Five Longhorns Projected To Go In First Two Rounds Of NFL Draft

The Texas Longhorns are expected to see a handful of key players from 2023 get drafted early in the upcoming NFL Draft.

The Texas Longhorns had their best season since 2009 this past year, winning the Big 12 in what was a final hooray and appearing in the College Football Playoff.

It was a season that was years in the making for head coach Steve Sarkisian as he had been recruiting at an elite level, and just needed his players to take the next step. This season we saw them put it all together in a year that saw them a better throw from quarterback Quinn Ewers away from advancing to a title game against a Michigan team that they matched up well against.

A major reason they did so well was all of the NFL-caliber talent on the roster, which we will see in this upcoming NFL Draft. 

Texas running back Jonathon Brooks and receiver Adonai Mitchell  / © Jerome Miron, USA TODAY

In a mock draft recently released by Pro Football Focus which projected the top two rounds, Texas had five players drafted in the first 64 picks. Despite tearing his ACL and not making it through the entire season, running back Jonathon Brooks proved enough to many scouts to cement himself as the top back. He is the Longhorn that rounds out the bottom of this group, being projected to end up going to the Green Bay Packers at No. 57.

This specific mock had a fellow Longhorn taking the pick right before him and staying in the state of Texas, which was T'vondre Sweat going to the Dallas Cowboys. The Outland Trophy winner is expected to provide an immediate impact wherever he goes.

Tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is expected to be taken earlier in the second with pick No. 46, and end up being taken by the Indianapolis Colts. He would have a chance to play with one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the NFL in Anthony Richardson. Unlike in other mocks, Texas has just these two pass-catchers being taken in the top two rounds, with Adonai Mitchell being taken with pick No. 39 by the New York Giants.

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The Longhorn that is taken the earliest in this scenario is defensive lineman Byron Murphy who is slated to go with pick No. 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Even if Texas gets just five players taken in the first two rounds, that would still be a tremendous step up for the program when you look at classes in the past.

Xavier Worthy is a name to look out for in terms of someone who was left off this mock, that could go early.