When Mack Brown took over the University of Texas football program on December 4, 1997, a marked improvement in the talent level of the team was immediately apparent after he reeled in his first class.

Starting the very first year, Brown has consistently scheduled a yearly recruiting bonanza that sees many of the best players in the nation sign on to play with the Longhorns. 

This has paid huge dividends. 

The Mack Brown-led Longhorns have posted a remarkable 10 staight winning seasons, one of which included a 2005 national championship. 

Brown is an unbelievable 103-25 in his tenure at Texas.

And when players from the 40 acres are finished playing for Brown and company on Saturdays, a number of them go on to play at the professional level.  Indeed, a glance around the league unveils a burnt orange tinge to many NFL rosters.  From Vince Young leading the Tennesse Titans to the playoffs to Aaron Ross helping the New York Giants win the Super Bowl, one thing is for sure: there are plenty of Texas Longhorns making it big in the NFL.

The 2008 NFL Draft should help continue this trend, with many a Longhorn looking to make the leap.  Let’s take a look at this year’s crop of Horn hopefuls.

Running back Jamaal Charles is an intriguing early entry prospect.  Charles declared for the NFL draft after an impressive junior season where he amassed over 1,619 yards and 18 touchdowns. 

Not bad for his first and only season as a featured ball carrier.

Charles is a fast and silky smooth open-field runner with a knack for making big plays.  He’s an adept receiver out of the backfield, and he didn’t hurt his Draft Day stock by running a 4.36 at the Combine. In fact, there’s a good chance that he could sneak into the first round.  

Charles has the potential to be a big time back in the league, especially if he can get tougher on his runs inbetween the tackles.

Another top ranked Longhorn prospect is WR Limas Sweed.  Sweed entered his senior season already rated highly by NFL scouts, with an opportunity to further enhance his draft status, but a wrist injury ended his season much earlier than anticipated. 

Sweed is big, tall, fast and has good hands.  He displays good body control and knows how to make catches when it counts.  Anyone else remember his leaping grab against Ohio State in 2005? 

He’s big time.

After aggravating his wrist injury at the Senior Bowl in January, Sweed took part in the Combine, and by running a 4.46 40 may have cemented himself a place in the first round.

While Charles and Sweed project as can’t missers (at least by me), there are a number of other Longhorn prospects who could hear their name called in this year’s draft, too. 

TE Jermichael Finley is so confident in his ability to make the leap that he declared for the draft after his sophomore season. 

Finley has many physical gifts scouts love, but he isn’t ranked in the top 5 of TE prospects in this class, and he could drop to the later rounds of the draft if he doesn’t impress scouts more before Draft Day.  His 4.82 forty at the Combine didn’t exactly help him, but most agree he has the tools to make it at the next level.   

Safety Marcus Griffin hopes to follow the footsteps of his brother Michael, who plays cornerback and safety for the Titans. 

Marcus Griffin is a smart player who makes good decisions on gameday, but he’ll need to impress scouts at UT’s Pro Day to show he has the physical ability to compete at the next level.  As a former walk-on, Griffin possess all the intangibles needed to make a solid run at an NFL roster spot.

Meanwhile, 2 big mules from the D-line hope to carry their collegiate success over to the next level, too.  DTs Frank Okam and Derrick Lokey were solid performers and exceptional students at the collegiate level.  Both should be working their way onto an NFL roster soon.  Okam has good size and speed while Lokey is a good enough athlete to have played a little goalline fullback for the Horns.  Okam is probably a mid-rounder, and Lokey is considered by many to be a late round sleeper.

Another big, talented Longhorn looking for NFL success is OT Tony Hills.  Hills, who played TE is high school, has the size and the athletic ability to be a solid tackle at the next level.  He should be gone by the time the 3rd round comes along, if not sooner.  Teams are always looking to upgrade their lines with solid 2nd and 3rd rounders.

A pair of Longhorn LBs will try to make their mark, too.  Robert Killebrew and Drew Kelson are a solid tackling pair that should be a viable option for teams looking to add depth at OLB in the later rounds.  Neither is projected to be off the board the 1st day, but many consider these 2 defensive studs solid late round prospects. 

Finally, WR Billy Pittman went from being Vince Young’s favorite target in 2005 to being an under-used weapon the rest of his career at Texas. Still, Pittman averaged over 33.6 yards per touchdown catch last season and has enough blistering speed to be a viable option at slot for many teams come Draft Day. 

If Pittman isn’t drafted, he’ll most certainly earn a free-agent invite from somebody. 

And who knows?  Maybe the Tennesse Titans will come calling and the Young/Pittman combo will be back at it once again.