Five Texas Longhorns Selected in New Mock Draft

Last year, the Texas Longhorns set a modern-era program record with 11 players selected in the NFL Draft.

Breaking that record this year will be a difficult task, but it may just be possible.

A new three-round mock draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates has five Longhorns going before the end of Day 2, getting them nearly halfway to the record already. The first member of that quintet to come off the board is offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, who goes to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 11 overall.

"While Trent Williams will be the 49ers' starting left tackle as long as he is still playing, San Francisco must be forward-thinking," Yates wrote. "After all, Williams is turning 37 this year. Banks has a massive 84⅜-inch wingspan, 42 starts of experience and really impressive quickness."

Banks' draft stock seems to have fallen recently, but this placement is more in line with his earlier projections. He's still a very versatile, effective lineman who can play both tackle and guard, anad could be the successor to one of the best offensive linemen of this era in Williams.

The next Longhorn comes off the board with the very next pick, with the Dallas Cowboys selecting wide receiver Matthew Golden at No. 12 overall.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden makes a catch against the Arizona State Sun Devils. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"I thought about North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton, but the possibility of Golden's 4.29 speed and great route running opposite CeeDee Lamb just make too much sense," Kiper wrote. "The Cowboys can finally get some reliability at WR2 for quarterback Dak Prescott. They haven't had two wide receivers over 700 yards since Lamb and Amari Cooper both did it in 2021."

Golden, who had 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns in his lone season with the Longhorns, has shot up draft boards recently, in part due to his blazing speed. For a receiver-needy team like Dallas, which has been without a reliable second option for a few years now, he could be a perfect fit.

Rounding out the first-round trio is cornerback Jahdae Barron, who goes at No. 16 overall to the Arizona Cardinals.

"Garrett Williams was terrific at slot corner last season, but the Cardinals could use a boost on the outside. This team allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt last season, which ranked in the league's bottom third. Barron is versatile, ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and picked off five passes last season."

Barron has been the leader of the Longhorns' secondary for a few years now, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back in 2024. Whether he lines up primarily as a cornerback or as a safety, he should make a big impact in the NFL.

Two more Longhorns make their way into the third round of this mock, with safety Andrew Mukuba going to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 70 and defensive tackle Alfred Collins to the 49ers at No. 75. That would mean that other Longhorns, such as quarterback Quinn Ewers and running back Jaydon Blue, will have to wait until Day 3 for their NFL dreams to come true.

Still, five players in the first three rounds is very impressive, and matches last year's total.