Two Longhorns Projected To Be First-Round Picks In Latest ESPN Mock Draft
With success on the field comes success off the field, and for the Texas Longhorns, the 2023 season marks the first time in quite a while they will be experiencing both.
Their 12-2 season which ended with them winning the Big 12 and nearly advancing to the title game, will now have a cherry put on top of it. The 2024 NFL Draft is approaching, and unlike in years past when the team will be pleased with just a couple of players getting drafted here and there, the Longhorns may have their deepest draft class in quite some time.
In fact, in ESPN's Field Yates' latest mock draft, he had two Texas players being drafted in the first round.
2024 NFL Draft helmet
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To no shock to any Texas fans who have been following along with the draft buzz, it is defensive tackle Byron Murphy II who is the first player off the board for Texas. Yates has him slated as the No. 13 overall pick for the Las Vegas Raiders. While he isn't viewed as a position of need for the Raiders, Yates does explain that Murphy would just be too hard to pass up.
"Primary needs for the Raiders also include quarterback and offensive line, but four QBs are off the board, and the overall depth of the tackle class makes finding a second-round starter viable. Murphy fills a massive gap along the defensive front after an incredible 2023 season, too. He offers true difference-making play as a pocket compressor (he had 5.0 sacks this past season) and run defender. Few players in this class play full tilt to the extent Murphy does," wrote Yates.
The second Longhorns taken in the first comes 20 picks later in the final spot of the first round to the Kansas City Chiefs. Wide receiver Adoni Mitchell is projected to end up catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, who is fresh off his third Super Bowl with what was his least impressive receiver corps.
"The Chiefs' wide receiver issues are no mystery, and Mitchell would help the cause. The 6-4 196-pounder is silky smooth when running routes and has the frame and length to make his mark down the field and in the red zone. The Chiefs hit a home run with Rashee Rice in the second round last April, and this would provide them with another playmaker to build the passing game around. Mitchell caught 11 touchdowns last season, and with his 15.4 yards-per-catch average, he'd be great for Patrick Mahomes and the Super Bowl champs."
If Murphy and Mitchell are in fact drafted in the first round together, it would mark the first time since 2007 that the Longhorns have produced two firsts.
This also marks the second ESPN rendition that features this happening as Matt Miller projected that it would be Murphy and receiver Xavier Worthy going in the first.
