Houston's Own
Local products look to shine at NFL Combine
Matt Malatesta
Feb 22, 2018, 2:22 pm
Duke Ejiofor of Alief Taylor made name for himself at Wake Forest. vype.com
Originally appeared on Vype.com
Football never sleeps in Houston.
It’s offseason at the high school and college levels, but for the professionals, it’s time to train and position themselves for the NFL Draft.
The city of Houston has several athletes trying to navigate their way through the stressful and exciting time of finally getting to make financial gains for the work their hard work over the past decade.
Looking closer at the NFL Draft, it’s fascinating where the top prospects come from. Three former Alief Taylor Lions make up a third of the HTown kids invited to the NFL combine.
How is that possible? Kudos to the Alief Taylor staff for getting their guys ready for college, and all play on the defensive side of the ball.
Just five miles down the road is FB Bush, the home of Toledo DE Aneniyi Olasunkanmi. Staying in Fort Bend is Elkins’ WR J’Mon Moore, who balled out at Missouri.
Defensive backs Holton Hill (Lamar) and Jordan Thomas (Klein Collins) are likely Day 3 or free agent prospects, but got the coveted invite to the combine.
North Shore’s Dorance Armstrong is another rangy DE who played at Kansas of all places.
Joining Moore on the offensive side of the ball is LSU OL Toby Weathersby, formerly of Westfield.
NFL COMBINE INVITES
ADENIYI OLASUNKANMI, FB BUSH
Toledo, DE
He was a second-team, All-MAC with 66 tackles and 20 tackles for loss. He projects anywhere from 3rd to 6th round status. He could help himself with a great combine, but his size at 6-foot-1 could hurt him.
DORANCE ARMSTRONG, NORTH SHORE
Kansas, DE
Explosive edge-rusher who balled out at Kansas. But Kansas? He will need to gain some weight entering the NFL and will need to show that at the combine. He can run and has a great motor and work ethic. Projected in the late second to fifth round.
DUKE EJIOFOR, ALIEF TAYLOR
Wake Forest, DL
Was a stud at an improved Wake Forest team. Had 6.5 sacks and is athletic enough to play on the edge and even help on the inside. Had a great junior season as well. At 6-foot-4, 270-pounds, he has the NFL body.
HOLTON HILL, LAMAR
Texas, DB
He was suspended the last three games of the year at UT. At 6-foot-3, he has great size for the NFL but the sample size of him on the field is small. Someone will take a flier on Hill but not likely until the 5th round or as a free agent.
JOSHUA KALU, ALIEF TAYLOR
Nebraska, DB
Kalu is a good-sized safety, but needs to work on his speed. He’s physical and is a tackling machine. He needs a good time at the combine. Kalu will likely be in the 5-7 rounds. He played four years at Nebraska and tallied 215 tackles with 7 picks.
J’MON MOORE, ELKINS
Missouri, WR
Moore had 1,000 yards receiving in 2018 and 10 scores as Mizzou’s top wide out. At 6-foot-2, he is a nice-sized target but must improve his 4.54 time. It’s not a great receiver class so he has a shot to get drafted, but it will be late.
OGBONNIA OKORONKWO, ALIEF TAYLOR
Oklahoma, OLB
Had 8 sacks and 76 tackles on one of the top teams in the country. He is needing more athleticism to play on the edge, but will make a team. It’s going to be a late selection like 3rd-5th rounds.
JORDAN THOMAS, KLEIN COLLINS
Oklahoma, DB
Being a four-year starter at OU is saying something. He had 8 career INTs but didn’t have a great senior season. He played in the pass-happy Big 12 and will need to tighten up his cover skills. He’s a projected free agent pick up.
TOBY WEATHERSBY, WESTFIELD
LSU, OL
Played a ton for a solid LSU offensive line. He will likely play guard at the next level and is a good run-blocker. Pretty good athleticism and strength. He will be a 5th rounder to free agent.
OTHERS OF NOTE
Jeremiah Briscoe, Stratford
Sam Houston, QB
The Two-Time Payton Award winner for FCS Player of the Year. Basically the Heisman Trophy winner in FCS.
Jarrett Johnson, Seven Lakes
Texas A&M, DE
Had a solid career at Texas A&M, which is not known for defense. He as upside as he continues to grow.
Du’Vonta Lampkin, Cy Falls
Oklahoma, DT
Lampkin had a solid season but most pundits say he should have returned to the Sooners. Due to his size and upside, someone will take a chance on him in free-agency.
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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