Friday, April 22, 2005

Two Longhorns in Top 10 Picks? Tomorrow is NFL draft day, where young men who have spent the last few years crashing into each other in college football games begin their careers as professional head-knockers. Two University of Texas players, running back Cedric Benson and linebacker Derrick Johnson, are expected to be among the first 10 players selected. Benson is a strong, tough runner who gained more than 1,000 yards in each of his four years at UT. With his dreadlocks and powerful style, he drew immediate comparisons to former Longhorn Ricky Williams. But after Williams' drug suspension and other personal problems, Benson lost the dreads and made a concerted "I'm not Ricky" effort to assure pro teams he wasn't a clone of his talented-but-troubled predecessor. Johnson is the consensus pick as the top linebacker available in the draft. The only nit-picky knock is that his style is more suited to chasing down the ballcarrier than standing at the line and stuffing the run. Therefore, he needs to be in the right defensive system, or at least supported by a run-stuffing LB to really thrive. Update: Benson was picked fourth overall by the Chicago Bears. He'll join his former Longhorn teammate Nathan Vasher on the Bears' roster. Johnson dropped a bit lower than expected, but was selected 15th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs. 9:28:50 AM    comment []