All eyes will be on TCU and head coach Sonny Dykes to see if they can replicate, or come close to replicating, their historic performance from last season.
Texas Tech is a program that’s had its moments while West Virginia seems to be stuck in a pattern of mediocrity. Once again, TCU counts the largest number of next level prospects from the three programs.
Top NFL Draft prospects at TCU
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2022 was a banner year for the TCU program. The Horned Frogs won the Big 12 title and advanced to the CFB championship game, where they lost to Georgia. They also had a three players selected in the top 75, including first-round pick Quentin Johnston. It will be tough to pull that off this year, but the Horned Frogs still have a lot of next-level talent on the roster.
Josh Newton is a developing corner with a lot of upside. He’s tough and instinctive and offers terrific ball skills. Newton runs everywhere with opponents, stays on the receiver’s hip out of breaks and has a terrific move to the throw. He can play in man or zone and grades as a top-60 choice.
Bud Clark has better size, though he’s not as skilled or polished as Newton. Still, he has terrific ball skills and a bunch of upside.
Sandwiched between the two is left tackle Brandon Coleman, a fluid and mobile blocker who displays excellent footwork, strength at the point and ability blocking in motion. Coleman could kick inside to guard at the next level and ideally fits a zone-blocking scheme.
Keep an eye on receiver Savion Williams, who now becomes the main target with three TCU wideouts graduating to the NFL. Williams has terrific size, and though he’s not very fast, he always wins out for contested throws.
Top NFL prospects at Texas Tech
When the Las Vegas Raiders made Tyree Wilson the seventh pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, it was the earliest any player from the program has been selected since 1965 when running back Donnie Anderson was chosen by the Green Bay Packers. Three months removed and the Red Raiders have nothing but late-round prospects on the depth chart.
Tyler Shough was tabbed as the next big-time NFL quarterback prospect after a promising sophomore campaign at Oregon. He has since transferred to Texas Tech, and it’s been nothing but injury and inconsistency.
Shough has all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL — outstanding size, a big arm and a lot of athleticism. He makes some incredible passes on occasion or picks up yardage with his legs. Yet a shoulder injury last season limited him to seven games, and a broken collarbone the prior year had him sidelined for all but four contests. Shough has top-60 skills, but medicals will raise red flags.
Defensive lineman Myles Cole has the size (6-6, 280 pounds) and speed (4.80s in the 40) to be a big-time player, yet his production has been pedestrian. Several scouts grade him as draftable based on the computer numbers, but with just 12 tackles last season, he must elevate his game.
Syracuse transfer Steve Linton, a linebacker, is another with outstanding numbers who needs to step up his production.
Top NFL prospects at West Virginia
West Virginia has been in a tailspin the past five years. A once-proud program has had just a single winning season since 2018 and has had nothing but last-day picks since 2019. Mountaineers fans should be hopeful that will change over the next nine months.
WVU has placed several good offensive linemen, including centers, into the NFL, and Zach Frazier looks poised to be the next one. Frazier is a smart, tough lineman who understands the position and get the most from his ability. His productivity comes more from his football intelligence than sheer athleticism, which will appeal to a number of coaches.
Conversely, Sean Martin has the underlying physical skills and athleticism to be a big-time prospect. At 6-foot-3, 285 pounds, Martin is a tough front-line defender who can be impossible to move off the point. He flashed playmaking ability last season, and his game is headed in the right direction, which makes me hopeful for Martin moving forward.