With the end of the regular season in the NFL, let's take a look back on how the 35 former Texas Longhorns did in the NFL this season. Just for fun, I ranked them from 35-to-1. Note: They are ranked for this year only, not overall. A lot of the lower players were hurt/other issues, otherwise they'd be higher.

35. Chris Simms, QB, TB: The former TB starter and holder of several UT passing records spent all year on IR, both recovering from his removed spleen a year ago and being put back in Jon Gruden's doghouse. The former third-round pick has had a better career than a lot of players ranked higher.

34. Marcus Tubbs, DT, SEA: Key part of the Seahawks front line also spent all season on IR. The former first-round pick had a solid year during Seattle's super bowl run.

33: Ricky Williams, RB, MIA: The former Heisman trophy winner played all of 6 carries in his return after his reinstatement into the year, running for 15 yds, then tearing his chest muscle when stepped on after a play and went on Injured Reserve. Better than a lot of guys on the list, but didn't play enough this year.

32. D.D. Lewis, LB, DEN: Started at LB during Seattle's SB run, but has struggled to stay in the league the last couple years. Played in 5 games on special teams for the Broncos, but did not record an official stat.

31. David Thomas, TE, NE: The third-round pick and the #1 TE in UT history (will hold it a little longer now that Jermichael Finley left for the draft) wasn't able to join the fun during New England's run, catching only one pass for 9 yards before getting injured in the first month and was placed on IR.

30. Kasey Studdard, OG, HOU: The 6th round pick spent his first year as a backup for the Texans, but did appear in 3 games.

29. Tarell Brown, CB, SF: Brown spent his first year in the NFL with the 49ers (who picked him in the 5th round) and was mostly a special-teams player, picking up 2 tackles on the season.

28. Marcus Wilkins, LB, ATL: Wilkins was picked up by the Falcons as a special teams player and backup linebacker, making 5 tackles. Both him and Lewis found a way to make it 6 years in the NFL despite not being drafted. Hard to do.

27. Nathan Vasher, CB, CHI: The one time Pro Bowler struggled with injuries, and the third-round pick only was able to play enough to pickup 8 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack.

26. Ahmard Hall, FB, TEN: Hall wasn't able to play too much, only playing a few games, but did have an 8 yard carry, 9 rec and 60 yds receiving. He also played pretty well in the wild-card game.

25. Priest Holmes, RB, KC: The potential Hall of Famer made a surprising comeback to the NFL in his mid-30's after a 2-year absence, ran for 137 yards, also caught 5 receptions for 17 yards, but then felt his neck start hurting again and retired. Ran for over 7,000 yards in his career after being picked up as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens 10 years ago.

24. Jonathan Scott, OT, DET: Scott was a backup tackle who actually did start 2 games, and played in five others, for the Lions this season. The former fifth-round pick has had six starts in his 2 years so far.

23. Cullen Loeffler, LS, MIN: The player probably nobody knows about as a Texas-ex has played every game for 3 years with the Vikings after signing as an undrafted free agent, thanks to his fantastic long snapping abilities.

22. Lyle Sendelein, OG, ARZ: The undrafted free agent played in 14 games in his first year, and started in 2 games. A solid contributor, and one of three rookie o-linemen from the Horns this year.

21. Tim Crowder, DE, DEN: The 2nd round rookie (one of 8 for UT this year), came up with 4 sacks, 1 FF, and 16 tackles as a backup DE. Wouldn't surprise me if he started pretty soon.

20. Rodrique Wright, DT, MIA: The 7th round pick had a solid first full season after spending his rookie year on IR, coming up with 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks, comparable to other solid DT's right in front of him who make a lot of money.

19. Cory Redding, DT, DET: Redding, a former DE, 3rd-round pick, and highest paid DT in the NFL, struggled a bit more this season after having 8 sacks a year ago in his first at DT. Redding finished with 37 tackles and 1 sack, but helped open more rushing lanes for his fellow Horn on the other side, Shaun Rogers.

18. Brian Robison, DE, MIN: The rookie 4th-round pick surprisingly upstaged his more celebrated fellow DE, Tim Crowder, finishing with 26 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 1 FF.

17. Casey Hampton, DT, PIT: The former pro bowler struggled a little this year as well, but is still a major part of the Pittsburgh D, filling the inner gaps for their 3-4 system, finishing with 33 tackles and 0.5 sacks.

16. Bo Scaife, TE, TEN: One of Vince Young's favorite Titan targets, the second of four Titans on the list, had his best career year with 46 receptions and 421 yards. The former 6th-round pick also scored his sixth career TD this season.

15. Aaron Ross, CB, NYG: The 2006 Thorpe award winner showed a glimpse of his gamebreaker skills with the Giants. The 1st-round pick finished with 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 3 INT, returning one for a TD.

14. Cedric Benson, RB, CHI: The former #4 overall pick and Doak Walker award winner finally got his chance to start full-time for the Bears, but struggled to only 674 rush yards before being place on IR late in the season. Benson did score 4 TD's and catch 17 passes for 123 yards on the year.

13. Justin Blalock, OG, ATL: The 2nd round pick showed what made him so celebrated at UT, starting the final 14 games of the year at guard for the Falcons as a rookie.

12. Michael Griffin, CB/S, TEN: The 1st round pick started as a kick returner, then played some corner, then started at safety the last several games. He played real well once starting, finishing with 54 tackles, 1 FF, and 3 INT.

11. Selvin Young, RB, DEN: The shocking top rookie according to these rankings from UT is undrafted free agent Young, who started as a third-string RB for the Broncos, then finding a way to generate 729 yards and a TD, as well as catching 35 passes for 231 yards. He could very easily take over Travis Henry's starting job next season, and looks like the next 1,000 yard rusher in the Broncos system.

10. Quentin Jammer, CB, SD: The former first round pick has been solid for his career, but has been slightly less effective because of the illegal contact rules that came in a couple years ago. Jammer still finished with 61 tackles and an INT.

9. Shaun Rogers, DT, DET: The other UT DT on DET was widely criticized for being out of shape, but still managed to put in 39 tackles, 7 sacks, and an INT he returned for a TD. The former 2nd-round pick has had a very solid career and was a former Pro Bowler.

8. Michael Huff, S, OAK: The former 1st-round pick had another solid year, racking up tackles, finishing with 85 this year after having 78 a year ago. The 2006 Rose Bowl Defensive MVP also added 85 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF and an INT.

7. Cedric Griffin, CB, MIN: After playing as a nickel back his first year, Griffin started and had 92 tackles, second most on this list. He also had 2 FF, but the former 2nd-round pick did not have an interception, after picking off two as a rookie.

6. Roy Williams, WR, DET: The big-time DET WR who should have been a Pro Bowler last year had a solid year with 63 rec, 836 yds, and 5 TD. However, the former #7 overall pick missed the final couple games due to injury, and couldn't produce back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons.

5. Vince Young, QB, TEN: The man, myth, and legend had a sophomore slump statistically, starting 15 more games this year, missing one due to injury. The former #3 overall pick threw for 2546 yds, ran for 395, but threw only 9 TD and 17 INT for a 71.1 QB rating. However, Vince did help lead the Titans back to the playoffs, and is 17-11 as a starter through his first 2 years.

4. Phil Dawson, K, CLE: Dawson had a fantastic year for the Browns, almost helping them get to the playoffs, after he made 26-30 field goals and 42-43 XP. Dawson added a legendary moment when he barely hit his only 50+ yard field goal to tie against the Ravens after hitting both the upright and behind the crossbar, then bounced back on the field. Eventually, the kick was called good, and Dawson hit the game-winner in OT to win.

3. Derrick Dockery, OG, BUF: Dockery cashed in with a huge contract, one of the biggest for a guard in the NFL, and started every game for the Bills, who ran the ball pretty well. The former 3rd-round pick pushed his way to a starting job with the Redskins as a rookie and has improved ever since. A very good year for UT guards this year.

2. Derrick Johnson, LB, KC: Now this is the Derrick Johnson UT fans came to grow and love. The Butkus award winner and former 1st-round pick had his best year in his third season, finishing with 94 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 FF, and 2 INT. An all-around bright spot for a down year for the Chiefs.

1. Leonard Davis, OG, DAL: Probably a surprising choice to a lot of people, but Davis signed a huge contract in the offseason and has been everything the Cowboys hoped he'd be, shoreing up the RG spot, allowing Andre Gurode to settle in at C and pick up a Pro Bowl invitation. Davis is the only UT alum to be named to the Pro Bowl this year, and because of that, he's at #1.

That number should move up next year, as several Horns have a shot to be drafted, including Frank Okam, Tony Hills, Limas Sweed, Jamaal Charles, Jermichael Finley, Derek Lokey, and Marcus Griffin, among potential others. Texas is among the top 10 in NFL players, and might be in the top 5, alongside Miami, Florida St, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. LSU, Ohio State, and USC are also up there. Good season overall.

For more, read my extended blog at http://mvn.com/ncaa-texas/