of guys to go to. But adding another for down the road never hurt, and Sanders is the kind of guy that can make tough catches across the middle, move the chains and offer a sure set of hands. I could definitely seem him working with Drew Brees.