The Roundtable: Who is Texas Tech's second-best player?
Who is the second-best player on Texas Tech's football roster?
Chris Level: There just aren't as many options as you would think. I considered Breiden Fehoko even though he hasn't been around for very long and Dylan Cantrell even though he didn't even play last year.
Ultimately, I think Texas Tech's second-best player is safety Jah'Shawn Johnson. He makes the most plays on defense and playmakers have been awfully hard to find in recent years on the Red Raider defensive sideline. Johnson stands out in a big way in that category. He's got the it factor, the instincts, the football IQ, the bloodlines and the numbers to back it up. Johnson just makes plays and, for me, he's the team's second-best player.
Aaron Dickens: This is a difficult question to answer because there's such a sizable gap between the best player on the team - Pat Mahomes, obviously - and the second-best, whoever that may be.
I went back and forth on this but, ultimately, I think Breiden Fehoko is the second-best player on Texas Tech's football team heading into the 2016 season. This is a hard selection to quantify, as the position that he plays doesn't exactly lend itself to eye-popping stats. Still, Fehoko made an immediate impact last season as a true freshman and should be in line for an even bigger sophomore campaign with a full offseason under his belt.
Will McKay: This is a surprisingly hard question question to answer, as most years you have a pretty clear idea or at least just two to three obvious candidates. You can go a lot of different ways with the answer, and I think that's simply because you don't who will fill some of the biggest shoes left vacant by seniors from a year ago.
But I tell you what, I'm gonna surprise some folks with my wild card answer: redshirt freshman offensive tackle Terence Steele. I get that's a lot to say about a guy who hasn't ever played in a game yet for Texas Tech, but I do genuinely believe he's going to explode onto the scene as one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He's blossomed from the time he stepped on campus, and he looks the part of an All-Big 12 tackle. I think this staff would tell you they're thrilled with his progress, and he has real, legitimate NFL potential.
I may be projecting out a bit, and he may not grow into the second-best player until mid-way through the season, but he's my pick.
Matt Clare: I'm going with one of the obvious answers here. I believe that true sophomore defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko is Texas Tech's second-best player behind Patrick Mahomes.
Very few true freshmen come into a program and dominate, especially at the defensive tackle position. Fehoko had some areas of weakness during his first year on the college level, but toward the end of last season he really started to make his presence known on the interior of the Texas Tech defensive line.
I have to mention his ranking out of high school, it's kind of what we do. Fehoko was ranked as the No. 16 defensive tackle prospect in the nation, the No. 122 overall prospect in the final Rivals250 for the 2015 class, plus he turned down offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma to join the Red Raiders.
Fehoko played in all 13 games as a true freshman last season, experience that should prove valuable going into his second season in the Big 12. We should all begin to see some of his true potential this season and Fehoko's play will dictate how the entire defensive line performs.
Drew Kohnle: Texas Tech's second-best player going in to the season is Devin Lauderdale. This is not to discount very worthy players of this honor – such as Breiden Fehoko or Jah’Shawn Johnson – but instead recognizes Lauderdale for the body of work he has accumulated since arriving in Lubbock.
In a 20-game span, Lauderdale has amassed 74 receptions for 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns. Maybe not amazing numbers by Air Raid standards, but I’m not just basing my pick on receiving stats. Lauderdale has the speed to take it the distance, he plays hard, he blocks like a madman (think of any Justin Stockton run), and he has plenty of talent.
Last season he burst onto the scene with 150 yards and two touchdowns against Sam Houston State and many already had him pegged as a 1,500 yard receiver. I think high expectations like that is a testament to what people believe Lauderdale is capable of doing. Heck, he missed the whole spring and is still listed as a co-starter, which too, shows how highly even the coaches view his talent.
Lauderdale produces in a lot of different facets of the game when he is on the field. He has earned second-best status.