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2012 Senior Bowl: UT's Emmanuel Acho, Kheeston Randall Impress In Practices

Ten different players from Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor are in Mobile, Alabama this week trying to impress NFL scouts and GM's in one of the biggest events in the pre-draft season.

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2012 Senior Bowl: Emmanuel Acho And Kheeston Randall Performing Well In Practices

The week of practices before the Senior Bowl, where some of the best NFL prospects in the country go head-to-head in a series of one-on-one drills, are as important as the game itself for NFL teams looking for hidden gems in the lead up to the April draft.

So far, two former Texas standouts, LB Emmanuel Acho and DT Kheeston Randall, have been impressive:

Emmanuel Acho is just a smart, instinctive football player. He's not the greatest athlete but does a great job diagnosing the action and putting himself in a position to make plays on the ball. Acho has looked good against the run and pass.

Kheeston Randall (DT-DE, Texas) showed exceptional agility for a 300-plus pounder during individual drills, and he was a handful to block because of his ability to work inside-out against blockers. Randall looked less comfortable pass rushing from the outside, but his size-athleticism combination may make him an ideal fit as a 3-4 defensive end for a Steelers-type scheme.

Both Randall and Acho have a chance to be picked in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft after strong senior seasons, helping lead the Longhorns back to a bowl berth after a 5-7 collapse in 2010.

Acho was a third-team All-American, racking up 115 tackles, including 14.5 for loss from the OLB position, while Randall was a dominant force on the interior of the defensive line.

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2012 Senior Bowl: Texas A&M, Texas Lead Ten Lone Star Players Appearing

The 2012 Senior Bowl rosters have been announced, and the state of Texas boasts ten players appearing for the South team.

The Big 12 leads the way, with Texas A&M sending four players to the South roster (running back Cyrus Gray, wide receiver Jeff Fuller, defensive lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie, and kicker Randy Bullock), and three defensive players representing Texas (linebackers Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho and defensive lineman Randall Kheeston).

Baylor will also send two players (running back Terrance Ganaway and offensive lineman Phillip Blake), while receiver Kendall Wright will miss the game due to ankle injury. Rounding out the list is wide receiver Patrick Edwards of Houston.

However, of those ten players, the two highest-rated players - Wright and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III - won't be participating in the Senior Bowl. Both players are projected to go in the first round in SB Nation's latest mock draft, with Griffin to the Browns at No. 2 and Wright to the Bengals at No. 17.

For a complete look at SB Nation's first round mock draft, click here.

For the latest news on the 2012 NFL Draft, check out Mocking The Draft. For everything in college football, visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

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2012 Senior Bowl: Baylor WR Kendall Wright Out With Ankle Injury

Baylor Bears wide receiver Kendall Wright was one of the top receivers in attendance at the 2012 Senior Bowl, but he is withdrawing due to an ankle injury. Wright has been hampered by his ankle all season and wants to focus and be completely healthy for the combine according to ESPN Radio Central Texas sports director David Smoak.

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Even suffering through the ankle injury all year, Wright finished his senior season with 108 receptions for 1,663 yards and 14 touchdowns. Wright had three games with double-digit receptions and had nine games of 100 yards or more receiving with two games where he surpassed 200 yards receiving.

Wright is the second high profile wide receiver to pull out of the the Senior Bowl with the other being Notre Dame's Michael Floyd.

Check out Our Daily Bears for more on Baylor football, while Mocking The Draft has you covered on everything NFL Draft related.

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NFL Draft 2012, Kendall Wright Update: Star WR Will Play In Senior Bowl

Wright is one of three Bears chosen to participate in the game, one of the most influential parts of the pre-draft season.

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Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.