After having a program-record 14 players invited to the NFL Combine, the Longhorns have a chance to set the record for most players taken in a seven-round draft.
“Through team success come the individual accolades, awards, honors, and draft picks.”
One of Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s favorite phrases is about to play starting on Thursday as the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway in Green Bay and former Longhorns parlay the team success of back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoffs into the individual honor of being selected in the draft.
There’s unquestionably a correlation between the program’s trajectory and its success in the NFL Draft. After Texas went 5-7 in Sarkisian’s first season in 2021, the Longhorns didn’t have any players selected in the draft for only the fourth time in the history of the draft. When the record improved to 8-5 the following season, five players were picked, including running back Bijan Robinson in the first round. And then 11 Texas players were selected in 2024 after the 12-2 season that included a Big 12 championship and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, the second most of any team behind national champion Michigan.
It’s a deep group of Longhorn talent that is projected to become the first Texas draft class since 1980 to have three first-round draft picks after a program-record 14 players were invited to the NFL Combine. If all of those players are drafted, the Longhorns will break the program record for a seven-round draft set last year.
In line with Sarkisian’s mantra of “All Gas, No Brakes,” there’s plenty of speed in the group, as wide receiver Matthew Golden (4.29), running back Jaydon Blue (4.38), cornerback Jahdae Barron (4.39) and wide receiver Isaiah Bond (4.39) all ran sub-4.4 40-yard dashes in Indianapolis, the first time any program has accomplished that feat at the combine.
There’s plenty of beef in the trenches, too. Texas could have four offensive linemen selected in the draft with left tackle Kelvin Banks set to become the first Longhorns offensive lineman picked in the first round since Mike Williams was the fourth overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2002. The Longhorns are also projected to have three defensive linemen drafted — EDGE Barryn Sorrell, defensive tackle Alfred Collins, and defensive tackle Vernon Broughton — which would give Texas 29 defensive linemen selected in the last 26 NFL Drafts.
“I surely want every position group to have guys getting drafted, right? I mean, the fact that we’ve got more d-linemen going in the draft again this year, we’ve got another running back in the draft this year, we’ve got more receivers, we’ve got DBs, and so we’re putting players in the NFL at multiple positions,” Sarkisian said.
At some point during the draft, Quinn Ewers will become the first quarterback selected during the Sarkisian era, almost certainly becoming the highest-drafted quarterback out of Texas since Colt McCoy was a third-round pick in 2010.
“I think it’s a good sign for us that we’re developing players at multiple positions, especially at that one, because it is so critical to the success of any football team. If you don’t have a quarterback, it’s really hard, and we’ve been fortunate to have a good one for the last three years. Quinn is going to make a great pro,” Sarkisian said.
In the lead up to the draft, Sarkisian has spent some time preparing his former players for the experience.
“As I tell these guys when we’re recruiting them, this is one of the few times in high school where you get to choose where you get to go to school. And a lot of these guys, obviously, they all chose to come to University of Texas for all the different reasons which we touched on. This is a different process — this is when they choose you,” Sarkisian said.
Sarkisian also emphasizes the importance of fit over selection number.
“So many times it’s about going to the right fit. Everybody wants to get as drafted as early as possible because it feels good in the moment, that the sooner you go, the better it feels. But in reality, it’s about where are you going, and are you a good fit for that scheme and that coaching staff?”
In addition, Texas players are prepped about the need to change their mindset as soon as they get drafted to take advantage of their situation.
“What do you do with the opportunity? So there’s that instantaneous moment of hearing your name called and watching your name go across the ticker, and that’s a great feeling. But at that moment, you’ve got to shift gears mentally and say, okay, now how am I going to attack this next opportunity?” Sarkisian said.
One of the players that the Longhorns staff regularly uses as an example is Brenden Schooler, an Oregon transfer who played wide receiver and safety for Texas before going undrafted in 2022, a result that Sarkisian attributes in part to the team’s 5-7 season that resulted in fewer NFL personnel at the Texas Pro Day that year.
“All that guy has done in the NFL is found a role and found a way, and he’s a special team demon. He plays his tail off. He’s found a role with the Patriots and is a guy that is very well respected. So I think that serves well for a lot of our guys, because everybody wants to be a first-round pick. But just because you’re a first-round pick doesn’t mean you’re going to play in the NFL for a long time. It doesn’t mean you’re going to get a second contract if you don’t perform, if you don’t work at your craft, and so for Schooler to be on a second contract now and getting paid is awesome,” Sarkisian said.
In recent days, Sarkisian has split his time between spring practice, successfully attacking the NCAA transfer portal, and fielding calls from NFL teams about his players heading into the draft.
“My phone has started to go like it usually does around this time of the year with head coaches and general managers starting to call and getting that last piece of information that they’re looking for, whether it’s practice habits off the field, whatever those things are,” Sarkisian said.
With the possibility of tying or breaking Georgia’s record for the most players selected in a seven-round draft at 15 in 2022, Sarkisian is entering the draft with optimism.
“I think a lot of our players are in a great spot. I’m hopeful a ton of our guys get drafted, because I think a lot of our players will really be assets for the organizations that choose them,” Sarkisian said.
The first round of the draft begins on Thursday at 7 p.m. Central on ESPN with the second and third rounds starting on Friday at 6 p.m. Central and the final four rounds on Saturday at 11 a.m. Central.