Two Longhorns Continue To Fly Up NFL Draft Boards
We are just a few weeks from the NFL Draft, and this cycle has seen a ton of buzz surrounding players who were donning the burnt orange in 2023.
Xavier Worthy has already made history without playing a single down of NFL football, or even knowing what team he is on with his blazing 4.21 40-yard dash. He has seen his name go from being a borderline first, to some analysts thinking he is a lock for the opening round. His running mate Adonai Mitchell is also someone who helped boost his stock a bit, and defensive lineman Byron Murphy II only solidified himself as a first-round lock.
In a recent mock, both Mitchell and Murphy were taken in the first 20 picks.
Texas WR Adonai Mitchell
© John David Mercer, USA TODAY
The 33rd Team's Marcus Mosher dropped a new NFL mock draft, and while Worthy has been generating first-round buzz in others, he was not among the first 32 picks. However, Mitchell may have taken the biggest leap I have seen in any mock thus far, going from being a projected end-of-the-round pick to being projected as the No. 17 pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mosher thinks Mitchell is the perfect replacement for Calvin Ridley who is now with the Titans, and can also compliment Christian Kirk.
"Adonai Mitchell would be a great long-term fit with Christian Kirk, as Mitchell can play on the outside and stretch the field. Running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, Mitchell has the size and athleticism to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL," wrote Mosher.
As for Murphy, he is slotted one spot below where most have him projected to end up, which is No. 14 to the New Orleans Saints rather than No. 13 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Mosher views Murphy as a perfect compliment to former Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Breese, and thinks they would form a great interior duo.
If Mitchell and Murphy were to go in the first round together, or any other Longhorns for that matter, it would be the first time since 2007 that Texas has produced multiple first-round picks. With the way the program is hitting its stride, this could end up becoming a much more common occurrence for years to come.
