Big 12 Spotlight: Top NFL Draft picks since 2013

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

The NFL Draft is a couple of weeks away so we thought it would be interesting to see who the highest drafted prospects by each power five conference taken in the last five years (since 2013). Here’s the Big 12.

DRAFT HISTORY BY CONFERENCE: Pac-12 | ACC | SEC | Big Ten

The skinny: Johnson had an unconventional recruiting process, which saw him go from unknown high school quarterback, to JUCO tight end and eventually to offensive line at Oklahoma. The Sooners initially signed him as a tight end out of Kilgore C.C., but after also seeing time at defensive end he finally made the move to offensive tackle. There he quickly blossomed, turning himself into a first round draft pick that was selected by Philadelphia in 2013. With the Eagles, Johnson has continuously improved his game, becoming a first-team All-Pro after the 2017 season.

Farrell’s take: I have the perfect excuse for this one – Johnson was a quarterback when we evaluated him. That’s right. He was a tall and thin quarterback in high school who was very average and then went onto JUCO, where he emerged as a tight end and after a couple of years he moved to offensive tackle at Oklahoma. No one on Earth could have seen this one coming. It’s an amazing story and he continues to be a dominant football player since changing to his final position.

The skinny: White did not receive a great deal of recruiting attention coming out of high school, but two seasons at Lackawanna C.C. quickly put him on the radar. West Virginia jumped to the forefront, so after an official visit to Morgantown and a follow-up home visit with the staff, White committed to the Mountaineers over offers from Texas Tech, Bowling Green, Hawaii and UMass. After a productive first season at West Virginia, White burst onto the national scene in 2014 with 109 receptions for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns. Drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2015 by Chicago, his professional career has been marred by injuries. Placed on the injured reserve list all three seasons, he has only totaled 21 receptions for 193 yards to this point.

Farrell’s take: White fell through the cracks a bit as an under recruited high school prospect and then a JUCO kid that really didn't see much national interest as well. However, his measurables were excellent, he got into the right offense and he took off from there. It was hard to predict stardom for him at the high school or JUCO level, so kudos to the West Virginia staff for making him a star. However, his NFL career has been a disaster so far.

The skinny: With offers piling up, and visits to Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Baylor behind him, Gilbert committed to the Cowboys during the summer leading up to his senior season. With the Cowboys, Gilbert had a memorable four-year career which concluded in 2013 with an All-American season and being named as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back. Drafted by Cleveland with the eighth overall pick in 2014, Gilbert spent two seasons with the Browns before being traded to Pittsburgh in September, 2016. After receiving only minimal playing time with the Steelers in 2016, he was released in early 2017. Most recently he was suspended by the NFL in June for one year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Farrell’s take: We liked Gilbert a lot as a four-star athlete coming out of high school who had good length, but was thin and needed to fill out. He could have played offense or defense and obviously ended up focusing on the defensive side of the ball. His pro career, like White’s, has been bad although it hasn’t been about injuries for Gilbert, just bad play and off-field issues.

The skinny: Austin took official visits to West Virginia and Maryland before committing to the Mountaineers. He then took an additional visit to Michigan, but stayed firm with his word to West Virginia. Austin was a dynamic playmaker for the Mountaineers, especially during his final two seasons when he totaled 215 receptions for 2,475 and 20 touchdowns, 825 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and four kick returns for touchdowns.

Drafted with the eighth overall pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2013, Austin has had success in the NFL, but not at the same level as he did in college. He is also coming off of his worst statistical season in 2017, so eyes will be on him this fall to see if he can rebound with the Rams.

Farrell’s take: Austin was a small but dynamic running back/slot receiver who could return kicks and punts out of high school who was a four-star but not as highly ranked as some in the Baltimore area would have liked. Had he been a bit bigger, he would have been a Rivals100 prospect but regardless he had a great career at West Virginia and was coveted by NFL scouts. His pro career hasn’t been great but it also hasn’t been as a big a flop as some like to say it has been. But this is a big year for him.

The skinny: With in-state offers from Texas Tech, Houston and Rice, Mahomes committed to the Red Raiders during the spring after his junior season. Playing in Texas Tech’s pass-happy offense, Mahomes flourished with the Red Raiders over his last two seasons. After passing for 5,5052 yards and 41 touchdowns during his final season in Lubbock, he was selected with the 10th overall pick in 2017 by Kansas City. He sat behind Alex Smith as a rookie, but with Smith being traded to Washington during the current off-season, the starting job will be Mahomes’ in 2018.

Farrell’s take: Mahomes was a big, dual-threat who was in the national top 12 at his position and just shy of a fourth star and his senior stats in high school were ridiculous. Perhaps we should have seen a bit more from him out of high school as he’s out-playing his ranking and was the nation’s most productive passer from a yardage standpoint in college. Now he has earned the starting job with the Chiefs, we will see if he’s worth this high pick.