Longhorns in the NFL: Devin Duvernay sprints into spotlight on Monday Night Football
It hasn’t taken long for Devin Duvernay to make an impact in the NFL.
Duvernay, who caught more than 100 passes as Sam Ehlinger’s go-to target a year ago in the Texas offense, returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown during Monday Night Football for the Baltimore Ravens against the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Baltimore trailing, 13-3, early in the second quarter, Duvernay eluded two tacklers, then used his sprinter’s speed to burst through a hole and up the Chiefs sideline to the end zone.
Duvernay was the Ravens’ third-round pick and the 92nd overall selection in the NFL draft last spring, and has four catches for 38 yards through the first three weeks as he slowly works into a bigger role in Baltimore’s offense.
Duvernay’s kick return marked the most notable performance by a former Texas offensive player in the NFL this week; Duvernay’s teammate and fellow Texas alumnus Justin Tucker made two field goals and two extra points.
Safety DeShon Elliott is the third Longhorn on the Ravens roster who played Monday. Elliott made five tackles and defended a pass.
In performances by other former Longhorn skill players in Week 3, running back Malcolm Brown had 19 rushing yards for the Los Angeles Rams, and Jaguars wideout Collin Johnson made one catch for 3 yards.
Several Texas alumni shined on the defensive side of the ball, most notably Seattle cornerback Quandre Diggs, who played every single defensive snap against Dallas while making six tackles, Titans safety Kenny Vaccaro recording the same number of stops against the Vikings, Patriots safety Adrian Phillips producing seven tackles against the Raiders and Minnesota defensive back Holton Hill making seven tackles against the Titans.
Seattle punter Michael Dickson averaged more than 54 yards on seven kicks against the Cowboys and pinned Dallas inside its own 20 on three separate occasions.
Rookie safety Brandon Jones had five tackles against the Jaguars to continue a solid start to his career with the Dolphins, while Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks made five stops against the Lions.
Houston defensive end Charles Omenihu recorded a sack against Pittsburgh, while P.J. Locke (Denver), Kris Boyd (Minnesota), Poona Ford (Seattle) Malcom Brown (New Orleans) and Malcolm Roach (New Orleans) all had production in their respective games.
There are several former Texas offensive linemen in the league, most notably Dallas guard Connor Williams, Cincinnati center Trey Hopkins and Denver tackle Calvin Anderson.
Photos of Longhorns in the NFL
(photos from each NFL team website)
