The college football season is less than a month away, and teams have already begun practice in preparation for the upcoming season. For many, this is a chance to prove themselves to their coaches that they deserve to start. For others, this season offers an opportunity to prove themselves to a much more significant challenge: the NFL. In the Big 12, this is magnified.

The Big 12 has a harsh reputation around it. Many NFL scouts shrug off the defensive talent from the conference, claiming they don’t play defense at a high enough level to warrant interest. Many others shrug off the talent and schemes in general, saying it will never work at the NFL level. Most often, these players are labeled as “raw” or “scheme-dependent.”

Tell that to Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Earl Thomas, Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, Kelechi Osemele, and Lane Johnson. Or tell that to Kyler Murray, who went from transfer afterthought to Heisman winner and the #1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after two seasons at Oklahoma.

This season, several Big 12 prospects have to take their games to the next level if they want to make it to the big leagues. Their programs’ success and their draft stocks hinge upon them taking that next step. No pressure, right?

QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

The biggest name on this list, Hurts has the most expectations riding on his shoulders. After all, he only has to replace two back-to-back Heisman winners, and #1 overall NFL Draft picks. Oh, and guide an offense that has ranked in the top-5 for the last three years and has been atop the country for the previous two. Hurts is also expected to win another Big 12 title and compete for a national title, as is the norm in Norman. Again, no pressure.

Oklahoma has produced a lot of successful quarterbacks at the collegiate level. From Jamelle Holieway to Kyler Murray, the list of prestigious QB play at OU is immense. Hurts has to live up to that if he wants to be a respected prospect for the 2020 NFL Draft. His first two seasons as a starter at Alabama were, to put it simply, bad; at least as a thrower. If you’ve watched Calvin Ridley in college, you know what I’m talking about. Under QB coach Dan Enos last season, however, Hurts took strides forward as a passer. It was enough to bail out Alabama in the SEC title game in a comeback victory against Georgia. Now he gets to take those lessons and work with the genius himself in Lincoln Riley.

Hurts has a lot of unfair expectations placed on him already, but if he delivers, Hurts’s draft stock will skyrocket.

QB Sam Ehlinger, Texas

Another QB and from the rival school of the one mentioned above. Texas has been drowning in mediocrity for a long time. The school floundered under Charlie Strong for years and has just now begun to surface. Are they back yet? No. If they want to be, however, Ehlinger has to improve his level of play.

Texas has had a bevy of successful collegiate quarterbacks as well. In recent memory, guys like Vince Young and Colt McCoy led the program for years to new heights and had them in contention year in and year out. After David Ash and Case McCoy failed to deliver, Texas was in a rut as a program in the Big 12. Ehlinger has taken Texas out from mediocrity and finally gave them back-to-back winning seasons, their first since 2012-2013. He’s experienced some collegiate success but is yet to establish himself as a mere blip on the NFL Draft radar.

Ehlinger will need to improve on his mental game, from progression speed to performance under pressure, as well as his accuracy. If he doesn’t, his NFL future could very well cease to exist.

OT Terence Steele, Texas Tech

Steele started as a redshirt freshman at left tackle for the Red Raiders and was good enough to earn a Big 12 All-Freshman team nod. However, he was moved to right tackle as a sophomore and junior, and his level of play has skyrocketed. He cut down on his pressures allowed and helped boost a Texas Tech offense than has ranked 16th and 12th in total offense those two seasons.

Now as a senior, Steele will be moving back to left tackle for Texas Tech. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has said that with a strong senior season, Terence Steele could boost himself into the top-100 selections. At 6’6 320 lbs, Steele is built like a mammoth (and plays like one too).

Texas Tech has only had five offensive linemen drafted since 2000, and none of them have been successful at the professional level. Steele has all the tools and traits to be a successful offensive tackle, and if he can take that next step in his development technically, Steele can break a long mold of Texas Tech offensive linemen.

CB Jeff Gladney, TCU

TCU has produced a lot of defensive talent over the years, with players like Jerry Hughes, Jason Verrett, Derrick Kindred, L.J. Collier, and Ben Banogu. Jeff Gladney has the potential to be another one of these players and be drafted high in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Gladney is one of the fastest players in all of college football. He’s the best cornerback in the Big 12 and has all of the tools to be a top-level player at the next level too. He stands at 6’0 185 lbs and has been timed as fast as a 4.34 (with some saying he can be timed faster), and that speed shows up on his tape.

In a conference filled with elite receiving talent, corners need to be able to keep up with them. Gladney did that and more, allowing only a 46.9 passer rating in coverage and had 13 pass breakups last season. However, he needs to improve his technique in coverage and be less grabby down the field. In an elite corner class, every little thing counts. Seeing him line up against Purdue’s Rondale Moore next season will be must-see television. He’s got to prove he can be an elite prospect by shutting down the elite talents he’ll face once more.

WR Deshaunte Jones, Iowa State

Iowa State hit a home run with NFL talent last season with both Hakeem Butler and David Montgomery being drafted in the 2019 NFL Draft. With both of them gone, Iowa State loses 56% of its receiving yards and 63% of its receiving touchdowns, as well as all the rushing production David Montgomery had. In the Big 12, losing that much offensive production can kill a team’s chances.

Deshaunte Jones is ready to take up that void left behind. His production was only meager with 366 receiving yards last season, but the traits are there. He’s almost the opposite of Hakeem Butler, as he’s only 5’10 181 lbs, but he’s firmly entrenched as the WR1 for Iowa State. With Brock Purdy etched in as the starter, Jones could put up big numbers.

He’ll need to improve and break out this season, as he’s a senior this season. He has a lot to prove to the NFL, but the stage is set for him.

S Brandon Jones, Texas

Brandon Jones doesn’t have as much to prove as others on this list, but what he does need to prove will be crucial in determining where/how high he gets drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. Brandon Jones has all the athletic gifts in the world, and he’s about as hard-hitting as any safety in recent memory. However, Jones in coverage is a work in progress. He has the gifts to hang with players down the field, but right now he’s a player who is at his best going downfield. He has the potential to be the highest-drafted player from the Big 12, but he needs to prove he can do more this upcoming season.

This class has several elite safeties, with guys like LSU’s Grant Delpit and Alabama’s Xavier McKinney. If Jones wants to prove he belongs, he has to improve in coverage.