"A Surreal Thing" For Longhorns Ta'Quon Graham To Be Picked By Falcons In NFL Draft

Former Texas defensive lineman is now the latest Longhorns player to be selected into the NFL, after the Atlanta Falcons picked him with the No. 148 overall pick in round five of the NFL Draft.

Matt Galatzan | May 1, 2021

As the 2021 NFL Draft begins to wind down, the Texas Longhorns' final batch of prospects is beginning to come off of the board. On Saturday, defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham was the latest of the group to be selected, when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the No. 148 pick.

"The feeling was amazing," Graham said. "It’s something that you definitely dream about as a kid and for it to finally come true and to hear those words that they’re going to use a pick on you, it’s just crazy. I automatically started breaking down and it got really emotional really fast."

Atlanta now adds Graham to its defensive line group, with the hopes that he can find a way to make an impact similar to that of that he had in Austin. Graham figures to sit behind Grady Jarrett and Tyeler Davison as he waits for his opportunity to prove himself in camp, and earn a roster spot.

"I know the Falcons have a pretty good three-technique in their room already in Grady Jarrett and I can’t wait to learn from him" Graham said. "Honestly, I was completely surprised that the Falcons called me and told me they were going to pick me. I really didn’t know they were going to pick me at all, it was a total surprise."

Raised outside of Austin, Texas, Graham was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, choosing Texas over schools such as TCU and Oklahoma, among others.

Graham Played in 12 games as a freshman, started two of 14 games played as a sophomore, and started all 13 games as a junior, before playing in nine games as a captain during the 2020 season.

"I feel like Texas prepared me," Graham Said. "It prepared me for this moment, it prepared me for this situation I’m about to walk into, and I’m ready to face anything at this point in time."

During those four seasons, Graham finished with 70 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

With Graham now off of the board, it remains to be seen which Longhorns, if any, will be drafted onto an NFL roster, with quarterback Sam Ehlinger, and defensive back Caden Sterns still on the board.

"My head is everywhere," Graham said. "I’m just trying to sit back and enjoy the moment, but it’s a moment that’s definitely overwhelming. It’s something you thought might have been out of reach at a point in time, but for you to go out there and get your dream, it’s crazy. I dared to dream, and I’m glad that I did."

You can view NFLDraftBible.com's full scouting report of Ossai below:

A consistent performer over the last two seasons, Graham has logged 19 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks over 22 games during that span. Though his play has been sporadic during his collegiate career, Graham has demonstrated traits that could surprise some on the next level.

He has shown flashes of decent athleticism in stunts and on plays that force him to work laterally. There is a smoothness to his game, flashing the ability to split gaps with a notable first step.

The fact that he has been a consistent producer at Texas while playing all four years with the program should give him a decent shot in the league at the very least, though he will need to add a substantial amount of power to compete for a meaningful roster spot early in his career.

His lack of raw power and length doesn’t create a high ceiling as a prospect. Graham is likely a Day 3 selection who is in need of a transformation physically to fight for substantial playing time in the near future.

What do you think of Graham's selection? Comment and join in on the discussion below!

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Published May 1, 2021

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.