Texas Tech football: What Red Raider alums need to show at NFL Combine

The annual NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis so let’s take a look at what the three Texas Tech football alums that will be in attendance need to show.

The most publicized and discussed mass job interview in the world is once again underway in Indianapolis, Indiana.  And in this year’s NFL Draft Combine, there are three Texas Tech football alums trying to impress scouts and team officials ahead of April’s draft.

Since 1982, teams have been meeting in one location to evaluate prospects in what essentially began as a cost-saving move as a number of clubs decided to save money by bringing as many prospects as they could to one location rather than barnstorming across the college campuses of the nation.  Now, every day of this event is broadcast on the NFL Network so that amateur general managers can evaluate prospects from their couches.

The three Red Raiders hoping to make a splash this week are LB Jordyn Brooks, DL Broderick Washington, and OT Terence Steele.  Should they all hear their names called at the Draft, it will mark just the second time since 2009 that this program has had more than three players taken in the same draft.

In 2016, a trio of Red Raider offensive stars was drafted.  OT Le’Raven Clarke was taken No. 82 overall (3rd round) by the Indianapolis Colts.  DeAndre Washington then went to the Oakland Raiders at No. 143 overall ( 5th round) and Jakeem Grant was picked by the Miami Dolphins at No. 186 overall (6th round).

Last year, the Red Raiders saw only one player, LB Dakota Allen, drafted.  He went to the Los Angeles Rams late in the seventh round.

In all, there have only been 11 Red Raiders taken in the Draft since 2010.  What’s more, in 2012, 2013, and 2015, the program produced no draftees.

That’s an indictment on the type of overall talent that the Red Raiders have had in the last decade.  When you consider that in the previous decade, 19 Tech products had their name called at the Draft, it’s easy to see why the 2010s were one of the worst decades in the history of Tech football.

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be as impactful on the football recruiting trail to have NFL draftees to point to as you sell recruits as it is to wow basketball recruits with the number of players your program has put in the NBA.  After all, you are far less likely to hear football recruits talk about picking a program because they believe it will get them to the NFL.  Rather, they often talk tout the facilities, tradition, or coaching staff that a program has to offer.

Maybe the difference is that football recruits have to wait three years to head to the draft while basketball recruits can go pro after just one year.  But for whatever reason, putting players in the NFL doesn’t help build a football program like putting players in the NBA Lottery does.

Rather, the number of draft picks a football program produces is a measure of how healthy that program is.  And with Tech’s recent downturn, there’s no wonder why we’ve seen fewer and fewer Red Raiders at the combine and in the Draft.

But that could change a bit this year with three players headed to Indianapolis.  So let’s take a look at what each player needs to show in order to improve his draft stock.