2026 NFL Draft: Top Kansas Jayhawk Prospects and Projections

The 2026 NFL Draft gets underway this week and there are several former Kansas football prospects who are expected to hear their names called before the weekend is up.

It’s a rare thing for KU to have multiple players drafted in the same draft – in fact it’s only happened four times dating back to the 2010 NFL Draft (2010, 2015, 2024, 2025). But that looks likely this year with talent across multiple position groups.

Here is a look at the players who have given themselves a chance to be drafted.

Kobe Baynes

Surprisingly, the former Jayhawk with the best odds of hearing his name called first is one that didn’t receive an invite to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine and that is offensive lineman Kobe Baynes.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) rates Baynes as the No. 195 player overall on their 2026 Big Board. He was a two-year starter at Kansas, playing and starting in all 12 games in 2024 and 2025. He accumulated nearly 1,500 offensive snaps without ever missing a game due to injury and was named Second Team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press following the 2025 season, during which he allowed zero sacks on 403 pass-blocking snaps.

He is expected to be a Day 3 pick.

Jalon Daniels

Quarterback Jalon Daniels has seen his name pop up in several NFL conversations as of late, including following a recent visit to the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and others – according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. He’s gone on at least three Top 30 visits that we know of, and that’s a great sign for his chances of being drafted.

PFF ranks Daniels as their No. 240 prospect overall. He had a solid showing at the NFL Combine but appeared to really improve his stock after an impressive performance during his pro day in March.

He is expected to be a Day 3 pick.

Calculated chaos 🤯
Jalon Daniels NFL Draft Tape 🎞️#Big12FB | @KU_Football pic.twitter.com/wJxmO1AjBr
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) April 21, 2026

Others in the Mix

Despite getting invites to the combine, Enrique Cruz Jr., Emmanuel Henderson Jr., and Laith Marjan all appear to be on the outside looking in when it comes to their chances of hearing their names called in this year’s draft. PFF has Henderson as the No. 338 prospect overall, Cruz at No. 379, and Marjan is unranked.

Other players included on PFF’s Big Board are center Bryce Foster (No. 305 overall) and edge rusher Dean Miller (No. 357 overall). Their rankings would suggest that they too are unlikely to be taken before the final pick is made on Saturday.

However, it’s very likely that all five of these former Jayhawks will sign with an NFL team as an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of the draft. From there, they have a shot at making an NFL roster with strong performances during OTAs and training camp.

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