A staff member of head coach Steve Sarkisian is accepting a promotion to become the General Manager under head coach Mike Bloomgren with the Rice Owls, following the departure of Texas Longhorns Director of Player Personnel Billy Glasscock to the Ole Miss Rebels last month, according to a report from Football Scoop.
Having worked as a scout for the Ottawa Redblacks and in front office positions with the Edmonton Elks for five years, Merritt, a former military police officer, has been on the Forty Acres for the past two years as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Scouting.
More than two decades ago, Merritt began his NFL career as a scout for the Detroit Lions. He then played for the Houston Texans for eight years before leaving.
The NFL Combine has been all the talk these past few days because it seemed like every player that was making waves or creating excitement was wearing the burnt orange from last year. Big man T’Vondre Sweat impressed with his 5.27 40-yard dash at over 360 pounds, Byron Murphy II ran a 4.87 40-yard dash and impressed with his insane physique, and Xavier Worthy broke the record for the fastest 40-yard dash ever. Both he and fellow receiver Adonai Mitchell have been considered potential first-round picks, but following their combine showing, it is expected that they will be joining Murphy II in the first round.
Marcus Mosher of 33RD Team predicted three Longhorns to be selected in the first round of a mock draft held after the NFL Combine. Like many others, he choose Murphy to play for the Raiders in Las Vegas. His ability to make an impact in rushing and passing situations was demonstrated during his career-defining year for the Longhorns, and his combine performance further cemented his standing. This is the first time that Worthy and Mitchell have been taken in the initial round, as far as they are concerned. Though Worthy had been thrown in a couple of them, it had usually been Mitchell. Nonetheless, it’s thought that Worthy’s 4.21 and Mitchell’s 4.34 40s have made them some money. Worthy was projected by Mosher to go to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 30 overall, but
“In Zay Flowers, the smaller receiver the Baltimore Ravens selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, they have done so once more with Xavier Worthy. With a record-breaking 40-yard sprint time of 4.21 seconds, Worthy ought to be selected in the first round. But it’s difficult to find him the ideal landing place. Worthy has speed, and the Ravens are always looking for more,” Mosher said. Mosher believes that Mitchell is the ideal weapon for the Chiefs, who, despite having one of their lesser receiver corps, just won a Super Bowl.
Mosher predicted that Ja’Tavion Sanders would go No. 36 to the Washington Commanders, where he will partner with one of the best quarterbacks in this draft class, a few picks into the second round. Running back Johnathon Brooks and Sweat complete the bottom half of the second round, with Brooks going to the Houston Texans at number 59 and Sweat to the Bengals at number 49.
For a Texas programme that currently competes with the best in recruiting, having six picks in the first two rounds would be the perfect recruitment pitch. It would also be ominous for things to come, since Steve Sarkisian seems to have this programme running like clockwork.
