Texas Tech football: Two Red Raiders invited to 2020 Senior Bowl

Two members of the Texas Tech football team have been invited to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl providing each with an opportunity to improve their NFL Draft stock.

One of the ways to measure the health of a football program is by looking at how many players that program is putting in the NFL.  Unfortunately, that’s an area where the Texas Tech football program has struggled in the last decade.

SInce 2010, only 11 Red Raiders have been taken in the NFL Draft.  Of that group, only tight end Jace Amaro (2014) and quarterback Pat Mahomes (2017) were taken in the first two rounds with Mahomes going No. 10 overall to Kansas City.

Though the 2019 Red Raiders are struggling as a team, there are a number of seniors on the roster that may get their shot to play on Sundays next fall.  The two most likely seem to be middle linebacker Jordyn Brooks and right tackle Terence Steele, both of whom have been invited to play in the 2020 Senior Bowl in January.

Annually held in Mobile, Alabama, the Senior Bowl is the premier scouting event for NFL hopefuls outside of the official NFL Combine which takes place every February in Indianapolis, Indiana.  Over the years, such players as “Mean” Joe Green, Walter Payton, Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Brian Urlacher, and a host of all-time greats have participated in the Senior Bowl, which is unique among scouting events in that it culminates in an actual game.

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As you might guess, several of the greatest names in the history of Texas Tech football have also partaken in the Senior Bowl since it became a yearly tradition in 1950.  Such players as E.J. Holub, Dave Parks, Kliff Kingsbury, and Graham Harrell have showcased their games in Mobile.

The week of this game marks the unofficial start of NFL Draft season.  Both teams are coached by the coaching staff of an NFL team and virtually every scout and coach in the league spends the week evaluating players in a practice environment.

In other words, this is an invaluable experience for NFL hopefuls as they not only get to impress NFL teams, they also receive feedback on their game from some of the top coaches in the sport.  That’s why Brooks and Steele are fortunate to be able to take part.

Brooks figures to be the more highly-rated of the two prospects at this time.  Thanks to a senior season that has him leading the Big 12 with 87 tackles through eight games, the Houston native could move his way into the top two rounds if he has strong showings in front of scouts at the various evaluation events he will participate in.

Meanwhile, Steele will finish his Tech career as one of the most experienced linemen in program history.  He’s now made 43 career starts and prior to missing the first two games of 2019, he had started all 37 games of his Texas Tech football career.

The 2020 Senior Bowl will take place on January 25, 2020.  It will kick off at 12:30 pm central and be broadcast on the NFL Network.