Sam

Cosmi

Cosmi signed a four-year extension with the Commanders just before the start of the season and kept that momentum going into the first month of football. Pro Football Focus has him ranked as a top-15 guard through three games. Per their charting, he has allowed four pressures and no sacks on 109 pass-blocking reps. Losing Cosmi would likely lead to more pressured dropbacks for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. That would hurt his passing output, though an increase in scrambles may ultimately offset the slight passing decrease.

Cosmi, the team’s best offensive lineman, was graded by Pro Football Focus as last year’s 12th best pass blocking guard. He was top-5 in run blocking, per PFF. Cosmi’s presence will be important as Jayden Daniels develops into an NFL starter.

Cosmi (6'7/309) made a total of 34 starts during his Longhorn career, with 21 coming at left tackle. That being said, in Hodgkinson’s opinion Cosmi is capable of slotting in as a starting right tackle immediately. “At 6’7,” Cosmi has great size for the offensive tackle position,” Hodgkinson wrote in his analysis. “However, it isn’t just his height, but also his length, that makes him an attractive proposition. Smaller defensive ends will find it difficult to get a beat on him as he uses his long arms to easily keep them at bay.” As for where Cosmi stands to go in this spring’s draft, he’s projected by more than a few analysts to be right on that Day 1/2 fringe.

Texas only have two games left on the schedule right now. If the Longhorns were more competitive and perhaps playing for a title, it’s possible Cosmi (6'7/300) may have stuck around, but with the squad sitting at 5-3, there is no reason for Cosmi to risk anything. It’s not like he has much left to prove, either. Cosmi was considered a top-50 pick by many heading into the season and he has been good enough to warrant similar discussion now. Look for freshman Andrej Karic to potentially replace Cosmi for the final couple of games.

Cosmi has played both right and left tackle for the Longhorns, and as Treash notes, he’s played both positions well. “Cosmi’s performance in the running game stayed relatively similar from 2018 to 2019,” writes Treash, “but his work in pass protection improved in a big way, as he lowered his pressure rate allowed from 4.6% to 2.5%, which placed him in the 90th percentile among all FBS offensive tackles last year.” Cosmi has also played the 13th most snaps of any tackle in that time, so we’re certainly not working with a small sample size. The 6-foot-7, 300-pound tackle is the highest-rated returning offensive lineman in the Big 12 according to PFF (83.9 grade), and Cosmi should be even better during his redshirt junior campaign.

Cosmi (6'7/300) is PFF’s best returning Big 12 OL by a country mile. His 83.9 grade is 10.5 points higher than the next-best player on the list, which is Oklahoma’s Adrian Ealy at 73.4. Many believed Cosmi would leave for the NFL this offseason, but after some feedback from the NFL Collegiate Advisory Committee, Cosmi saw it fit to return for one more season and tune up his game a bit. Given how stacked the 2020 tackle class is, the decision to go back may net him a much higher draft slot in 2021.

Cosmi (6'7/300), a second team all-Big 12 selection after starting all 13 of Texas’ games at left tackle, submitted his name for feedback from the NFL Collegiate Advisory Committee. He ultimately decided to return to school for the 2020 season, stating his desire to not only earn his degree but work with his teammates towards the goal of winning a championship. Cosmi’s decision to return is good news for Texas, which is still awaiting QB Sam Ehlinger’s decision with regard to the NFL Draft.