Six Longhorns Picked In First Two Rounds Of Latest NFL.com Mock Draft

The Texas Longhorns, fresh off their College Football Playoff appearance, are well-represented in the latest mock draft from NFL.com

How many Texas Longhorns land in the first round of next month's draft? Two without question should be off the board within the first 20 picks, and at least two more should be in the conversation near the end of Day 1.

How many former members of the reigning Big 12 champions land in the first four rounds? According to NFL.com's latest mock, six hear their names called within the first 64 picks.

Despite being the third projected player on most big boards to be selected, Longhorns receiver Xavier Worthy was the first to appear in the mock after the Kansas City Chiefs moved up 13 spots to take him at No. 19. Byron Murphy, the consensus top interior defensive lineman, landed in a win-now situation with the Buffalo Bills at No. 25, who move up three spots to land his services.

Even with the addition of former Oklahoma speedster Marquise Brown, Kansas City is looking for a long-term vertical threat to stretch the field. Worthy, who broke John Ross' 4.22 40-time with a 4.21 40 earlier this month, would be locked in as the new No. 1 weapon for Patrick Mahomes at least until 2028.

The Chiefs aren't waiting around for a speedster like Worthy to stretch the field. In fact, I won't be surprised if they move into the top half of the draft for him. Yes, Kansas City just signed Marquise Brown, but a) it's a one-year deal and b) the Chiefs could use multiple upgrades to the receiving corps. The Rams have historically traded down, so they could be a willing trade partner, getting K.C.'s first- and second-round selections in return. - NFL.com

Jan 1, 2024; New Orleans, LA, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) celebrates

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

For Murphy, he lands in Orchard Park as the new long-term three technique opposite former MVP Von Miller and 2024 breakout star A.J. Epenesa

Buffalo sees the value in Murphy’s low center of gravity and ability to be a disruptive playmaker, trading a fourth-round pick to Green Bay in order to vault up and secure his services. - NFL.com

In Round 2, a pair of Longhorns go back-to-back to potential AFC dark horses. T'Vondre Sweat takes over as the new big man up the middle for the Jacksonville Jaguars at pick No. 48. Meanwhile, Adonai Mitchell falls out of the first-round conversation but becomes one of the biggest steals to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 49th selection.

Mitchell, who impressed scouts in Indianapolis at the combine with his 4.35 40-time, has been linked to Jacksonville and Cincinnati at No. 17 and No. 18, respectively, in the first round. The junior transfer from Georgia only bolstered his draft stock in Austin after helping Texas secure its first division title since 2009.

Tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders heads to Philadelphia as the No. 2 red zone option for Jalen Hurts behind Dallas Goedert. Speaking of Dallas, NFL.com predicts the Cowboys will waste little time at pick No. 56 by taking Longhorn leading rusher Jonathon Brooks.

As one of the league's worst-kept secrets, Dallas has done more than its share of homework on Brooks, who likely would have been a Doak Walker finalist if not for a season-ending torn ACL. The Cowboys' medical staff were the ones who performed Brooks' surgery in Frisco following a Week 9 win over TCU in Fort Worth.

Dallas requires a long-term running back with now both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard gone. Last offseason, the Cowboys parted ways with Elliott, who struggled to regain his All-Pro form as a member of the New England Patriots in Bill Belichick's final season.

Pollard, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, inked a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans at the start of free agency.