The NFL will be closely watching Texas vs Ohio State

While most of the NFL world gets to take one more week before their own kickoffs, scouts have already begun the process of identifying the talent that could potentially hit the pros in next year’s NFL Draft.

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Eight months ago, these same scouts had their eyes glued to the field as Ohio State took down Texas 28-14. Three months later, 26 of those players heard their names called on the stage of the 2025 NFL Draft.

With a new season comes new players to watch out for in the college football world, both for this year’s draft and the next one. As far as future selections go, few games will feature the amount of raw NFL talent that will be on display for Saturday’s rematch between the Buckeyes and Longhorns.

Front and center of it all will be Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. In Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s initial top 50 for the 2026 NFL Draft, the expert ranked Downs as the fourth-best prospect of the group, arguing that Downs may be the best overall player in the draft. Because of positional valuations, it’s unlikely Downs turns into a top-five pick, but he’s one of the most talented pure safeties we’ve seen in the CFB world over the last decade.

But somehow, there’s someone higher on the list than Downs. Brugler, though hesitantly, did include Texas QB Arch Manning in his top 50, ranking him second only behind Clemson’s Peter Woods. Brugler noted that Manning has a strong chance of being a part of the 2027 draft class, but scouts will be extremely interested to see how he fares in his first start as the guy in Austin.

You don’t have to go much farther down the list to find a pair of middle linebackers: Ohio State’s Sonny Styles at 24 and Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. at 33. Both headline a potentially elite LB class filled with excellent athletes and proven production. Both are great examples of that.

The defensive side of the ball is where many eyes will be fixed, as the Longhorns possess two potential first-rounders in the secondary with CB Malik Muhammad and Michael Taaffe. Muhammad is the more likely of the two to receive a first-round selection, but Taaffe returns as one of the Longhorns’ best players for 2025. Ohio State’s secondary also has two intriguing prospects in Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Davison Igbinosun. Matthews will need to prove it over a full starting season, but he looked fantastic in flashes in 2024. Igbinosun had penalty problems last year, but looked like a potential high-impact player after a really good 2023. If he reverts to that status, he will climb draft rankings.

Lastly on defense, Ohio State’s EDGE Kenyatta Jackson has climbed preseason hype trains and lands at 47th on Brugler’s list. He’s big, strong, and learned from two of the best in last year’s class.

Offensively, the pass catchers are what will really catch the eyes of NFL scouts. Ohio State rosters the two best in the 2026 class in WR Carnell Tate and TE Max Klare, both seen as top-40 prospects by Brugler. But Texas brings its own pair in WR DeAndre Moore Jr. and TE Jack Endries. Endries is already fairly touted as a prospect, and Moore is expected to take a large leap in 2025 to become a potential Day Two pick in the NFL.

Lastly, on the offensive line, it’s all about projecting left tackles. Brugler already has Texas’ monster LT Trevor Goosby as a top-40 prospect, and a few good games from OSU’s Austin Siereveld will put him in similar conversations. Both are sensational athletes who have been admired by their coaches for their work ethic and leadership early in their careers.

Looking past 2026, the 2027 draft may be even more loaded for scouts of this game. You could argue that the top three picks in 2027 are playing in this game between Manning, Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith, and Texas EDGE Colin Simmons. Smith is a generational WR prospect, while Simmons was the only other freshman with an argument to be as lethal as Smith last year.

Additionally, Texas WR Ryan Wingo and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin are expected to be prominent skill players in 2027, as both are taking on major roles as true sophomores in their programs.

A few other players that deserve shoutouts include Texas RBs CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner, Ohio State DT Kayden McDonald, Texas RG DJ Campbell, Ohio State WR Brandon Inniss, and Texas LB Trey Moore.

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Even before the season has started, one could easily find 25 players between these two teams who will have some sort of draft pedigree. There are future top-five picks, future first-rounders, and many important role players littered on these teams. The talent is there; now it’s up to head coaches Steve Sarkisian and Ryan Day to take their teams onto The Shoe for one of the best matchups of the season.