NFL Draft 2016: The Miami Dolphins select Xavien Howard 38th Overall

A bit of a surprise tonight in that DT Andrew Billings was not the second name I wrote a post about in this year's NFL Draft.  Instead, that honor will go to CB Xavien Howard, who went off the board in the second round to the Miami Dolphins, who traded up to get him.  Recall that when Howard came to Baylor, he did it as a 2* or unranked late signee in the 2012 recruiting class that had maybe one other offer.  Now, he's leaving as a 2nd Round pick.

Congratulations, Xavien Howard, headed to the @MiamiDolphins as the 38th pick in the #NFLDraft! #NextLevelBU pic.twitter.com/YJh0eXgtZM

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) April 29, 2016

Howard, who left Baylor after his junior year, was one of the biggest bright spots on Phil Bennett's defense this past season.  He's a relatively tall corner with excellent coverage skills that actually had the lowest passer rating against among all P5 corners, and had 9 combined INTS and 17 passes broken up the last two years.  He'll have to get better at tackling with the physicality of the NFL game, but there's no doubt that he has the coverage skills to contribute and quickly.

Congrats, Xavien, on making your NFL dreams come true!  From 2* late signee to 2nd round pick.  That's pretty nice.