Texas Produces Two First-Rounders In Latest ESPN NFL Mock Draft
The Texas Longhorns had a great season on the field in 2023, and now that the season is over they are looking to have a great one off of it as well.
On the field, Texas won their first Big 12 title since 2009, while also making it to their first College Football Playoff. They were a better throw away from a title game appearance, but they now have something significant to build off of for the future.
A major part of their run to the playoff was the fact that they had developed so many key players, who are now taking their talents to the next level. Something that will be on display in the upcoming NFL Draft, as ESPN's Matt Miller believes multiple Longhorns will go early.
Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy
© Aaron E. Martinez, Austin American-Statesman
In his latest NFL Mock Draft which was just the first two rounds alone, Miller had six Longhorns hearing their name called. He had four Texas players going in the second, and two of them being selected in the first round, which would mark the first time since 2007 that Texas has produced more than one first-rounder.
In terms of who went and where they went, Texas running back Jonathon Brooks was the last of the six picks, going with pick No. 58. Despite his season being ended by a knee injury, Miller still views him as the best running back available, and has him ending up in Green Bay. He expressed that having a chance to be a backup to Aaron Jones before taking over is something that can help him tremendously.
Taken just four picks earlier was defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat, who went viral on a few occasions for his monster frame at the Reese's Senior Bowl. He was taken by the Cleveland Browns in this scenario, as he is viewed as the perfect replacement for the talent that they are losing at that spot.
One of their other offensive weapons that was taken was tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who will get a chance to team up with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. Miller has him being taken with pick No. 49, and could fill an immediate need for the Bengals. 11 picks earlier at 38, Miller foresees the Tennessee Titans nabbing Adonai Mitchell. He has elite speed, and is also able to go up and get just about everything. Miller expects that Mitchell would pair nicely with the big-armed quarterback, Will Levis.
Their pass-catching counterpart Xavier Worthy is expected to close out the first round and go to the Chiefs. He is viewed as the replacement this team has been needing for Tyreek Hill who has been in Miami for the past couple of years. It would be an instance of the rich getting richer, but would be a fantastic situation for Worthy to go to.
The earliest Longhorn selection in this draft was Byron Murphy II, whom Miller has a borderline top-15 pick. Murphy projects as the No. 16 pick to the Seahawks, where he expects new coach Mike Macdonald to completely unlock him.
This draft will be quite huge for Texas, and having this many players go early will only help the program even more.
