'It's Sammy's time': Texas' Sam Ehlinger gets his NFL starting shot with the Colts
Good morning.
The Sam Ehlinger era begins today for the Indianapolis Colts, as the former Westlake and Texas star gets his first NFL start against the Washington Commanders (3:25 p.m., Fox). He'll be the 17th quarterback to make his first career start for the Colts since 1970; so far, those QBs have gone 1-15 in their first game.
The Sam Ehlinger era at Texas included a 27-16 mark as a starter, four bowl wins, no conference championships, one conference title game appearance, and he finished his career as the second-leading quarterback in school history behind Colt McCoy in most major passing categories.
"It's Sammy's time," Cedric Golden wrote in his column last Tuesday. "He took 19 snaps last season in mop-up duty, but the yellow bucket has been replaced with the keys to the franchise."
Ten quarterbacks were taken in the 2021 draft, a group that can easily be grouped into two categories: six of them have been starting since they were rookies, four of them haven't sniffed a start yet. That changes today with Ehlinger. Those 10:
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (1st round/1st overall): A rough rookie season, but has 1,707 yards, 9 TDs and 4 picks this year.
Zach Wilson, Jets (1/2): Also had a rough rookie season, and has battled injuries in each of his first two years. He's 4-10 so far as a starter.
Trey Lance, 49ers (1/3): The third QB to go 1-2-3 in the draft gets an incomplete grade. He's just 1-2 as a starter and was lost for the season early.
Justin Fields, Bears (1/11): Fields is struggling to make it, too. He's 5-11 so far as Chicago's starter, though the Bears seem to be firmly sticking with him still.
Mac Jones, Patriots (1/15): So far, he's the head of the 2021 class. He's 11-9 as a starter and led the Patriots to the playoffs as a rookie. He's regressed this year, however, and also has battled injuries.
Kyle Trask, Buccaneers (2/64): Tom Brady's backup, the former Florida Gator has yet to throw an NFL pass.
Kellen Mond, Vikings (3/66): The four-year starter from Texas A&M was waived by the Vikings in August and picked up by the Cleveland Browns the next day. He's their third-stringer behind Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs, and will slide further down when Deshaun Watson comes off suspension in a couple of weeks.
Davis Mills, Texans (3/67): The former Stanford quarterback has had a surprisingly active start to his NFL career, taking over starting duties in Houston during his rookie year. Still, he's also only 3-14-1 as a starter.
Ian Book, Saints (4/133): Has had an up-and-down start to his career. He got the Week 16 start against the Dolphins his rookie year because the two quarterbacks ahead of him, Taysom Hill and Trevor Simien, both were out with COVID-19. Miami won 20-3. Book was waived this summer and the Eagles picked him up.
Sam Ehlinger, Colts (6/218): Has yet to throw an NFL pass, but that'll come today. In the for-what-it's-worth department, he was the highest-rated NFL quarterback for the entire preseason.
The Colts traded their sixth-round pick to the Saints for New Orleans' sixth- and seventh-round picks, and it was with that sixth-rounder that Indianapolis took Ehlinger, one spot after the Bears drafted Khalil Herbert at 217. Ehlinger, as Kirk Bohls pointed out this past week, will be only the eighth UT quarterback to ever throw a pass in the NFL — and that's including Garrett Gilbert, who finished his career at SMU, not Texas.
Next Saturday's game at Kansas State will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be aired on Fox Sports 1, the Big 12 announced last night. The 22nd-ranked Wildcats embarrassed No. 9 Oklahoma State 48-0 on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas star Sam Ehlinger gets his NFL starting shot with Colts
