Husker NFL Draft Tracker 12 Weeks till Draft

Each week as we lead up to the 2022 NFL Draft I wanted to provide as much coverage of the 9 Huskers that will be transitioning from college to the NFL. This is a big one in the NFL Draft season as the Shrine Game is wrapping up while the Reese’s Senior Bowl just started. Here is a look at everything you need to know NFL Draft related for each former Huskers preparing for the 2022 NFL Draft.

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl

While the Shrine Game and Senior Bowl get most of the love, over the weekend the Collegiate Bowl wrapped up and saw record breaking tight end Austin Allen participate. This game doesn’t get a ton of coverage, but Allen definitely made his mark on the game. Here is what Sports Illustrated said about him.

The 6076 tight end made many big plays during his career at Nebraska and he carried that over to the Rose Bowl, where he made a leaping one-handed catch in team drills. Allen is a mismatch for any defender as he is able to catch the ball despite good coverage thanks to his big catch radius.

Sports Illustrated wasn’t the only news outlet who took notice. NFL Media’s Jelani Scott highlighted Allen as one of his 5 takeaways from the Game.

TE makes play of the day

Nebraska’s Austin Allen turned heads during the American Team’s practice session. With Cal QB Chase Garbers lined up under center, Allen released off the line and ran a route up the middle of the field. After a few moments of surveying, Garbers fired a rocket that appeared slightly out of Allen’s reach, but the former Cornhusker snagged the ball out of the air with one hand before securing it as he hit the ground. The dynamic catch drew a loud “Oh!” from both sidelines. Allen, the 2021 Big Ten Tight End of the Year, jogged back to the huddle with players from both teams giving him his props. Allen and Garbers are two names to keep an eye on for Saturday’s game. Here’s hoping the two connect for another highlight-reel play, although American Team head coach Jeff Fisher would likely prefer a touchdown instead.

Shrine Game

Heading into draft season I thought that Samori Toure had an outside shot to be drafted but needed a good draft season to really boost his stock. Well at the Shrine Game, Toure has been one of the top performers at the Shrine Game and caught the eye of several analysts down in Las Vegas covering the game. You can also see Toure play this evening at 7:00 CST on NFL Netowrk.

Bill Smith of NFL Media pegged Toure as one of his practice standouts.

Toure has flashed an ability to get out of breaks and separate quickly. It has shown up in one-on-one and red-zone drills, allowing Toure to haul in passes throughout the sessions. Toure is an older prospect, transferring to Nebraska after four-plus years at Montana, where he had 1,495 yards and 13 TDs in 2019. But Montana did not play in 2020 due to COVID-19. In his lone season at Nebraska, he led the Cornhuskers in receptions (46), yards (898) and touchdowns (5).

Pro Football Network’s NFL Draft insider Tony Pauline also took a liking to Toure and had this to say.

If Rambo was the top receiver of the day, Samori Toure was a close second. He also ran exceptional routes and made several difficult receptions, especially downfield. Additionally, Toure worked as a punt returner.

Pauline wasn’t the only one from Pro Football Network that was praising Toure, as Cam Mellor listed Toure as one of his Risers.

Samori Toure looked good in one-on-one drills but even better in team drills. More specifically, he was terrific down at the goal line. Toure nabbed a touchdown on an end-zone fade, and he also ran sharp routes and showcased soft hands. It was a great day for the former Montana/Nebraska standout.

Even the The NFL Draft Bible, a part of the Sports Illustrated Network, praised Toure’s work.

A fluid and smooth mover, Toure is off to a great week in Las Vegas. It began with weigh-ins, where he posted excellent measureables and carried over to field work, where he made quick work of defenders in one-on-one drills. Toure demonstrated sound footwork and route-running, along with soft hands. After dominating the FCS level of competition during his time at Montana, Toure finished up his collegiate career strong in Lincoln, flashing a multi-faceted overall game. The Portland native is a dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands and has been used on ends arounds, bubbles, reverses and in the return game. Bottom line, get the ball in his hands and let this playmaker go to work. If Toure continues to impress and tests well, he stands a very good chance of hearing his name called come April.

Here is some additional coverage of Toure’s week in Las Vegas.

Senior Bowl

Nebraska is represented at the Senior Bowl with both JoJo Domann and Cam Taylor-Britt as a part of the American Team which is coached by the Detroit Lions staff. Practices are held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with the game being played on Saturday.

JoJo Domann was one player that many NFL Draft analysts thought could really increase his stock at the Senior Bowl. Here is what NFL Media’s Chad Reuter had to say.

A hand injury ended Domann’s season in November, but barring any setbacks in his recovery, he should excel in Mobile. He handled coverage duties against running backs and slot receivers for the Huskers, utilizing his short-area quickness and showing a willingness to fight through the catch. I expect that part of his game to shine during practices, which might lead some teams to project him at safety while others will view him as a linebacker. Though Domann did not play a lot of snaps inside for the Huskers, teams valuing athleticism, instincts and physicality over size could see him as a fit for any linebacker spot in their scheme.

SB Nation’s Detroit Lions site, Honolulu Blues had these previews of Domann and Taylor-Britt

The weigh-ins were the first big part of the week and nothing really unexpected came from Domann or Taylor-Britt. Domann came in at the 6’1 mark and only four pounds under what Nebraska listed him as. Domann is a little light for a linebacker at 226lbs, but that also wasn’t unexpected. Taylor-Britt was a little shorter than his listed height at Nebraska, but once again nobody thought he was a tall corner.

Here is what Pro Football Network had to say about Domann at Tuesday’s practice

It was not the best day for JoJo Domann. He was slow in coverage and moving laterally. While he did flash at times in the run game, he jumped to fill a hole too quick at others. However, the name of the game is pass coverage in today’s NFL, and Domann will have to improve there this week.

One of the best things about the Senior Bowl is that they give players a chance to work at multiple positions. So while Domann is listed as a linebacker, they are also giving him snaps in safety drills too. Here are some practice clips from Domann at both linebacker and safety.

Much like his teammate, Cam Taylor-Britt had some up and down to his first two days at the Senior Bowl. However the difference was Cam struggled early on Tuesday as he got beat on a deep throw by Memphis’ Calvin Austin who has elite speed. But Taylor-Britt was able to settle in and showcase his physicality which made him stand out. Here are some highlights from Taylor-Britt.

Articles

Giants Country, part of the Sports Illustrated Network, has put out two scouting reports on JoJo Domann and Cam Taylor-Britt.

Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds conducted an interview with Damion Daniels

Videos

Tweets

Non Husker Draft

As I know that most Huskers fans are also fans of NFL teams. Each week I’ll highlight a specific player that your team may end up taking, maybe a mock draft or something else. This week my focus is on Oregon pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux is an explosive edge rusher that is likely a top five pick who could go to a team needing some help off the edge.