The Big 12 has failed to send the number of prospects to the NFL like its Power-5 brethren have. They did have the #1 overall pick a year ago with Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield. Today we are going to look at what the ten-member institutions of the Big 12 have to offer.
BAYLOR BEARS
JALEN HURD, SR, WR/TE
Jalen Hurd signed with Tennessee as a five-star running back. Injuries and attitude led him out of Knoxville and on to Waco. At Baylor, Hurd will transition from the backfield to wide receiver. I think he will be more of an H-Back at the NFL level. Hurd showed enough of a receiving skillset at Tennessee to make the transition. We just need to see it in action.
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
DAVID MONTGOMERY, JR, RB
David Montgomery emerged as one of the top running backs in not only the Big 12 but the entire nation last season. Montgomery topped 1400 scrimmage yards. I am not comparing him to Kareem Hunt but his college coach is Matt Campbell who is the same who coached Hunt. He is another to watch more closely.
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
DANIEL WISE, SR, DL
Daniel Wise is a big and athletic prospect. He finished with 16 TFL and five sacks a year ago. Dorance Armstrong grabbed most of the attention in 2017 but Wise will get the focus this year.
KANSAS STATE WILDCATS
DALTON RISNER, SR, C
Dalton Risner has started every game of his career with the Wildcats. As a true freshman Risner started at center. He started every game the last two years at right tackle and was named a first-team All-American by Pro Football Focus. Risner projects inside at the next level. He could emerge as a Top-100 level player.
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
RODNEY ANDERSON, JR, RB
Rodney Anderson stepped in for Joe Mixon and the Sooners offense never missed a beat. Anderson went over 1400 scrimmage yards in 2017. He is explosive. Anderson is excellent out of the backfield. With his size and skills, Anderson could push his way into Round one.
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
JUSTICE HILL, JR, RB
Justice Hill is one of the most explosive backs in the nation. He has rushed for over 2600 yards the last two years. Speed is his game. Hill is never going to be a grinder. He only weighs 171 pounds. I don’t know if Hill can put on weight without sacrificing what makes him special.
TCU HORNED FROGS
BEN BANOGU, SR, EDGE
Ben Banogu started his college career at Louisiana-Monroe. He sat out in 2016 and emerged for the Frogs last season. Banogu finished with 8.5 sacks and 16.5 TFL. I want to see how much explosion he shows off of the edge before I fully commit to him as a prospect.
TEXAS LONGHORNS
COLLIN JOHNSON, JR, WR
You can’t teach 6’5” 212 pounds. Johnson has the size and speed you crave. Unfortunately, we have not seen what he can be at his best since the QB has been spotty in Austin. Johnson doubled his receptions and receiving yardage from his freshman to sophomore season, yet he only had 2 TDs last year. 2018 will be huge for his development.
TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
DAKOTA ALLEN, SR, LB
Dakota Allen is a fascinating story. He signed with the Red Raiders out of high school but was kicked out of school after an arrest on a gun charge (the charges were later dropped). Allen enrolled at East Mississippi C.C. and was featured on the Netflix series “Last Chance U”. He had to petition the school administration but was allowed to re-enroll in Lubbock. Allen is a sideline-to-sideline tackler. He can fill the hole. Allen finished with 101 tackles in 2017. Teams will surely investigate his off-field thoroughly. With another great season, Allen could be a riser during the process.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
WILL GRIER, SR, QB
Will Grier started at Florida and looked like he was heading towards being the next great one at UF. Hell, if he had been able to stay, Grier may have been able to save Jim McElwain’s job. Grier was popped for a P.E.D. suspension and had to sit out a year. He transferred to West Virginia and proceeded to throw for 3400 yards and 34 TDs. Grier missed the last two games after breaking his thumb diving for the pylon on a TD run. Grier possesses okay arm strength but is very accurate. He shows nice ball placement. Grier is likely at the least a Top-100 prospect with a chance to go in round one.
That concludes our top prospect preview for the Big 12. Next week we preview the PAC-12.
Let us know in the comments about your favorite Big 12 prospects!
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