The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Six Longhorns receive invitations to 2021 NFL Scouting Combine
03.03.2021 | Football
The NFL released its list of invitees which included OT Samuel Cosmi, WR Brennan Eagles, QB Sam Ehlinger, DL Ta'Quon Graham, JACK Joseph Ossai and S Caden Sterns.
Austin – Six Longhorns received invitations to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine as the league released its list of invitees on Wednesday despite not holding it in a centralized location this year. That group includes OT Samuel Cosmi, WR Brennan Eagles, QB Sam Ehlinger, DL Ta'Quon Graham, JACK Joseph Ossai and S Caden Sterns.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are no in-person workouts in Indianapolis as they will take place at colleges' pro days, all interviews and psychological testing will be virtual and there will be limited in-person medical exams. Texas' Pro Day is scheduled for March 11.
Cosmi, who was entrenched as one of Texas' starting linemen since the beginning of his redshirt freshman season in 2018, appeared in all 35 possible games for the Longhorns, while starting at one of the tackle spots in each of UT's last 34 outings. In 2020, was recognized as a Preseason All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Associated Press, among others, in addition to being a watch list candidate for the Outland Trophy. Cosmi was also a unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 selection. Cosmi led the team last season in total first down/TD blocks, total knockdown blocks and total intimidation/dominant blocks, and entering his final game had only allowed one QB hit, one TFL and one sack. As a sophomore, Cosmi earned second-team All-Big 12 honors and was honorable mention for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. He earned All-Bowl recognition from the Associated Press and ESPN following his impressive performance in the Alamo Bowl against Utah's vaunted defense. The Humble, Texas native was a USA Today Freshman All-American in 2018.
Eagles, a Houston native, caught 61 passes for 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns during his three-year career on the Forty Acres. He ended his collegiate career having caught a pass in his final 21 games, the longest active streak by a Longhorn. Eagles recorded two 100-yard games in his career, the first against LSU in 2019 and the second versus Iowa State on Nov. 27. Last season, he was Texas' leading receiver with 28 catches for 469 yards and five touchdowns. He recorded five catches of at least 30 yards (three touchdowns), the most by a Longhorn during that season. In 2019, Eagles produced one of the top sophomore campaigns by a Longhorn receiver in recent memory. He caught 32 passes for 522 yards and six touchdowns. His 16.3 yards per reception led all Longhorns, while his six touchdowns were tied for the second-most by a UT receiver. Eight of his 11 career receiving touchdowns covered at least 30 yards, with the two longest being a 55-yard score against then-No. 6 LSU, and a 73-yard effort against Oklahoma State two weeks later in 2019. Eagles played in 32 games and made 15 starts (7 in 2020) during his time at Texas.
Ehlinger, an Austin native, ended his collegiate career as one of the most successful quarterbacks in Texas history. He played in 46 games and made 43 starts during his time on the Forty Acres, leading the Longhorns to 27 wins as the starting quarterback – the fourth-most in school history. Ehlinger served as a team captain during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, becoming only the seventh two-time team captain in school history. His name is left near the top of numerous lists in the Texas record book. Most notably, he closed his collegiate career ranked second on UT record in completions (923), passing yards (11,436), total offense (13,343), passing touchdowns (94), and total touchdowns responsible for (127). Ehlinger also ranks second among Longhorn quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns (33) and third in rushing yards (1,907). Ehlinger is one of only three players in FBS history to throw for at least 11,000 career yards and rush for more than 1,500 yards. He is also one of only three players in FBS history to throw for at least 90 touchdowns and rush for 30. Ehlinger's 127 touchdowns responsible for rank as the fourth-most in Big 12 history, and his 94 passing touchdowns are the seventh-best tally by a Big 12 quarterback. In 2020, Ehlinger won the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award and was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, Wuerffel Trophy and Bobby Bowden Trophy. In addition, he was selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, named the Big 12 Co-Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year and recognized as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose awards. He was also a Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top-10 Candidate and earned second-team All-Big 12 recognition from the league's coaches.
Graham, a team captain in 2020, recorded 72 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 48 games (24 starts) during his career at Texas. Last season, he ranked third on the team with seven tackles for loss, tied for second with two sacks and tied for the team lead with two quarterback hurries. Graham posted his best performance as a Longhorn in Texas' come-from-behind win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State on Halloween, notching five tackles (three solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a fumble recovery. All of those were career-high marks for the Temple, Texas native. Graham took over a starting spot on the defensive line full-time in 2019, and has started each of the last 23 games for Texas over the past two seasons (13 in 2019, 9 in 2020). In 2019, he ranked second on the team in both sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (12.0), and was second among Longhorn defensive linemen in tackles (31). He finished his junior campaign with one of his biggest games of the year, racking up four tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack in Texas' 38-10 win over then-No. 11 Utah in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
Ossai earned selection from all five recognized All-America teams this year, collecting first-team honors from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of American and WCFF, and second-team accolades from the American Football Coaches Association and Sporting News. Ossai's three first-team honors granted him consensus All-America standing, the 61st Longhorn to achieve that feat in school history. In addition to being selected as a consensus first-team All-American and Lott IMPACT Trophy finalist, Ossai was also recognized as a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and as a first-team All-Big 12 honoree this past season. A Conroe, Texas native, Ossai served as a team captain and started all nine games of the regular season for the Longhorns. In that time, he recorded 55 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss – the most in the Big 12 and second-most nationally at the end of the regular season – five sacks, three forced fumbles, one recovery, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. Ossai recorded a tackle for loss in eight of nine games that he played in this season, including matching his career high with six TFLs in a road win over then-No. 6 Oklahoma State. That night, Ossai totaled 12 tackles, six tackle for loss, three sacks, forced a fumble and recovered one to help the Longhorns earn their first road win over a top-10 team since 2010. He sealed the win by sacking OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders on fourth down in overtime, and in doing so became the first Power Five player to recorded at least 12 tackles, six TFLs and three sacks in a game since Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game.
Sterns, a Cibolo, Texas native, appeared in 29 games and made 28 starts during his three-year career. In that time, he registered a team-high 172 tackles (125 solo), eight pass breakups and five interceptions. Sterns made his presence known immediately as a true freshman, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors and being named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. He was also named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2018. Sterns started all 13 games that he played in as a freshman, missing only the Allstate Sugar Bowl due to injury. He registered 62 total tackles, three tackles for loss, four interceptions and four pass breakups during that season. His four interceptions were tied for the most by a true freshman in school history. In 2019, Sterns played in nine games and was a key to the Longhorns' success when he was on the field. Texas held its opponents under 25 points in seven of the nine games he played in, including the last five of the season. Three times the Longhorns held their opponents under 15 points, highlighted by a 10-point defensive display against No. 11 Utah in the Valero Alamo Bowl. In 2020, Sterns was named a team captain and is one of four Longhorns to record at least 50 tackles to date (52 total/30 solo), in addition to notching three pass breakups and one interception. He recorded at least five tackles on 18 occasions during his career, and posted three games with double-digit tackles, including two in 2020. In his final collegiate game, Sterns notched a career-high 13 tackles (7 solo) against Iowa State.
