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I-35 Area TXHSFB Alums Hear Name At NFL Draft In Sports' Short Return
Interstate 35 is one of the most important roads in the United States because it connects six American states (Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas) and gives the country another entrance into North American neighbor Mexico. Significant metropolitan areas have also developed along it, so there's enough talent and competition to prepareathletes for the highest levels of sport. That was evident in the 2020 NFL Draft because15 of Texas' 33 high school alums-turned draft picks came from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex or the Austin and San Antonio areas of the state.
COVID-19 has cancelled and postponed many events, but the NFL found a safe way to host its annual draft on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The highly anticipated three-day event featured a new virtual format that allowed it to go on as scheduled. It also provided sports fans with an important sense of hope and gave them the opportunity to cheer for their favorite teams and college players.
For Texas, there was a lot of celebration for the draft picks that previously competed near the highway. The first large in-state area you come across when you travel north to south on it is the Metroplex, which produced a dozen draft picks from its boatload of high school alums.DeSoto recorded two draft pick graduates over the weekend in Laviska Shenault (2nd Round, Pick 42 forJacksonville Jaguars) and James Proche (6th Round, Pick 201 forBaltimore Ravens), while South Grand Prairie'sJeffrey Okudah (Pick 3) and Waxahachie's Jalen Reagor (Pick 21) were first round selections for the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
On the second day, the Baltimore Ravens drafted a pair of North Texas athletes in the third round.McKinney North's Justin Madubuike heard his name called with the 71st pick andSachse's Devin Duvernay was later announced at pick 92.
The third day began with the fourth round of the draft, which saw Cleburne's Reggie Robinson II go 123rd to the Dallas Cowboys. Then, Cedar Hill's Trevis Gipson (Pick 155 for Chicago Bears) and Arlington Martin's Jason Huntley (Pick 172 for Detroit Lions) followed in the fifth round, the Cincinnati Bengals grabbedGarland's Hakeem Adeniji with the 180th pick in the sixth round, and Wylie East's Eno Benjamin (Pick 222 for Arizona Cardinals)and Mansfield Summit's Vernon Scott (Pick 236 for Green Bay Packers) were included in the seventh round.
The next notable area along I-35 is Central Texas. Before you arrive in Austin, you'll reach two important stops on future Minnesota VikingJames Lynch's journey to the 130th pick in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft. They include the towns of Waco and Round Rock, where he played for Baylor University and Round Rock High School. The region was also put on the map when the Baltimore Ravens made La Grange's J. K. Dobbins a second round draft pick at 55th overall.
Then, the road extends to the South Texas cities of San Antonio and Laredo before reaching the United States/Mexico international border. The Alamo City area producedConverse Judson's Alton Robinson, who was picked up by the Seattle Seahawkswith the 148th pick in the fifth round.
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Cedric Benson
Former NFL, Texas, Midland Lee legend Dies at 36 After Motorcycle Crash
Former Chicago Bears running back, Texas Longhorns legend, and Midland Lee top recruit Cedric Benson has reportedly died in a motorcycle accident in Austin, Texas.
He was only 36 years of age.
CBS Austin reported the crash happened around 10:45 last night between a motorcycle and a minivan and took the lives of 2 individuals. Cedric Benson was one of them.
Benson rose to prominence during his high school days as the all american running back for the Midland Lee Rebels. While in Midland, Benson led his team to three consecutive State Championships. Athletically he was one of the most gifted running backs to ever wear pads and shattered every possible mile stone you can give some in the running back position. Some notable stats:
- Finished his Midland Lee career with 8,423 rushing yards (the most in Texas 5A history, largest classification at the time, and the fourth most in Texas High School Football history).
- Rushed for 51 touchdowns his Junior Year of High School.
- He was the first high school player in the history of the state of Texas to make the cover of the famous Dave Campbell's Texas Football Annual Magazine.
Benson continued his earth shattering career at The University of Texas, where he finished as the sixth-leading rusher in NCAA history with 5,540 rushing yards, and the second-leading rusher in Texas history, trailing only Ricky Williams. In his senior year, he won the 2004 Doak Walker Award and, along with quarterback Vince Young, led the Longhorns to victory in the Rose Bowl over the Michigan Wolverines.
Cedric BensonThe University of Texas at Austin
The Chicago Bears took Benson with the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. He struggled in the Windy City and left three years into his NFL career to find greener pastures with the Cincinnati Bengals. As a Bengal, Benson put up three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2009-2011 and showed flashes of the running back that used to wear the burnt orange on Saturdays. Benson would move north to the frozen tundra the following year in 2012, where a Lisfranc fracture to his foot would derail his career and end his days as an NFL running back. The Green Bay Packer would be his last NFL team and 2012 his last NFL season.
Cedric BensonChicago Bears
Thank you for the memories and worldly performances Cedric. You will be missed and never forgotten...The Eyes of Texas are upon you.