The RRS staff sat down for this week's edition of the Roundtable, which asked this question:
You can pick one player from the rest of the Big 12 teams to play for the Red Raiders this fall. Who is it, and why?
Level: If I can pick anyone I guess I'd take Trevone Boykin. I love both of Tech's current QB options for different reasons but neither has the experience or resume that Boykin does. His ability in the pocket and his speed makes him a nightmare to try and defend. No one could do it last year and he should be even tougher to defend this season. If you have Boykin on your team you are picked at least third and probably second in the league because TCU obviously drops. No other player in the league would cause the league preseason standings to change that much.
Having said that I'd love to add an Andrew Billings, Erik Striker, Emmanuel Ogbah or a Karl Joseph to David Gibb's defense but I'd have to go with the proven QB.
Dickens: This answer probably won't be popular, but if I could draft one Big 12 player to start for Texas Tech this fall it would be Trevone Boykin.
Last season, we all saw what Pat Mahomes is capable of at quarterback. He led the Red Raiders to a win in Ames and put on a show against Baylor. The hope in Lubbock is that he can duplicate or come close to duplicating those effort in 12 or 13 games this fall. Unfortunately, and this is just reality, there's no guarantee that will happen.
Boykin was a revelation last season. No one expected him to perform at the level that he did, and his success was the biggest factor in TCU going from 4-8 in 2013 to 12-1 in 2014. He wasn't perfect, but he was really, really good.
The most important position on the field in football is the quarterback, and there isn't any other non-Texas Tech Big 12 player -- in my opinion -- that could positively impact Texas Tech's win-loss record this fall than Boykin. Mahomes could certainly end up as a Boykin-level player. But until that happens, I have to go with the proven commodity.
Clare: My pick is Andrew Billings, super human strength and something the Tech defense hasn't had on the inside of their defensive line in a very long time. Billings would immediately help improve the Texas Tech rush defense and make the other lineman around him better.
He is my choice for the breakout player in the Big12 conference this year.
McKay: Ndamakong Suh. Nick Fairley. Russell Maryland. What do those three players have in common? Well, they're basically three of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in college football history, and they fundamentally altered how opposing offenses operated on Saturday afternoons.
Yes, taking a quarterback in this situation is obviously a smart play, but I'm going to go with Baylor's Andrew Billings. He's strong as a bull, he's extremely disruptive, and he very well might be the best nose tackle in the entire country for my money.
Creating pressure on the pocket from the interior is something that quarterbacks fear more than just about anything else, because they can't step up, and they often will run face first into a DE's helmet when forced to the edge in this way. It also becomes much, much harder to run between the tackles when a player can control running lanes like Billings.
He, like guys such as Suh and Fairley, can change a game for teams, and that's why I'll take him.
Kohnle: While it may sound crazy to pass up on big-time defensive talents such as Andrew Billings, Emmanuel Ogbah, Eric Striker, or even lock-down Oklahoma State corner Kevin Peterson, that is exactly what I am doing with my pick. If I had to choose any current Big-12 player and add him to the Tech roster for the upcoming season, I would choose Baylor tackle Spencer Drango no question. I’m an offensive guy though and through and the possibility of having two All-Americans manning your tackle positions is an idea I can definitely get behind.
Without this move, Tech’s right tackle spot will inevitably be played by a newcomer to the Big-12 with redshirt freshman Justin Murphy, JUCO transfer Paul Stawarz, or maybe even one of the true freshmen. The Tech offense was highly ranked in many categories last year with Reshod Fortenberry starting at right tackle. Now, add in a player of Drango’s caliber—whose talents are far and above better than anyone you currently have on the roster for the right tackle position-- and watch the Tech offense soar to new heights in this upcoming 2015 season. DeAndre Washington and Patrick Mahomes approve of this pick.
You can pick one player from the rest of the Big 12 teams to play for the Red Raiders this fall. Who is it, and why?
Level: If I can pick anyone I guess I'd take Trevone Boykin. I love both of Tech's current QB options for different reasons but neither has the experience or resume that Boykin does. His ability in the pocket and his speed makes him a nightmare to try and defend. No one could do it last year and he should be even tougher to defend this season. If you have Boykin on your team you are picked at least third and probably second in the league because TCU obviously drops. No other player in the league would cause the league preseason standings to change that much.
Having said that I'd love to add an Andrew Billings, Erik Striker, Emmanuel Ogbah or a Karl Joseph to David Gibb's defense but I'd have to go with the proven QB.
Dickens: This answer probably won't be popular, but if I could draft one Big 12 player to start for Texas Tech this fall it would be Trevone Boykin.
Last season, we all saw what Pat Mahomes is capable of at quarterback. He led the Red Raiders to a win in Ames and put on a show against Baylor. The hope in Lubbock is that he can duplicate or come close to duplicating those effort in 12 or 13 games this fall. Unfortunately, and this is just reality, there's no guarantee that will happen.
Boykin was a revelation last season. No one expected him to perform at the level that he did, and his success was the biggest factor in TCU going from 4-8 in 2013 to 12-1 in 2014. He wasn't perfect, but he was really, really good.
The most important position on the field in football is the quarterback, and there isn't any other non-Texas Tech Big 12 player -- in my opinion -- that could positively impact Texas Tech's win-loss record this fall than Boykin. Mahomes could certainly end up as a Boykin-level player. But until that happens, I have to go with the proven commodity.
Clare: My pick is Andrew Billings, super human strength and something the Tech defense hasn't had on the inside of their defensive line in a very long time. Billings would immediately help improve the Texas Tech rush defense and make the other lineman around him better.
He is my choice for the breakout player in the Big12 conference this year.
McKay: Ndamakong Suh. Nick Fairley. Russell Maryland. What do those three players have in common? Well, they're basically three of the most dominant interior defensive linemen in college football history, and they fundamentally altered how opposing offenses operated on Saturday afternoons.
Yes, taking a quarterback in this situation is obviously a smart play, but I'm going to go with Baylor's Andrew Billings. He's strong as a bull, he's extremely disruptive, and he very well might be the best nose tackle in the entire country for my money.
Creating pressure on the pocket from the interior is something that quarterbacks fear more than just about anything else, because they can't step up, and they often will run face first into a DE's helmet when forced to the edge in this way. It also becomes much, much harder to run between the tackles when a player can control running lanes like Billings.
He, like guys such as Suh and Fairley, can change a game for teams, and that's why I'll take him.
Kohnle: While it may sound crazy to pass up on big-time defensive talents such as Andrew Billings, Emmanuel Ogbah, Eric Striker, or even lock-down Oklahoma State corner Kevin Peterson, that is exactly what I am doing with my pick. If I had to choose any current Big-12 player and add him to the Tech roster for the upcoming season, I would choose Baylor tackle Spencer Drango no question. I’m an offensive guy though and through and the possibility of having two All-Americans manning your tackle positions is an idea I can definitely get behind.
Without this move, Tech’s right tackle spot will inevitably be played by a newcomer to the Big-12 with redshirt freshman Justin Murphy, JUCO transfer Paul Stawarz, or maybe even one of the true freshmen. The Tech offense was highly ranked in many categories last year with Reshod Fortenberry starting at right tackle. Now, add in a player of Drango’s caliber—whose talents are far and above better than anyone you currently have on the roster for the right tackle position-- and watch the Tech offense soar to new heights in this upcoming 2015 season. DeAndre Washington and Patrick Mahomes approve of this pick.
