2008 Draft Day Thread

5:29 PM

I received the rest from Team Texas. Here they are:


41-Dan Oliphant OL Colby
42-Vince Strange WR California
43-Damian LaVergne OL Louisiana Tech
44-Zamir Cobb WR Temple
45-James Kinney LB Missouri
46-Erick Joyce CB Tennessee St.
47-Bobby Garofolo OL Memphis
48-Chad Owens WR Hawaii
49-Robert McMackin OL Towson St.
50-Samario Houston LB Catawba

4:26 PM

I received the first ten picks from Team Texas. Here they are:

1-Eric Crouch QB Nebraska 6-1 200
2-Freddy McCutcheon DT San Jose State 6-2 295
3-Aaron Cotteral DE Lenoir-Rhyne 6-1 226
4-Akieem Jolla WR New Mexico St. 6-2 203
5-Dwight Ellick CB Notre Dame 5-11 197
6-Chris Bowser OL UNLV 6-6 285
7-Lawrence wilson DL Hawaii 6-6 276
8-Akilah Lacey WR Idaho State 6-3 202
9-Keith Brooks RB Western Kentucky5-11 225
10-Willie Amos CB Nebraska 6-0 190
11 - John Simon RB Louisiana Tech 5-11 212

4:08 PM

Ok. I've gotten in touch with Team Texas and the picks should be coming my way in just a bit. Hold on and we'll know some names.

3:45 PM

This has officially gotten very irritating. I've now spent about 1:30 trying to find out more info. I know they gave out a web address at the end of the telecast of where you could continue to follow along, but I missed it. If you have this, please leave it in the comments. If you know the Draft picks for Texas after the 5th round, please let us know. Thanks.

1:55 PM

I think we're about to lose TV coverage. I've yet to find another source for draft picks. I'm probably going to have to drop off, but I'll track down all the Team Texas picks and put them here.

1:37 PM

Oops. Funny thing there...did Obaseme play at Clemson or UTEP? Or both? Where did he graduate? Did Texas miss out on a UTEP guy?

1:30 PM

Team Texas Picks:
Round 5 - 27th overall - Dwight Ellick - DB - Notre Dame

I wasn't expecting to see many more DBs, but I guess we may need to do some nickel and dime considering there has only been one RB taken in the draft.

1:10 PM

Team Texas Picks:
Round 4 - 22nd overall - Akieem Jola - WR - New Mexico State

I have a feeling this is the first of many WRs. On a side note Tennessee is getting a lot of guys from VT.

12:55 PM

This may be a good time to mention that you can subscribe to an RRS feed of this site if you'd like to keep up with Team Texas News. Subscribe using google reader or some other feed reader.

We've also started a Facebook to try to get a sell out for the first Team Texas game(or all of them.) You can find the link to the Sellout for Team Texas link in the right bar as well. We'd lovee for you to join the group and invite all your friend. If we get enough folks we may be able to throw one heck of a tailgate party.

12:50 PM

Team Texas Picks:
Round 3 - 15th overall - Aaron Cotteral - DE/LB - Lenoir Rhine/South Carolina

Looks like there was a little confusion about where he went to school. Good to see that we are getting some hybrid players

12:35 PM

Team Texas Picks:
Round 2 - 10th overall - Freddie McCutcheon - DT - San Jose State

Some what of a surprise here. We do need DTs. Nice to see Craig James helping out.

12:11 PM

Team Texas Picks:
Round 1 - 3rd overall - Eric Crouch QB Nebraska

Nice to have a Heisman Trophy winner on the team.

12:08 PM

You can order you Team Texas tickets now. Go here:

http://tickets.aafl.com/

12:03 PM

And the first pick is, for Team Arkansas, is an Offensive Lineman from Troy University, Zarah Yisrael. What a name.

11:56 AM

Great story on Jason Hunt. I like the fire and I hope he makes the team.

11:51 AM

John Jenkin's suit is over the top. He sounds really excited to be in Houston. I like it.

11:50 AM

Burnt Orange and Maroon on the Jersey! Fantastic. Cools stuff.

11:24 AM

They just showed the Team Texas helmet. White with the state of Texas on it. The state is colored with the Texas Flag. It is kind of 'Curvy' like the flag is waving.


11:07 AM

We're off! It looks like we're going to have some intro commentary before we get to the picks.

9:12 AM

It looks like Team Florida want to take John Kresser with their first pick. This is kind of odd because he is from Florida. Why didn't they protect him? Maybe he graduated from a different school? You can also see the Team Florida helmet on that page. Looks nice.

7:04 AM

Team Texas Needs Breakdown

I've broken the Protected list into positions. I wanted to discuss the holes in the current team and what we might see in the draft today:

Quarterbacks:

BJ Symons QB Texas Tech
Kliff Kingsbury QB Texas Tech

There has been talk that Team Texas is going to take Eric Crouch. I don't see it happening, but I wouldn't count out drafting another QB at some point. If one of the recent Hawaii QBs is eligible, look for that pick.

Running Backs/Full Backs:

Paul Mosely RB Baylor

I wouldn't expect a Fullback to be drafted. I would imagine we will pick up a couple more Running Back. They will probably be small, quick backs with good hands. With as much speed as we have here in Texas it is really surprising to me that more backs didn't make the protected list. We will have to see what the rest of the nation has.

Wide Recievers:

Jason Hunt WR Trinity
Adrian Madise WR TCU

I had expected more WRs to be on the protected list. My guess is that the majority of our picks today will be wide receivers. Possibly even 5. In case you haven't been following, John Jenkins of 95-0 HoustonCougar fame is the coach of Team Texas.

Offensive Line:

Alan Rueber OL Texas A&M
Phillip Hawkins OL Houston
Bryce Reed OL Texas A&M
Jonathan Palafox OL Angelo State
Beny Rouse OL Texas Southern
John Kirk OL Texas A&M
William Blaylock OL Baylor

This is a nice looking offensive line already. I wouldn't expect too much more activity. It would be nice to have a couple quality subs in order to keep the starters fresh.

Safety:

Ranorris Ray S TCU
Phillip Geiggar S Texas
Don McGee S North Texas
Stacey Thomas S Texas Southern

I believe we are full at safety. One of these guys probably won't make the final roster and I wouldn't expect to spend a pick here

Line Backers:

Wade Koehl LB Houston
Larry Hayden LB Texas State
Lance Everson LB Houston
John Syptak LB Rice
Justin Warren LB Texas A&M

The defensive co-coordinator should be announced today. We will know better then if we'll be running a 3-4 or a 4-3. In either case, we may be close to full at linebacker.

Corner Backs:

Wes Bautovich CB Texas A&M
Will Gulley CB Houston
Chad Price CB Rice
Rolando Humphrey CB Southern Methodist
Sean Weston CB Texas A&M
Eric Buchanan CB TCU

Again, we are pretty much full here. This is a nice little group and I wouldn't expect many names to be added.

Defensive Line:

Kyle Green DE Angelo State

We are very thin here. Expect a ton of activity on the Defensive line.

Special Teams:

Jared Scruggs P Rice

We're going to need a kicker, but I bet we wait until the supplemental draft to pick one up.

My best guess:
QB - 1 Pick
RB - 3 Picks
WR - 5 Picks
OL - 2 Picks
CB/S - 0 picks
LB - 2 picks
DT - 4 picks
DE - 3 picks
K - 1 Pick

21 picks total.

6:03 AM

The AAFL has provided this draft chart. The interesting thing about this chart is that the protected players have been placed in 'the middle.' Team Florida only has 10 picks split between Rounds 1-5 and rounds 45-50.

Interesting Notes:

• Team Texas will be drafting in Rounds 1-11 and Rounds 41-50.
• Team Florida Protected the most players, 40.
• Team Michigan Protected the fewest players, 20.
• Here is list of the Team Texas Protected Players
• Most Notable Names:
• Chris Leak
• Peter Warrick
• Travis McGriff
• Clint Stoerner
• Tee Martin
• Marcus Randall
• Antonio Perkins
  

Exclusive - Team Texas Protected List

Here is the protected player list from Team Texas:

1. BJ Symons QB Texas Tech
2. Paul Mosely RB Baylor
3. Adrian Madise WR TCU
4. Alan Rueber OL Texas A&M
5. Phillip Hawkins OL Houston
6. Bryce Reed OL Texas A&M
7. Ranorris Ray S TCU
8. Wade Koehl LB Houston
9. Phillip Geiggar S Texas
10. Jonathan Palafox OL Angelo State
11. Wes Bautovich CB Texas A&M
12. Will Gulley CB Houston
13. Jason Hunt WR Trinity
14. Beny Rouse OL Texas Southern
15. Larry Hayden LB Texas State
16. John Kirk OL Texas A&M
17. William Blaylock OL Baylor
18. Lance Everson LB Houston
19. Don McGee S North Texas
20. Kliff Kingsbury QB Texas Tech
21. John Syptak LB Rice
22. Stacey Thomas S Texas Southern
23. Chad Price CB Rice
24. Kyle Green DE Angelo State
25. Rolando Humphrey CB Southern Methodist
26. Jared Scruggs P Rice
27. Sean Weston CB Texas A&M
28. Eric Buchanan CB TCU
29. Justin Warren LB Texas A&M

Congrats to these guys. Most should be at the draft party on Saturday. We will have a bigger breakdown over the weekend.

John Quinn singed with an NFL team so he is no longer on the list. Congrats to John.

Team Texas - Did Mack and DeLoss Drop the Ball?

For those not familiar with Team Texas and the AAFL, this intro paragraph is for you. I you are already familiar, you can skip it. The AAFL is a new Pro Football league that will begin play this April. It will start with six teams: Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, and Tennessee. Players must have completed their college degree. The league is trying to cater directly to College Football fans. One of the way they are doing this is by allowing teams to 'protect' players that went to college in their home state, and with smaller states, adjoining states. Team Texas will play at Rice University in Houston. They will have 5 home games.

The AAFL draft is this coming Saturday and Team Texas has protected 30 players from the state of Texas. Twenty more players will be selected in the draft. Through a number of inquires and bush beatings I've learned that The University of Texas only has 5 players that have submitted paperwork necessary to be drafted this Saturday. 5. Out of 1200 only 5 are from UT. 0.4%. Texas A&M has 14 players in the draft. Almost three times as many as Texas. Now there may be some very good reasons for this, but it may very well be that Mack Brown and DeLoss Dodds dropped the ball.

I have to admit that there may be a fuzzy line approaching for the AAFL. The University of Florida is so involved with Team Florida that the University Foundation members are getting first crack at tickets and three home games are being played in the Swamp. I can foresee a day when the NCAA may one day turn a curious eye toward this type of arrangement. In five years this relationship could give The University of Florida an unfair recruiting advantage. The NCAA might frown on that. But right now it is legal to have that kind of relationship and it will be a recruiting advantage. Team Florida has already announced 10 Florida Gators will be a part of their roster. Team Michigan has announced 14 players that are either from The University of Michigan or Michigan State.

At first I though Team Texas was just sandbagging. I figured they were waiting until draft day to drop a big beautiful burnt orange bomb of James Brown, Chance Mock, Aaron Humphrey, Wayne McGarity, and Nate Jones. It probably isn't going to happen. Only 5 players from Texas submitted their transcripts. Phillilp Geigger is one and he is on the team. Who are the other 4? Will any of them be protected? We will have to wait until Saturday to find out, but something isn't right here.

Do our players not graduate? Surely some don't. Scott Derry would probably be great for this league, but from what I can tell, he hasn't graduated yet. Some players from the 2007 Longhorn squad have. Why aren't they on this list? Beyond those, how does The University of Florida have 10+ players eligible and we only have 5. Do they graduate that many more then us? I doubt it.

Is all our talent in the NFL? Sure...some of it is. But Michigan and Florida send a ton of guys to the NFL as well.

Does the Longhorn network pull players out of the pool? This is a possibility. If you don't make the NFL, many look for a "real job." We love our horns and we love to hire our horns.

I have to think that Mack and DeLoss either just missed the boat or had a good reason for not more actively recruiting former players to this new league. Don't get me wrong. We hope we graduate men who can take care of themselves. I sure as hell would rather have Mack in Darrell Scott's living room then trying to help Wayne McGarity get a transcript sent in. But...on the other hand this could be a huge recruiting tool.

Come to The University of Texas and we'll do every thing we can to help you make it to the NFL. If that doesn't work out, we have a long tradition of players continuing their careers playing professional football in Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium as part of Team Texas.

And, please, think of the tailgates!

So what is the deal? Did Team Texas contact UT and get turned away? Did Team Texas ignore the Horns? Were Mack and DeLoss so distracted in their coaching searches that they missed a golden opportunity? Leave a comment. I'll try to get the bottom of this.

In the mean time. There is a supplemental AAFL draft on February 16th. 10 more players will be drafted and Team Texas will be able to protect three more players.Will someone at Belmont please go pull the T-Ring roster, go down to main hall, request those transcripts be sent to:

All American Football League HQ
One Glenlake Parkway
Suite 700
Atlanta, GA 30328

Then get on a fax machine and start faxing draft paper work to player, agents, and players' mommas.

Exclusive - Five More Protected Players

We have some inside info here at teamtexasfootball.blogspot.com. Look for the following five players to be announced as protected players:

Chad Price – Rice - Chad looks like a small speedy DB. He started 42 consecutive games for the Owls. Chad once tried to tackle Vince Young. Don't worry Chad...lots of people tried. Chris Leak topples over much more easily.

John Kirk - Texas A&M - I've been told that this John Kirk from Ft. Worth and not John Kirk from Athens who also played for the Aggie squad team. John plays on the OL and joins former teammate Adam Reuber

Johnny Quinn – North Texas - Johnny is another speedy WR. He signed with the Bills last year but was cut before the season started. He tried out with the Packers as late as November 13th.

Will Gulley – Houston - Will played saftey for the Cougars and had a few near misses with a couple of NFL teams.

Larry Hayden – Texas State - Larry is a DE that earned 3 letters with the Bobcats.

Just to keep everyone caught up, here is the know 'protected' list so far:

Johnny Quinn - WR - North Texas
John Kirk - OL - Texas A&M
Chad Price - DB - Rice
BJ Symons - QB - Texas Tech
Phillip Geigger - DB - Texas
Alan Reuber - OL - Texas A&M
Wade Koehl - LB - University of Houston
Jason Hunt - WR - Trinity University
Kyle Green - DE - Angelo State
Wes Bautovich - S - Texas A&M
Will Gulley - S - Houston
Larry Hayden - DE - Texas State

12 Down, 18 To Go.

Outside Inside Info

Joe Sturdivant, a Team Texas hopeful in the upcoming draft, sent along this message filled with players that he tried out with. Maybe your favorite player is listed:

Here are guys that I know and have seen at tryouts, played against or with.

Wade Kroel- outside linebacker at Houston. Great Player, had over 100 tackles his junior year. Big, fast and strong
Bryan Tisdale- Corner from UTEP, Played with him in the Texas vs Nation Star game, lock down corner
Zack Sledge- SMU wide reciever- set SMU school record for touchdowns in a season with 10
John Mouring- Outside Linebacker from GA Southern- was Tampa Bay's training camp MVP
Aaron King- Outside Linebacker/ Long Snapper from utep- fastest snap ive ever seen.
Matt Clark- Kicker from Auburn- went to combine in 06 huge leg.
Alex Obemysi- UTEP DE- would be great outside linebacker. Played in Texas vs Nation game with him, he is a beast
David Overstreet- Missorri Strong Safety
Andray Downs- Rice Free Safety needs to be a corner



the next is a list of guys in the draft pool not sure where they went to school just met them at diff tryouts.

randy samuel
jason simpson
sean radin
thomis smith
marcus spencer
jay stagg- UNLV
chad stevens
quincy stewart
brock stratton
david thomas
tristan thomas
luke tillman
devraun thompson
James Todd- Baylor

Thanks Joe! Good Luck on Saturday

Star Power! - Geigger, Symons Protected

Ask and you shall receive again! Team Texas has added some new players to their Team Page.

From the Team Texas Site:

BJ Symons, QB Texas Tech:

B. J. Symons started for one season as quarterback for the Texas Tech RedRaiders. During his only season as a starter (his senior year), Texas Tech finished the season 8-5, and Symons broke the NCAA record for single-season passing yards at 5,833 yards. Symons set the NCAA 12-Game Passing Record with 5,336 yards in 2003. Symons also established a new NCAA 12-Game Total Offense Record with 5,476 yards this season. At the time of his graduation Symons held the Big 12 and Tech record with 48 touchdown passes in one season. Symons broke Kliff Kingsbury's school and Big 12 single-season record of 45 touchdown passes.


Wade Koehl, LB University of Houston:

Koehl signed with Houston after he played linebacker and fullback for the Bulldogs in their run to the Class 5A Division I State Championship game in 2002. He started for four years at Houston, where he led the team in tackles as a freshman.


Phillip Geiggar, DB University of Texas:

Geiggar was an athletic, hard-hitting defensive back who was the veteran leader of the Longhorn secondary, a key member of the special teams and returns punts and kickoffs, and played in 50 career games (including bowls).


Jason Hunt, WR Trinity University:

Hunt received All-SCAC first-team honors for his play at wide receiver for Trinity.


Alan Reuber, OL Texas A&M:

Alan Reuber was an American football guard and tackle and was a practice squad player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Texas A&M.

I'll try to get some more detailed profiles up next week.

Kyle Green announced as a Protected Player

Angelo State DE Kyle Green was announced as another Protected player. If you know anything about Kyle leave it in the comments. Here is Kyle's page at nfldraftscout.

One thing this tells us is that 2007 Seniors are eligible for the AAFL. I'm very excited for Kyle and the other DII and DIII players, but it is time for Team Texas to make a splash and give us some star power to start promoting this thing.

I also recieved an email from Joe Sturdivant, a former SMU saftey, telling me that he was not protected. Good luck to Joe in the draft. Hopefully he'll end up on Team Texas after all.

Graduating Aggies to the AAFL?

Previously we looked at the graduating Longhorns. Today the Aggies.

A number of Texas A&M Aggies from the 2007 squad earned their degrees this past December. Could they be playing on Team Texas for the 2008 season?

Lets take a look:

NFL Locks:

Red Bryant 1st or 2nd Rounder
Corey Clark 2nd half
Chris Harrington 2nd half

NFL Maybe:

Chris Alexander - I've seen Chris ranked as the #26 FB in the draft. That isn't very good for a FB and he probably won't be drafted. Unfortunately I don't know that there is a place for Chris on Team Texas. We're going to be running a Run-n-Shoot style offense and I doubt we'll even have a FB on the roster.

Kirk Elder - Elder is projected to go in the 7th round. If he's taken he'll be busting his butt to make a squad. If not I'd love to see him on the Team Texas O-line. If he performs well he'll end up on an NFL squad.

AAFL Candidates:
Mark Dodge - I believe that Mark has 'retired' and is not pursuing the NFL. It is a shame. That guy was all over the field. I'm not sure where he got his job, but if it is in Houston there is no reason he shouldn't play football on the weekends for Team Texas and pick up a little nest egg money.

Stephen Hodge - Stephen started the last two games of the year and had 33 tackles on the year. I don't know much about him, but he has a degree and helped kick the longhorns into the ground so he probably has a chance.

Henry Smith - Henry isn't going to get drafted and should be a target for Team Texas. He started all but the bowl game for the Aggies.
Scout Team:
Ben Bitner
Michael Corey

I have no idea about these guys except that Bitner is bald and apparently lived under a bridge for a year and half. I'm looking forward to some Aggie help on Team Texas, but you guys really are weird sometimes.

Graduating Longhorns to the AAFL?

A number of Texas Longhorns from the 2007 squad earned their degrees this past December. Could they be playing on Team Texas for the 2008 season?

Lets take a look:

NFL Locks:

Frank Okam 1st or 2nd Rounder
Limas Sweed 1st Round
Marcus Griffin 2nd half
Derek Lokey 2nd half

NFL Maybe:

Brandon Foster - Brandon improved quite a bit in 2007 but I would hardly call him NFL material. If he gets a chance with Team Texas he may show us more. I think the AAFL will be right in his wheel house and he could be a contributor for years to come.

Nate Jones - I've seen Nate ranked in the 70s of available draft prospects. This is not good. I would expect his draft stock to improve if he is invited to the combine but the draft doesn't look like a possibility for Nate. This is a shame because Nate was such a great target for Colt this year. If Nate isn't on the protect list for Team Texas, he should be. As much as we expect to throw the ball, Nate's hands should come in handy. The season should wrap up just about the time NFL training camps get underway. I'd love to have Nate on Team Texas for just one year. My guess is that he would turn enough heads to make an NFL roster for 2008.

AAFL Candidates:
Erick Jackson - Erick Jackson hits hard. He didn't make as much of an impact as everyone would have liked as a Seinor. Maybe there is room for Erick to grow in the AAFL?

Drew Kelson - Drew seemed to be a victim of the Coaching Staffs whims and fancies. He was moved around a lot and never settled anywhere. Whether this was due to his lack of talent or his lack of opportunity was never answered.

Robert Killebrew - Please No. One can only take so many personal fouls per game. I appreciate his leadership and energy, but he always seemed to be a step behind the play.

Thomas Marshall - Thomas Marshall was injured a lot. When he got to play, I enjoyed watching him. It is hard playing behind Lokey and Okam. He may be perfect for the AAFL if he can stay healthy.

Justin Moore - Looks like Justin graduated and has taken a job in Houston(thanks UTPhil2006). Congratulations. Maybe he can punt on the weekends?

Scout Team:
Freddy Torres
Gilbert Zepeda
Ryan Moench
Jaime Carvajal

I have no idea about these guys. Thanks for all your hard work in practice?