Latest ESPN Mock Draft Has One Texas Longhorn Going in the First Round

One of the newest mock drafts has just one Texas Longhorns star being selected on the first night of the NFL Draft.

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns didn't have the season they were hoping for when the season started, and after a few departures for the transfer portal, and also the NFL Draft, some members of the team are moving on to different things.

That includes linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who was often lauded as one of the best players at that position in college football. Now he departs the Forty Acres with hopes of hearing his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft.

A new projection from ESPN's Matt Miller has Hill Jr. leaping the mock drafts and hearing his name called on the first night of the draft at pick number 30 by the Denver Broncos. This would reunite him with former teammate Jahdae Barron along with multiple other Longhorns like Sam Ehlinger, P.J Locke, Brandon Jones, Lil'Jordan Humphrey and Malcolm Roach.

Defensive Mainstay

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after the Kentucky Wildcats fail to score in overtime at Kroger Field | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Hill was a defensive mainstay at the linebacker position the last three seasons for the Longhorns, bursting onto the scene his freshman year in 2023, making an immediate impact and finishing with five sacks, the third-most by a true freshman in Longhorn history.

He only continued to get better in his time in Austin, starting all 16 games during the Longhorns' playoff campaign and being named a Second-Team All-American by multiple media outlets for his performance on the field. Increased his sack total to eight on the year from the five he had previously.

This past season, he returned as the mainstay on the defense for the Longhorns. After dealing with an injury that kept him out, he would finish with 69 total tackles, two interceptions, three passes defended, and three fumble recoveries. He was once again named a Second-Team All-American and, after showing his consistency, would declare for the NFL Draft.

With the NFL combine starting at the end of the month, the newest projection from Miller has Hill being selected at pick number 30 by the Broncos. He is the only Longhorn projected in the first two rounds, and would mark the fourth straight year that a player from the Forty Acres has been selected in the first round.

"Broncos fans have been begging for more explosive linebackers, and Hill might be the most impressive mover at the position in this draft class," Miller said about Hill in his mock draft. "He also brings the added bonus of being a reliable pass rusher when asked to line up on the edge. Hill's 17 career sacks indicate that he could have a future on the edge, but he doesn't have full-time defensive end size at 6-foot-3 and 248 pounds."

The NFL Draft will take place from April 23 to April 25 and will be held in Pittsburgh.