Something is rotten in the state of UT football. This weekend marked for the first time since 1937 that no Longhorn was selected in the NFL draft — the longest streak in the nation. By not drafting a single player, pro teams sent a loud and clear message: While making millions, Mack Brown and company ran a program into the ground.
The writing has been on the wall since 2010, but this year's draft proved that not only was Brown out-coached on the field, he was out-recruited for several years. While former Longhorns will have to fight to get signed as free agents, the draft did show a positive outlook of what's to come for the new breed of Longhorns.
Not only was Brown out-coached on the field, he was out-recruited for several years.
A total of four of Coach Charlie Strong’s players from Louisville were drafted, three in the first round alone. That’s not too shabby. And, as was pointed out over at Barking Carnival, the three Louisville players drafted in the first round weren't your typical blue chip NFL prospects. Strong and his staff put time and effort into developing them into stars.
Compare that with the one Mack Brown recruit who was drafted on Saturday, albeit from a different Texas university. Garrett Gilbert, the highly touted high school recruit whose flameout during the 2010 season which signaled the beginning of the end of the Mack Brown era, went to the St. Louis Rams in the sixth round, after getting a fresh start at SMU. The only other Brown recruit who made headlines was former quarterback Case McCoy, who tweeted his displeasure at ESPN’s coverage of openly gay player Michael Sam getting drafted and celebrating with his boyfriend.
So there you have it. The NFL Draft gave us one final — and sour — look at the shape of Mack Brown's program, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that when a program pulls in millions of dollars, it’s very easy to start phoning it in. Thankfully, it seems that there's a new guy in charge, one who gives a damn.
The 2014 NFL Draft speaks just as loud as wins and losses on the legacy of Mack Brown.
