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Caden Sterns departing Texas Football for 2021 NFL Draft

By Billy Riccette

Dec 31, 2019; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Joseph Ossai (46) and defensive backs Caden Sterns (7) and B.J. Foster (25) in the first half against the Utah Utes at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2019; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Joseph Ossai (46) and defensive backs Caden Sterns (7) and B.J. Foster (25) in the first half against the Utah Utes at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Caden Sterns is off to the 2021 NFL Draft

Texas safety Caden Sterns is expected to announce he is opting out of the remainder of the 2020 college football season, according to Inside Texas. He has now declared for the 2021 NFL Draft after a bit of uncertainty about his next steps.

Sterns, a 6-1, 207-pounder from Cibolo, Texas (only about 60 miles south of Austin), came into the season as one of the more intriguing safety prospects at the position for the 2021 NFL Draft and has put together another solid season for the Longhorns. He was tied for second on the team, with edge Joseph Ossai, with 52 tackles, only four behind linebacker Juwan Mitchell.

Sterns broke onto the college scene as a freshman after leading the Longhorns with four interceptions and was fifth on the team in tackles, with 62. Sterns was named to the first team All-Big 12 and was Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.

In Sterns’ last game, a 23-20 loss to Iowa State, he posted a season-high 13 tackles. His lone interception of the season, and first since his freshman season, came in Texas’ second game of the season against Texas Tech.

What is Sterns’ 2021 NFL Draft outlook?

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Most outlets and draft analysts have Sterns somewhere in the range of rounds three or four, pretty much right in the middle of the draft. That could also be due to there being plenty of good safeties in this draft class, including a fellow Big 12 safety in TCU’s Trevon Moehrig.

Dalton Miller of Pro Football Network believes Sterns is the perfect mold for the modern safety:

"“This young man can put on the jets. As a deep safety, he has more than enough long speed to play as a single high player in cover one and should be a menace to quarterbacks when he’s playing the deep half of the field in cover two.Sterns’ speed downhill in click and close situations really tightens throwing windows and he often takes razor-sharp angles to attempt to dislodge passes. Even though he doesn’t have that impressive ball production you’d like to see when you look at the box score, he affects more passes than he’s given credit for on the stat sheet.”"

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Sterns at least goes out on a high note in terms of his individual play. But he also likely figures the rest of the season is pretty much moot at this point. The loss to Iowa State pretty much sealed Texas’ fate in the Big 12 race, as they fell to 4-3 in the conference, while the Cyclones are now 7-1.

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