Killer Frogs

TCU Football's NFL Pipeline Surges with Five Combine Invites in 2026

Five Horned Frogs earned invitations to the 2026 NFL Combine, giving TCU the second-most selections in the Big 12 and reinforcing the program's growing national pipeline.
Tom Burke|
Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Jaden Richardson (15) attempts to catch the ball against TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) and cornerback Channing Canada (7) during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Jaden Richardson (15) attempts to catch the ball against TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) and cornerback Channing Canada (7) during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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TCU Horned Frogs

It’s easy to get caught up in the recent success of TCU football, including:

  • Back-to-back 9-4 seasons, with consecutive bowl wins
  • Most total wins by a Big 12 school since the start of 2022
  • Most Top 25 wins among Big 12 schools since the start of 2022
  • Most Top 25 finishes among Big 12 schools since the start of 2022
  • The only Big 12 school to be in the College Football Playoff (CFP) title game since the start of the CFP

Thus, it’s also easy to overlook one of the most significant elements of TCU’s football program over the course of its history: The consistent ability to develop players into professional football players.

TCU's Numbers Compare Nationally

For the 2025-2026 season, there were 31 former Horned Frogs on the rosters of professional football teams. There likely will be more for the 2026-2027 season.

Five TCU players have been invited to the 2026 National Football League (NFL) Combine. They are wide receiver Erick McAlister, safety Bud Clark, tight end DJ Rogers, and linebackers Kaleb Elams-Orr and Namdi Obiazor.

Big 12 Representation at the 2026 NFL Combine

While the SEC and Big Ten continue to lead the nation in overall combine representation, TCU's five invitations place the Horned Frogs firmly in the upper tier of Power Conference programs this year and rank among the strongest showings in the Big 12.

Forty-five players from the Big 12 Conference have been invited to the 2026 combine, led by Texas Tech’s eight invitees. Utah joined TCU with five players invited. Arizona State, Baylor, and Cincinnati each had four players invited. Three players, each from Arizona and Kansas, were invited. BYU, Houston, Kansas State, and UCF each had two players invited. Iowa State had one player invited. Oklahoma State, Colorado, and West Virginia did not have a player invited to the combine.

A Look Inside the 2026 NFL Combine Format

The combine is an annual premier, invitation-only event where top NFL Draft prospects showcase their skills for the 32 NFL teams. This year, the five TCU players and as many as 314 players from other colleges and universities will participate in medical exams, interviews, and on-field drills. Key on-field events include the 40-yard dash, bench press (225 pounds), vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle.  Players also participate in position-specific drills.

The 2026 NFL Combine will be held February 23-March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The 2026 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is the home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Numbers Behind TCU's NFL Pipeline

Through drafts and free-agent signings, TCU has sent 283 players into professional football camps, dating back to 1927, when former Horned Frog Rollin Roach joined the Chicago Cardinals’ camp.

TCU has had 217 players drafted into the NFL since 1936. Additionally, the Horned Frogs had nine players drafted by the American Football League (AFL) from 1961-65.

The original AFL operated from 1960–1970, then merged into the NFL.

Jimmy Lawrence was the first Horned Frog drafted into the NFL. The Chicago Cardinals made him the fifth overall pick in the 1936 NFL Draft. TCU’s Wilson Groseclose and Darrel Lester also were drafted in 1936, in the fifth round, by the Boston Redskins and the Green Bay Packers, respectively.

Ki Aldrich holds the distinction of being the only former Horned Frog to be an overall No. 1 NFL Draft pick. The Chicago Cardinals selected Aldrich, a center, as the No. 1 pick in the 1939 draft.

TCU has had 18 former players taken in the first rounds of drafts:

  • Jimmy Lawrence, fifth pick in the first round, by the Chicago Cardinals, in 1936
  • Sammy Baugh, sixth pick in the first round, by the Washington Redskins, in 1937
  • Ki Aldrich, first pick in the first round, by the Chicago Cardinals, in 1939
  • Davey O’Brien, fourth pick in the first round, by the Philadelphia Eagles, in 1939
  • L.B. Hale, eighth pick in the first round, by the Washington Redskins, in 1939
  • Jim Shofner, 13th pick in the first round, by the Cleveland Browns, in 1958
  • Jack Spikes, sixth pick in the first round, by the Pittsburgh Steelers, in 1960
  • Bob Lilly, 13th pick in the first round, by the Dallas Cowboys, in 1961
  • Norm Bulaich, 18th pick in the first round, by the Baltimore Colts, in 1970
  • Allanda Smith, 13th pick in the first round, by the Minnesota Vikings, in 1984
  • LaDainian Tomlinson, fifth pick in the first round, by the San Diego Chargers, in 2001
  • Jerry Hughes, 31st pick in the first round, by the Indianapolis Colts, in 2010
  • Jason Verrett, 25th pick in the first round, by the San Diego Chargers, in 2014
  • Josh Doctson, 22nd pick in the first round, by the Washington Redskins, in 2016
  • L.J. Collier, 29th pick in the first round, by the Seattle Seahawks, in 2019
  • Jalen Reagor, 21st pick in the first round, by the Philadelphia Eagles, in 2020
  • Jeff Gladney, 31st pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, in 2020
  • Quentin Johnston, 21st pick in the first round, by the Los Angeles Chargers, in 2023

Shofner is the only former Frog to be drafted, play in the NFL, and then become a TCU head football coach (1974-76). Shofner was much more successful as a TCU and professional football player than he was as a head coach. His three-year won-loss record as TCU’s head coach was 2-31 overall, 1-21 in the Southwest Conference (SWC). During his career, Shofner also held several NFL coaching positions, including as the Cleveland Browns' interim head coach in 1990.

The most former TCU players taken in an NFL Draft are 8, in the 1957 and 2023 drafts.

Drafted in 1957 were: Jim Swink, in the second round, by the Chicago Bears; Chuck Curtis, in the seventh round, by the New York Giants; John Mitchell, in the ninth round, by the Los Angeles Rams; Ken Wineburg, in the ninth round, by the Green Bay Packers; John Nikkel, in the ninth round, by the Detroit Lions; Buddy Dike, in the 12th round, by the Philadelphia Eagles; Bill Curtis, in the 28th round, by the San Francisco 49ers; and Vern Hallbeck, in the 29th round, by the San Francisco 49ers.

Drafted in 2023 were: Quentin Johnston, in the first round, by the Los Angeles Chargers; Steve Avila, in the second round, by the Los Angeles Rams; Kendre Miller, in the third round, by the New Orleans Saints; Dylan Horton, in the fourth round, by the Houston Texans; Derius Davis, in the fourth round, by the Los Angeles Chargers; Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, in the sixth round, by the Los Angeles Rams; Dee Winters, in the sixth round, by the San Francisco 49ers; and Max Duggan, in the seventh round, by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Los Angeles Rams guard Steve Avila (73) reacts after a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles Rams guard Steve Avila (73) reacts after a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half during a NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Boyers-Reuters via Imagn Images | Andrew Boyers-Reuters via Imagn Images

Former Horned Frogs drafted by original AFL teams were: Roy Lee Rambo, in 1961, in the 15th round, by the Dallas Texans; Bobby Plummer, in 1962, in the fifth round, by the Dallas Texans; Ray Pinion, in 1961, in the sixth round, by the Houston Oilers; Sonny Gibbs, in 1961, in the 1th round, by the Denver Broncos; Buddy Iles, in 1961, in the 18th round, by the New York Titans; Tommy Crutcher, in 1964, in the 11th round by the Kansas City Chiefs; Ken Henson, in 1964, in the 14th round, by the Houston Oilers; and Norm Evans, in 1965, in the 14th round by the Houston Oilers.

Thirty-five former Horned Frogs have played in an NFL Super Bowl. Twenty-three of them have won a Super Bowl championship ring. Five former TCU players have won multiple Super Bowl rings. Former Frog Larry Brown earned the MVP award in Super Bowl XXX, in which the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17.

Much of that pipeline was built under Gary Patterson, whose 24-year tenure produced 55 NFL Draft picks, including seven first-round selections.

Current TCU head football coach Sonny Dykes has had 13 players selected in the NFL Draft during his four-year tenure, including eight in 2023 to lead the Big 12 Conference and schools in Texas and place fourth nationally.

Through the upcoming NFL Draft and free-agent signings, TCU Football will continue its legacy of sending players into the professional ranks. This year, as in many before it, the only question is how many more Horned Frogs will take the next step to the NFL.

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Tom Burke
TOM BURKE

Tom Burke is a 1976 graduate of TCU with nearly 45 years of award-winning, professional experience, including: daily newspaper sports writing and photography; national magazine writing, editing, and photography; and global corporate communications, public relations, marketing, and sales leadership. For more than a decade, Tom has maintained his TCU sports blog, “Midnite Madness.” Tom and his wife, Mary, who is also a TCU alum, live in Fort Worth.

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