On Monday, sophomore Jermichael Finley — one of the most prolific tight ends in Longhorn history — announced he was leaving school for the NFL.

Last Wednesday, junior tailback Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 1,619 yards in 2007, also declared early for the draft.

The pair was set to be the offensive cornerstones, along with quarterback Colt McCoy, this fall. Finley was the athletic tight end who likened himself most to a wide receiver. Charles was the game-changing running back.

With the two pro defections, Texas will have lost one-third of the 2005 recruiting class, the ones who will be seniors and juniors in 2008. With 15 signees, it was the smallest class Brown has signed at Texas.

The Longhorns will look to youngsters — sophomore-to-be Vondrell McGee and redshirt freshmen Fossie Whitaker and Cody Johnson — to fill Charles' spot. Sophomore-to-be Blaine Irby should be the top choice to replace Finley.

Irby is being groomed to be used in much the same way David Thomas was utilized in 2004-05. Depending on the formation, he can be an H-back, tight end or fullback.

Neither Charles nor Finley was believed to have generated a first-round grade by the NFL committee that projects an underclassmen's draft status.

But Finley, in a statement issued Monday, said he was satisfied with his rating.

"The NFL is every football player's dream and when my NFL grade came back, it was encouraging and I felt like it was in my best interest to enter the draft," Finley said. "I've worked really hard for three years at Texas to prepare for this and I think I'm ready for the challenge."

Finley, a third-year sophomore, did not reveal his grade.

Tights ends, traditionally, haven't been a highly-coveted position early in the draft. Only four tight ends, including one in the first round, were drafted on the first day of the 2007 draft.

In the past five years, there have been 67 tight ends drafted, an average of 13.4 per draft. Of that total, seven were first rounders and eight were taken in the second.

The Longhorns, under Brown, have sent two tight ends to the NFL. Bo Scaife, who started for Tennessee the past three years, was a sixth-round pick in 2007. Thomas, who was Vince Young's favorite receiver in the 2005 national title game, was a fourth-round pick by New England in 2006. He's been on injured reserve for much of the season with a foot problem.

Finley finished his career with 76 receptions, third in school history among tight ends. His total pushed Scaife into fourth. Thomas is the record-holder with 98 catches.

Finley's best game came against Oklahoma last fall. He caught four passes for 149 yards against the Sooners. He had catches of 58 and 55 yards in the second quarter.

"Jermichael is a great kid who has worked hard to improve in each of his three years with us," said Brown, who spoke with Finley Monday morning.

"He finished his career ranked among the most productive receiving tight ends in school history and handled himself well both on and off the field during his time at Texas.

"He's leaving in good academic standing and we hope he will come back to finish his degree in the future," Brown added. "We thank him, support him and look forward to following him in the NFL."

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