Player-by-player breakdown of the Class of 1997
1. DE - David Warren
Tyler John Tyler
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Signed with FSU
Senior - Recorded 41 tackles, 19 tackles
for loss and nine sacks as a part-time starter.
Overall - Although he was a solid
player at FSU, Warren never did meet the expectations that came with
being the nation's top prep defensive player. Tried out with the
Indianapolis Colts in 2001, but was cut during training camp.
2. LB - Roylin Bradley
La Marque
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Started in all ten of the games
he appeared in and recorded 54 tackles, five tackles for loss and four
sacks.
Overall - Like Warren, Bradley was a
solid player for the Aggies, but he never became the next great
linebacker of the Wrecking Crew defense that many, including myself,
expected him to become. Tried out with Seattle Seahawks and was cut
during training camp.
3. OL - Leonard Davis
Wortham
Signed with Texas
Senior - Earned 1st team All-American
honors at offensive tackle and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy.
Overall - A two-year starter at left
tackle, Davis finished his career as one of the top linemen in the
history of the Longhorn program and was the No. 2 overall choice in the
NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. After struggling at tackle at the beginning of his career with the Cardinals, Davis has emerged as one of the NFL's bets interior linemen during his last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
4. RB - Dominique Rhodes
Abilene Cooper
Signed with Texas Tech
Senior - Rushed for almost 1,400 yards rushing and 2,000 overall
all-purpose yards at Midwestern State University.
Overall - Rhodes never played a down
of Division I football because of grades, but ended up earning
All-American honors in Division II at Midwestern State. Made the
Indianapolis Colts in 2001 and became the first undrafted rookie in NFL
history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. Finished his
rookie campaign with 1,104 yards and nine touchdowns. Has rushed for 3,114 yards and 27 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Colts/Raiders, and he was a key member of its Super Bowl winning team in 2006.
5. WR - Cedric Cormier
North Shore
Signed with Colorado
Junior - Finished the season with 11
receptions for 102 yards and no touchdowns.
Senior - Caught 13 passes for 138 yards
and a touchdown.
Overall - Early in his career, it
looked as if Cormier would emerge as one of college football's most
dynamic players. However, injuries really cost Cormier a very promising
career.
6. WR - David Aaron
Marshall
Signed with Texas
2000/01 - Out of football.
Overall - Some considered Aaron to be
one of the top wide receiver prospects in the nation when he came out
of East Texas in 1997, but he never made an impact on the field for the
Longhorns. Turned out to be a much better track performer on the
college level.
7. DT - Shaun Rogers
La Porte
Signed with Texas
Senior - Finished his injury-plagued
senior season with 44 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss
Overall - Rogers was one of the top
defensive linemen in the nation at times during his career with the
Longhorns. Injuries cost him a chance to be a first-round draft pick,
but he did end up being selected in the 2nd round of the 2001 NFL Draft
by the Detroit Lions and won all-rookie honors after leading all NFL
defensive linemen in total tackles. He selected to his third Pro Bowl in 2008 with Cleveland after recording leading all NFL nose-tackles in tackles and sacks. .
8. DB - John Norman
Midland Lee
Signed with Texas Tech
Senior - One of the top defenders on the
Tech defense, Norman finished with 106 tackles and three interceptions.
Overall - Although he never enjoyed
all All-America-type career, Norman was a very good player with the Red
Raiders and was one of the top defenders the program has seen in recent
seasons.
9. RB - Hodges Mitchell
Dallas Skyline
Signed with Texas
Senior - Mitchell posted his second
consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2000, finishing with 1,118 yards and
eight touchdowns. Overall, Mitchell produced 1,931 all-purpose yards as
a senior.
Overall - Not many players could have
followed in the footsteps of a Heisman winner like Mitchell and end up
creating his own spot in Texas football history. With two consecutive
1,000-yard seasons, Mitchell finished his career as one of the top
backs in Texas history.
10. QB - Drew Brees
Austin Westlake
Signed with Purdue
Senior - The Heisman finalist finished
his career by throwing for 3,668 yards and 26 touchdowns while leading
the Boilermakers to the Rose Bowl for the first time in over 20 years.
Overall - Brees finished his career as
one of the top quarterbacks in the history of the college game. The
former all-state quarterback owns basically every Big 10 passing record
in existence and helped lead Purdue back to national prominence. The
two-time Heisman Trophy finalist was a second-round pick of the San
Diego Chargers in the 2001 NFL Draft and earned his Pro Bowl bid in
2004 after throwing for 3,159 yards and 27 touchdowns, while leading
the Chargers to the AFC West championship. In his eight NFL seasons with two teams, Brees has been named to the Pro Bowl three times, All-Pro twice and in 2008 he was the NFL Offensive player of the Year.
11. WR - Daryl Jones
Dallas Carter
Signed with Miami
Senior - Caught 19 passes for 240 yards
and zero touchdowns during his senior season.
Overall - Jones was a solid player
throughout his career, but he never couldn't crack into the starting
lineup until his senior year because of the of the depth on the Miami
roster. Started six games for the NY Giants in 2002 and also played
with the Chicago Bears.
12. DB - Joe Walker
North Shore
Signed with Texas
Senior - Walker came off the bench as a
senior and recorded 12 tackles and an interception.
Overall - Walker showed a lot of
promise as a freshman and he ended starting during parts of three
different seasons, but injuries kept him from becoming a top-flight
player.
13. WR - Robert Williams
Dallas Bishop Lynch
Signed with Miami
Senior - Caught two passes as a reserve
during his senior season
Overall - Like his teammate Jones,
Williams never made a huge impact during his time as a Hurricane. In
fact, he never became more than a bit player with the Hurricanes.
14. LB - Grant Irons
The Woodlands
Signed with Notre Dame
Senior - Played in 10 games during his
senior season and finished with 22 tackles, five tackles for loss and
two sacks
Overall - Although he never earned
all-star accolades, Irons was a very good player for the Irish for much
of his career and was really looking at a breakout season in 2000
before injuries robbed him of the opportunity. Was solid as a senior
and has spent five seasons with the Buffalo Bills and
Oakland Raiders.
15. OL - Seth McKinney
Austin Westlake
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - McKinney earned All-America
honors during his senior season.
Overall - McKinney finished his career
as one of the top A&M linemen in the history of the program. A
five-year starter for the Miami Dolphins, McKinney is currently with the Cleveland Browns and has started 45 of 85 career games.
16. LB - Christian Rodriguez
North Mesquite
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Started 10 games and recorded
35 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Overall - Through his junior
season, C-Rod had yet to make a huge impact on the A&M program, but
he did develop into a very solid player during his senior season.
17. DB - Quinton Jammer
Angleton
Signed with Texas
Senior - Earned consensus first-team
All-American honors and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
Overall - Add Jammer to long list of
terrific defensive backs that have played at Texas. Jammer was a high
first round draft pick in 2002 and has been a seven-year starter for the San Diego Chargers entering the 2009 season.
18. Gary Baxter
Tyler John Tyler
Signed with Baylor
Senior - Earned All Big 12 honors as a
senior after recording 96 tackles, three tackles for loss and 11 pass
defenses.
Overall - Baxter was one of the few
bright spots for the Baylor program during the past few seasons. In
fact, a case could be made that Baxter was the best player in the
program from the time he stepped on campus until the clock expired in
his final game. Was drafted by Baltimore in the 2nd round of the 2001
NFL Draft and was a three-year starter for them before moving over to Cleveland. A major injury cut his NFL career short in 2008.
19. OL - Luke Nichols
Beaumont Kelly
Signed with Baylor
2000 - No longer with the Baylor
program.
Overall - Nichols battled injuries
during his time with the Bears and ended up not making much of an
impact during his college career.
20. QB - Edmond Stansbury
El Paso Irvin
Signed with UCLA
Senior - Started nine games at fullback
during his senior season and rushed for 52 yards on 14 carries.
Overall - Never made it at quarterback
for the Bruins and has moved around to a number of positions during his
career at UCLA, including linebacker and fullback. Recorded 13 tackles
as a back-up linebacker in 1999.
21. CB - Jay Brooks
Killeen Ellison
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Battled the injury bug during
his senior season, but still played in eight games and finished with 50
tackles and two sacks.
Overall - Brooks was a boom or bust
player during his four seasons with the Aggies. Although he wasn't a
great coverman, Brooks has made a habit of making big plays throughout
his career on defense and on special teams.
22. Ath - D.D. Lewis
Aldine
Signed with Texas
Senior - Earned 3rd-team AP All-American
honors after recording 81 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Overall - Lewis came into the program
as a fullback, but shifted to linebacker upon the arrival of Mack
Brown. Lewis finished his career as one of the most productive
linebackers in recent Longhorn history and is currently playing for the
Seattle Seahawks.
23. OL - Andre Gurode
North Shore
Signed with Colorado
Senior - Earned All Big 12 honors and
was one of the top players on a team that ended up winning the Big 12
Championship.
Overall - Gurode was an impact
player for the Buffs from almost the first day he set foot on campus.
During his junior and senior seasons, the powerful Gurode developed into
one of the nation's very best. A second round pick by the Dallas
Cowboys in 2002, Gurode earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2006 and been named to the team three times in his career.
24. DL - Rocky Bernard
Baytown Sterling
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Recorded 69 tackles, 15 tackles
for loss and five sacks during his senior season.
Overall - Bernard was a mainstay on
the A&M defensive front since his freshman season. A very good
college player throughout his college career, Bernard has carved out a
niche for himself as a starting defensive tackle with the Seattle
Seahawks in the NFL. Recorded 8.5 sacks as a starter for Seattle's Super Bowl team in 2006 and has been a starter for the last four seasons.
25. DL - De'Nard Whitfield
Denison
Signed with Oklahoma
Senior - Missed the season due to
academic problems.
Overall - The talent was always there,
but Whitfield became anything special. Never made it to Oklahoma
because of grades, but has
26. DB - Jason Glenn
Aldine Nimitz
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Started in ten games and
recorded 67 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, five sacks, three
interceptions and 15 pass break-ups.
Overall - Glenn was the heart and soul
of the Aggies defense at the end of his career and was arguably the
most valuable player on the team during his junior and senior seasons.
Was selected in the 6th round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Detroit
Lions and he played seven seasons with the NY Jets, Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings before his career ended after the 2007 season..
27. OL - Moses Vakalahi
Euless Trinity
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Did not play with A&M 2000.
Overall - Another lineman that didn't
pan out as a solid college player.
28. DB - Samir Al-Amin
Garland Lakeview
Signed with Baylor
Senior - Had a great senior season,
leading the Bears with 109 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass
breakups.
Overall - Al-Amin started to come into
his own as a junior in 2000 and became one of the best players in the
program by the end of his career.
29. RB - LaDainian Tomlinson
Waco University
Signed with TCU
Senior - Tomlinson led the nation in
rushing as a senior with 2,276 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Overall - Tomlinson finished his
career as one of the top players in the history of the TCU program. The
2000 Heisman finalist was selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL
Draft by the San Diego Chargers and has emerged as one of the top
players in the history of NFL at his position over his career.
30. TE - Chad Irwin
Baytown Lee
Signed with Texas
2000/01 - No longer with the Longhorn
program.
Overall - Irwin was rated by many as
the state's top tight end prospect in 1997, but the former Baytown Lee
star never made an impact with the Longhorns. Ended up transferring to
Midwestern State.
31. RB - David Winbush
Killeen Ellison
Signed with Kansas
Senior - Finished his career with 701
yards and five touchdowns as a senior in 2000.
Overall - Winbush was an impact player
with the Jayhawks during all four of his seasons in Lawrence. His size
kept him from becoming one of the better backs in the conference, but
he did provide Kansas with a big-play threat for four seasons.
32. DB - Michael Jameson
Killeen Ellison
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Was placed on injured reserve
and missed his rookie season with a broken ankle.
Overall - Jamison was an impact player
for the Aggies throughout his career and was drafted by the Cleveland
Browns in the 6th round of the 2001 NFL Draft, where he played in
26 games over two seasons.
33. LB - Harold Robertson
Dallas Lincoln
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Played in 11 games and recorded
34 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Overall - Robertson never did
develop into a big-time player or even a solid starter, although he was
a solid reserve at the end of his career.
34. DB - Antwan Alexander
Midland Lee
Signed with Texas Tech
Senior - As a starting cornerback,
Alexander recorded 61 tackles and four interceptions in the 2000
season.
Overall - Enjoyed a solid career
with the Red Raiders, but only became a full-time starter for the Red
Raiders during his senior season.
35. LB - Cedric Mitchell
West Mesquite
Signed with Texas
2000/01 - No longer with the Longhorn
program.
Overall - Mitchell never made a real
impact with the Longhorns during his brief stay in Austin.
36. DL - Ron Edwards
Klein Forest
Signed with Texas A&M
Senior - Finished with 33 tackles, seven
sacks and eight tackles for loss in the 11 games that he started in.
Overall - Although he never developed
into an All-Big 12-type force, Edwards was a three-year starter and
played in every A&M game during his four-year career. Was drafted
by Buffalo in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft and played eight seasons with the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
37. LB - Wayne Rogers
Waco University
Signed with Houston
Senior - Earned co-CUSA Defensive Player
of the Year honors after racking up 122 tackles, 21 tackles for loss
and eight sacks as a senior.
Overall - Finished his career as one
of the top linebackers in the history of the UH program. Overall,
Rogers posted 330 tackles, 57 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in his
career. Signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent and
spent the 2001 season on their practice squad.
38. DL - Rod Kelly
Houston Yates
Signed with Oklahoma
2000/01 - No longer with the Sooner program.
Overall - Because of grades, Kelly
never made it to Norman.
39. LB - Sam Hooks
Cameron
Signed with Texas Tech
2000/01 - No longer with the Red
Raider program.
Overall - Despite an excellent prep
career, Hooks never made an impact with the Red raiders.
40. TE - Cole Roberts
Shallowater
Signed with Texas Tech
Senior - Caught 38 passes for 314 yards
and four touchdowns as a senior.
Overall - By the end of his career,
Roberts developed into a very solid player for the Red Raiders.
41. WR - Ryan Read
Austin Westlake
Signed with Navy
Senior - Caught 19 passes for 311 yards
and four touchdowns.
Overall - After a very
successful freshman season with the Navy, Read transferred to Boston
College in 1999. Never became a starter with BC, but he was a very
dependable receiver for several seasons.
42. DL - Kris Kocurek
Caldwell
Signed with Texas Tech
Senior - Recorded 81 tackles, three
sacks and six tackles for loss during his senior season.
Overall - A four-year letterman and a
three-year starter, Kocurek was the backbone of the Tech defensive line
for the better part of his career. An All-Centex selection as a senior,
Kocurek was drafted by Seattle in the 7th round of the 2001 draft and
ended up playing for one season in Tennessee.