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The 2024 NFL Draft could see 11 Texas Longhorns picked. Last year, five Longhorn players were drafted, including Bijan Robinson with the eighth overall pick.
However, Texas didn’t have a single player picked in the 2022 NFL Draft. Furthermore, Robinson was the first first-round Longhorn picked since Malcom Brown in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Let’s dive into the 11 former Texas players that could get picked during the 2024 NFL Draft, including three on Day 1.
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Jonathon Brooks
Brooks was outstanding last season after waiting for his turn behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. He had 187 rushing attempts for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games before tearing his ACL. Unfortunately, the injury will impact his draft stock. Yet, several NFL teams believe Brooks is the top running back in the draft class. Reportedly, he should be ready for training camp. Expect him to come off the board in the mid to late second round.
Jonathon Brooks can do it all🤘 pic.twitter.com/R5t3DArJnS
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 17, 2024
Keilan Robinson
Texas had an elite 1-2 punch in the backfield last year. Jonathon Brooks was the lead guy before getting hurt, leading to the freshman CJ Baxter taking over in the second half of the season. However, Robinson also had a solid out of the backfield, totaling 134 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 2023. More importantly, he is an excellent returner, averaging over 23 yards per kick return in his career. Robinson will likely get drafted sometime on Day 3, following the changes to the NFL's kickoff rules.
Xavier Worthy
Everyone knows Worthy broke the NFL Combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash. However, he is more than just a speed demon. Worthy is a polished route runner, capable of winning on all three levels. While his production declined from 2022 to 2023, Texas had multiple other big-name receivers on the team. Worthy is all but a first-round lock. His draft range starts at 15th overall to the Indianapolis Colts and ends at the top of the second round to the Tennessee Titans at 38th overall.
Adonai Mitchell
While Mitchell only played one year at Texas, he had an impressive season. He had 38 receptions for 560 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in two years with the Georgia Bulldogs. By comparison, Mitchell had 55 receptions for 845 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns last season, ranking first in the Big 12 in receiving scores. Despite measuring 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds at the NFL Combine, Mitchell had the third-fastest 40-yard dash (4.34). He is an athletic freak with massive upside and should be a Day 1 pick.
Adonai Mitchell is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 9.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 3402 WR from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/t32le05j0m pic.twitter.com/XLIlC28Xjp
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 17, 2024
Jordan Whittington
Whittington never got any national attention at Texas. He had only five receiving touchdowns in college, totaling one or fewer in all but one season. Yet, Whittington will stick around in the NFL. He is a do-the-dirty-work type player who makes plays at the most critical moments of a game. Whittington had a massive catch for Texas in their near comeback win over Washington in the College Football Playoffs. He should be a late Day 3 pick who makes a roster as a rookie.
Ja'Tavion Sanders
Despite sharing targets with Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington, Sanders put up solid numbers last season. He only had two receiving touchdowns but totaling 45 receptions for 682 receiving yards. However, Sanders had 54 receptions for 613 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2022. While he hasn’t had the ideal pre-draft process, Sanders likely comes off the board sometime on Day 2. He could come off the board as early as 49th overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round.
Christian Jones
Next year, Texas will have a likely top-10 pick in left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. However, Jones is an appealing Day 2 right tackle prospect. According to PFF, he gave up only one sack and two quarterback hits last season. Furthermore, Jones surrendered four sacks and two quarterback hits in 976 pass-blocking reps over the past two years. He had an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl and should be a Day 2 pick that can start at right tackle in 2024.
.@TexasFootball OT Christian Jones had a very impressive session in OL/DL 1-on-1s. Super experienced player with 48 starts in his career. Really impressive how poised and in control he was on his reps.
This was one of a few clear wins from him pic.twitter.com/Gzl0X6L96j
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 30, 2024
Byron Murphy II
Murphy is the clear-cut top defensive lineman in the draft class. Not only did he have a goal-line role on offense last season, but the talented lineman had a career-high six sacks in 2023. While Murphy isn’t an elite run-stopper like the next guy on the list, he earned an 80.5 or higher run-defensive grade from PFF in back-to-back seasons. Murphy could come off the board as early as eighth overall to the Atlanta Falcons and won’t make it past the Los Angeles Rams at 19th overall.
T'Vondre Sweat
Unfortunately, Sweat severely hampered his draft stock after getting arrested for DUI earlier this month. He was one of the top run blockers in college football the past few years, posting a 92 PFF run-stopping grade last season. Yet, Sweat offers some up-the-middle pass rusher upside, totaling two sacks, three quarterback hits, and 26 hurries last year. While the recent DUI will hurt his draft stock, Sweat will likely get drafted in the mid-late third to early fourth-round range.
Jaylan Ford
While star Anthony Hill Jr. got most of the attention at the linebacker position last season, Ford had an impressive college career. He had 101 or more tackles in back-to-back years, ranking top-seven in the Big 12 in both seasons. Furthermore, Ford can create turnovers, ranking third in the Big 12 in interceptions in 2022 (four) and first in forced fumbles in 2023 (three). He is a downhill player that can make plays on the quarterback. Hill is likely an early to mid-Day 3 pick.
Texas’ Jaylan Ford comes flying downhill to slam the QB and force the incompletion.
The explosive Longhorn is a top LB prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class. pic.twitter.com/4YfsygShHw
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) November 25, 2023
Ryan Watts
After a quiet two years at Ohio State, Watts transferred to Texas in 2022. He had 51 tackles in his first year with the program, including four for a loss. While Watts had only three career interceptions, with two coming at Ohio State, he earned a respectable PFF coverage game in three consecutive seasons to end his college career. After playing cornerback at Texas, some NFL teams will want to move him to safety. Watts is a likely mid-to-late Day 3 pick who will become a core special teams member.
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