Well it’s finally here. After our former Red Raiders have been training for the past three months, this weekend is the weekend where they will know where they will be headed. Whether they are drafted or a free agent signing, they’ll be given their shot to make an NFL roster. Here’s our preview from the past month.
| NFL Draft Preview | ||||
| March 29th – The Combine Snubs | April 5th – Nic Shimonek | April 12th – Dylan Cantrell | April 19th – Keke Coutee | April 26 – 2018 NFL Draft Open Thread |
Dates: Thursday, April 26th (First Round, 7 p.m.), Friday April 27th (Second/Third Round, 6 p.m.) and Saturday, April 28th (Fourth-Seventh Round, 11 a.m.)
Location: AT&T Stadium | Arlington, Texas
TV/Stream: ESPN (WatchESPN as well) and/or NFL Network (Watch online with subscription)
Live Picks: NFL.com | ESPN.com
First off, here’s the rounds of our NFL combine invites are likely to be drafted. I left off the non-combine invites because they are, unfortunately, highly unlikely to be drafted:
| Player | Keke Coutee | Dylan Cantrell | Nic Shimonek |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Round | Highly Unlikely | Highly Unlikely | Highly Unlikely |
| Second/Third Round | Unlikely | Highly Unlikely | Highly Unlikely |
| Fourth/Fifth Round | Likely | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Sixth/Seventh Round | Very Likely | Netural | Netural |
Mock Drafts: Due to there being a test right as this post is going up, here are some mock drafts from about a week ago, and where every player is projected to go and to whom.
- Walter Football — This one has always been one of my favorites, but they do have weird picks sometimes. They Nic Shimonek as the first Tech player off the board, going 139th overall (5th round) to the Giants to make two former Red Raider QBs in New York. Coutee is going 150th (5th round) to the Browns, and Dylan Cantrell going 215th (Sixth round) to the Ravens, to join Michael Crabtree.
- Land of 10 — I don’t know too much about this site, but they do have a seven round mock draft. The lone Red Raider they have being drafted is Keke Coutee going 170th overall (5th round) to the Bengals. Unfortunately, Andy Dalton would be his quarterback.
- Bleacher Report — Never been a fan of this site, but they did their due diligence when it came to the NFL Draft. They have Coutee going to highest out of all the mock drafts at 126th overall (4th round) to the Atlanta Falcons. Cantrell and Shimonek are not listed.
Recent Red Raider Selections: There have been 151 players drafted in the NFL draft all time. Dave Parks was the highest Red Raider ever drafted, taken No. 1 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 1964.
There have been eight Red Raiders drafted in the first round, which includes Donny Anderson, Michael Crabtree, E.J. Holub (technically AFL), Patrick Mahomes, Dave Parks, Gabe Rivera, Walt Schlinkman and Ted Watts.
Here are the Texas Tech players picked in the past decade.
| Patrick Mahomes (2017) | 10th overall (1st) | QB, Kansas City Chiefs |
|---|---|---|
| Le’Raven Clark (2016) | 82nd overall (3rd) | OT, Indianapolis Colts |
| DeAndre Washington (2016) | 143rd overall (5th) | RB, Oakland Raiders |
| Jakeem Grant (2016) | 186th overall (6th) | WR, Miami Dolphins |
| Jace Amaro (2014) | 49th overall (2nd) | TE, New York Jets |
| Will Smith (2014) | 238th overall (7th) | LB, Dallas Cowboys |
| Baron Batch (2011) | 232 overall (7th) | RB, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Jamar Wall (2010) | 196th overall (6th) | CB, Dallas Cowboys |
| Michael Crabtree (2009) | 10th overall (1st) | WR, San Francisco 49ers |
| Darcel McBath (2009) | 48th overall (2nd) | DB, Denver Broncos |
| Louis Vasquez (2009) | 78th overall (3rd) | G, San Deigo Chargers |
| Brandon Williams (2009) | 120th overall (4th) | DE, Dallas Cowboys |