Two Texas Longhorns Featured in Todd McShay's 2026 Mock Draft

The Texas Longhorns hold a pair of first-round picks in early mock drafts

Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates after a stop against the Kentucky Wildcats on fourth down in the third quarter at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Ricardo B. Brazziell/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

With three Texas Longhorns going in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Texas is projected to put more of its talent into the NFL.

In draft analyst Todd McShay's way-too-early mock draft, he projects junior linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and junior wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. to be taken in the first round. With two more first-round draft picks, the pair would become the sixth and seventh first-round picks Texas has had in the past three years.

Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. (0) against the Clemson Tigers during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

McShay mocks Hill being a top-20 pick, being selected at No. 19 to the Denver Broncos, and Moore being selected late in the first round to the Buffalo Bills at No. 30.

The selection of Hill by the Broncos would add a physical off-the-ball linebacker who can also mix in some pass rush to the roster. Coming off a season with 113 tackles and a single interception, a repeat in production would solidify Hill's spot as a first-rounder.

Pairing Hill up with an already talented linebacker group that features Nik Bonitto, who broke out in 2025, finishing third in the league in sacks with 13.5 and a second-team All-Pro Selection. And new free agent acquisition Dre Greenlaw, who's coming off a mostly injured 2024 season, decided to leave the San Francisco 49ers and sign with the Broncos on a three-year contract.

Drafting Hill in the first round would make it back-to-back years that the Broncos would take a Longhorn in the first round, as they took his former teammate Jahdae Barron with the No. 20 pick in this year's draft.

Moore's projection as a first-rounder will be more of a gradual climb than Hill's. A third-year player who shined in year two as a slot receiver, catching 39 passes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns.

The selection of Moore by the Bills will add another offensive weapon for the reigning league MVP, Josh Allen, and bolster the receiving room. The Bills may look towards 2023 first-round pick Keon Coleman to develop into their WR1 of the future, but the depth of Buffalo's receiving corps can be helped by the speedy slot receiver.

If Moore were to go in round one, Texas would have three wide receivers drafted into the first round in the past three years after Xavier Worthy in 2023 and Matthew Golden in 2024, respectively.

What the rest of the Longhorns' potential 2026 NFL Draft class could look like remains to be seen. That said, one thing that is clear, is that the program will have no shortage of representation, and Moore and Hill will be at the top of that list.