Texas Football's best draft prospects at every position of the Steve Sarkisian era

We’re still over three weeks away from the start of college football, but the most tapped-in draft experts are already working hard to prepare their big boards ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. At this point in time, very little is set in stone, but a few players stand out from the pack consensusly.

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Ohio State safety Caleb Downs may be the highest-drafted safety since Jamal Adams, Clemson’s T.J. Parker is a prototype NFL edge rusher, and Texas’ own Arch Manning and Parker’s teammate Cade Klubnik all seem to fall in the majority of top-five lists.

For Texas football players in fall practice, the last thing on their minds is where their names will be announced in April, but some do have to operate like it is a “contract year” (Eric’s favorite saying). Any player in Year 3 who’s currently starting is playing for an NFL Draft pick, and there’s no time left for seniors like DJ Campbell, Michael Taaffe, and Ethan Burke after 2025.

We’re entering year five of the Sarkisian era and have seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft. There’s still a lot left on the bone for this team, and more than one player on this list is currently on the roster.

QB: Arch Manning

At one point, Quinn Ewers was seen as a potential first-round pick, specifically after the win in Tuscaloosa and before the 2024 season. Still, Ewers’ hype pales in comparison to that of Manning, who is already seen as a top-five pick after just two career starts. Whether it’s in the 2026 class or 2027, it’s hard to see Manning not going in the top five given his talent and pedigree.

RB: Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks

It’s hard to argue that the top-drafted RBs in 2023 and 2024 are the best prospects of the Sark era. Bijan, alongside Ashton Jeanty this last year, is probably one of the two best RB prospects of the 2020s. He was a special player at Texas.

Brooks only started for one year in Austin but made the most out of it, rushing for over 1,100 yards in 10 games before suffering a season-ending injury against TCU. Had he not gotten hurt, Brooks would’ve likely gone even higher than the 46th pick. CJ Baxter also has the chance to eclipse Brooks, but we just don’t know what he’s going to be after injury.

WR: Xavier Worthy, Matthew Golden and Ryan Wingo

The first two are self-explanatory. Any first-round pick will show up on this list. The real hard part is picking No. 3 between Wingo and Adonai Mitchell. The most likely outcome for Wingo’s career is him being a late first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft after two years of starting in Austin. Mitchell was a mid-late second-rounder, though pre-draft he was seen as a potential first-rounder. Either could be your choice, but Wingo’s upside is too high to ignore.

TE: Ja’Tavion Sanders or Jack Endries

This is a tough one. Endries hasn’t played in a Texas uniform yet, but PFF has him as an early third-round-type prospect heading into the year. That’s higher than Sanders at the start of the fourth, but it’s hard to pick against the former five-star who was so athletically talented. Gunnar Helm deserves his own shoutout as well.

OT: Kelvin Banks and Trevor Goosby

Banks is an easy pick—we saw him as a top-10 guy since the moment he made his first start as a true freshman. Goosby is in competition with Christian Jones and Cameron Williams, both Day 3 picks. Goosby is a solid 2025 away from being, at worst, a third-rounder. He’s at a higher pedigree than both, though there were times when people mocked Williams as a first-rounder.

IOL: DJ Campbell, Hayden Conner, and Jake Majors or Neto Umeozulu

This is an odd one because we’ve basically seen the same 3–4 IOLs over the last three seasons, but one of them went undrafted. Conner was a sixth-rounder; Campbell will go higher than that in 2026, but Majors was never selected. Of the current group, Neto Umeozulu has more upside than Cole Hutson to become an NFL player thanks to his athleticism. The No. 3 spot in this group can be anyone.

EDGE: Colin Simmons and Barryn Sorrell

This was an easy one. Sorrell was a fourth-rounder this past year and is probably a better draft prospect than Ethan Burke, and Simmons is destined to be a top-10 selection in the 2027 class. Burke does need to be mentioned—he could be a Day 2 pick when it’s all said and done—but for now, Sorrell is higher.

DT: Byron Murphy, T’Vondre Sweat, and Alfred Collins

This may be the most stacked group of the entire list. A first-rounder and two second-rounders—they’re so good we opted for three players instead of two. Logic says one player on the current defensive line group becomes, at worst, a second-rounder, but we don’t know who that is yet.

LB: Anthony Hill, DeMarvion Overshown and Jaylan Ford

Hill will be a first-rounder after this year, and Overshown probably should’ve been taken higher than the 90th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He’s a stud. Ford was taken at pick 175 a year later and is in competition with Trey Moore for that third spot. We could definitely see Moore being drafted higher than Ford was, joining Hill and Overshown as these hybrid edge–LB types out of Austin.

CB: Jahdae Barron, Malik Muhammad, and ?

This is an odd one. Barron and Muhammad are obvious—they’ve been the two best CBs of the Sark era. No. 3, though, is an odd one. This is the only one where we’d maybe elevate a non-contributor from last season, like Kobe Black or even freshman Kade Phillips, because of their talent, but that feels wrong. Is it Ryan Watts, taken in the sixth round in 2024? It could also be Jaylon Guilbeau, but his current stock isn’t the highest. This has a big fat TBD written on that third spot.

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S: Andrew Mukuba and Michael Taaffe

While Jelani McDonald and Derek Williams have every chance to break out within the next two seasons and be a top-drafted player at their position, you have to give your respect to Mukuba, a second-rounder last year, and Taaffe, who will likely join him in that round. That duo was great in 2024, and Taaffe may be one of the best in the nation in 2025.