Texas Longhorns Dominate, Set New Program Record in NFL Draft

The Texas Longhorns are setting a new program standard.

Matt Galatzan | Apr 27, 2024

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat (93) and Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns are officially a new standard across college football.

The 2024 NFL Draft was expected to be a good one for the Longhorns, with 13 draft eligible players entering the event. However, almost no one could have expected the success that the Horns would show once things actually kicked off.

Except for maybe the Longhorns themselves.

By the time the final gun sounded and Mr. Irrelevant was off of the board, Texas had 11 players drafted across seven rounds, setting a school record for the modern draft era for players selected in the process.

The also finished just second to the national champion Michigan Wolverines for the most players selected overall (13) - four of which came in after the Longhorns' final pick went off of the board in Round 6.

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat (93) and Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA

Things kicked off in a big way for Texas, with Byron Murphy going in Round 1 at No. 16 to the Seattle Seahawks, followed quickly by Xavier Worthy to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 28.

In Round 2, T'Vondre Sweat kicked things off for Texas, going No. 38 to the Titans, followed by running back Jonathon Brooks at No. 46 to the Panthers, and Adonai Mitchell at No. 57.

After a quiet third round, the Longhorns were once again on the board with the first pick of the fourth round, with the Panthers selecting tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders.

Then in Round 5, three Longhorns found their new homes, with Christian Jones going No. 162 to the Cardinals, Keilan Robinson being selected No. 167 to the Jaguars, and linebacker Jaylan Ford being picked by the New Orleans Saints at No. 175.

In Round 6, the Horns wrapped things up with corner Ryan Watts going at No. 195 to the Steelers, and wideout Jordan Whittington finishing as the final Longhorn selected at No. 213 by the L.A. Rams.

What is even more impressive? Per the SP+ Rankings, despite losing so much talent in the NFL, the Longhorns still possess the second-most returning production for the 2024 season in the SEC (70 percent) behind only Texas A&M (72 percent), and ahead of other contenders such as Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri and Alabama.

In other words, its a good time to be a Texas football fan.

Published Apr 27, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com