Sources: Trevor Goosby faces a complicated 2027 NFL Draft decision as multiple scouts and a surgeon weigh in on his injury outlook
Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby has a long rehab and one year of eligibility in front of him. Here is what I’ve learned about his path.
On Oct. 24, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Arch Manning escaped with a 34-27 win over the Ole Miss Rebels, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Texas followed that performance with an impressive 31-3 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs last weekend.
However, the win over Ole Miss came at a high cost. All-American left tackle Trevor Goosby will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn left patellar tendon. The talented blindside protector underwent surgery on Oct. 27, beginning what will be a lengthy rehabilitation process.
Goosby’s injury immediately raised questions about how Sarkisian and the Longhorns would handle the loss of one of their most important offensive players. It also created a much bigger question about Goosby’s individual future.
With a year of college eligibility potentially remaining, the Texas offensive tackle has two options. He could return to Austin, complete his rehabilitation, and attempt to rebuild his draft stock during another season with the Longhorns. Alternatively, he could declare for the 2027 NFL Draft and enter the professional ranks following his recovery.
For now, it doesn’t appear that a decision is imminent. That leaves plenty of room for speculation between now and the NFL Draft declaration deadline early next year.
To get a better understanding of the injury, the recovery timeline, and Goosby’s standing around the NFL, I’ve spent the last week speaking with as many league sources as possible. I also spoke with Dr. Scott Arthur of the Bone and Joint Institute of Tennessee in Franklin, Tennessee. Dr. Arthur is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and the treatment of the knee, shoulder, and elbow.
Before the injury, Goosby was widely viewed as a potential first-round selection in the 2027 NFL Draft. After gathering feedback from multiple NFL scouts and speaking with a medical professional, here’s what I’ve learned about where things stand.
Trevor Goosby’s background and rise at Texas
Goosby’s journey to becoming one of the more intriguing offensive tackle prospects in the country hasn’t exactly followed a traditional path.
A native of Melissa, Texas, Goosby was a highly regarded offensive line recruit who stayed home to play for the Longhorns. He arrived in Austin in 2023 and spent his first season developing before beginning to work his way into the offensive line rotation.
His opportunity came in 2024 when an injury to Kelvin Banks Jr. forced Goosby into action at left tackle against Texas A&M. He made his first career start at the position in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia before also seeing action in the College Football Playoff.
Goosby took another significant step forward in 2025, earning the starting left tackle job and starting all 13 games. His performance earned him First-Team All-SEC recognition from the conference’s coaches and helped establish him as one of the better returning offensive linemen in college football.
That momentum carried into 2026. Goosby entered the season with preseason All-American recognition, first-team All-SEC expectations, and legitimate first-round NFL Draft buzz.
There is also an important part of his background that shouldn’t be overlooked. Goosby underwent open-heart surgery as a teenager to repair a congenital heart defect. He eventually returned to football and developed into one of the most important players on Texas’ roster. His journey was even recognized when he was named a nominee for the 2026 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
Now, following the patellar tendon injury, Goosby faces another significant challenge as he determines the next step in his football career.
What NFL scouts are saying about Trevor Goosby
A current area scout on the NFC side of the league told me that Goosby “had been planning on entering the NFL Draft. That was the expectation even before the season started.”
Now, however, the scout believes Goosby is undecided about his immediate future. He added that Goosby will “likely want to get a better understanding of the rehabilitation process and how long his recovery could take before making a decision.” As a result, he doesn’t anticipate anything happening soon.
The same scout believes that “if the rehabilitation goes well and everything checks out medically in time for next April’s draft, Goosby still has a legitimate chance to be a first-round pick.”
A couple of different injuries have prevented his game from taking off quite the way some people around the league had hoped. Even so, he has plenty of quality tape from the past two seasons, and the scout emphasized that “his makeup remains very high.”
There is another factor that could work in Goosby’s favor: the overall strength of the 2027 offensive tackle class.
According to that scout, “the draft class as a whole isn’t shaping up quite the way people around the league expected.” He hopes some prospects can elevate their stock over the remainder of the season, but as things currently stand, this isn’t the historic group many anticipated during the preseason.
That could create an opportunity for a healthy Goosby to move up the board if he decides to declare.
I also spoke with a different area scout from the NFC South. He isn’t quite as high on Goosby, but he certainly appreciates what the Texas offensive tackle brings to the table.
He echoed the idea that Goosby has an important decision ahead of him, although he also doesn’t have a clear timetable for when that decision will come.
This particular scout views Goosby’s performance this season as average, although he was quick to emphasize that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
He still believes Goosby has shown plenty of quality when healthy. The run game is where he sees some limitations, describing that portion of his game as “fine” while pointing out that Goosby is more of a positional blocker than someone who consistently moves defenders off the point of attack.
Where Goosby provides significant value is at left tackle.
The scout likes his ability to mirror defenders in pass protection and maintain his balance throughout reps, even if he can be a little tight in the hips. He also pointed to Goosby’s effectiveness on down blocks.
“On solo blocks, however, a running back needs to make a decision relatively quickly. Goosby can struggle to sustain those blocks and consistently create movement at the point of attack.”
The scout also brought up the overall state of offensive line play across the NFL. In his opinion, “the position has taken a step backward as a whole, making quality offensive linemen increasingly difficult to find.”
That is one of the biggest reasons he still believes Goosby could be selected relatively high if he decides to enter the draft.
While the two scouts have somewhat different evaluations of Goosby’s overall game, there is a common thread: Both believe his draft potential remains significant, and neither believes the injury automatically eliminates him from first-round consideration.
What a surgeon says about the recovery timeline
My conversation with Dr. Arthur helped provide some additional perspective on what Goosby could be facing over the next several months.
“A torn patellar tendon is a significant injury, and the rehabilitation process can be challenging,” Dr. Arthur explained. “However, the average recovery timeline following surgery is approximately nine months.”
Goosby underwent his procedure on Oct. 27. Using that average, a nine-month recovery would put him around late July 2027, potentially bringing him back to full health around the beginning of NFL training camps.
Dr. Arthur also explained that “the medical community has learned considerably more about patellar tendon injuries over the last decade or so. Doctors have become better equipped to understand the injury and its recovery process, although they are still gathering information to better identify potential setbacks and establish more precise timelines.”
One additional consideration is Goosby’s size.
“Recovery can be somewhat more complicated for bigger offensive linemen because of the physical demands placed on their knees. This injury has historically been challenging to return to the previous level, but with newer techniques and rehab, there is optimism for complete recovery.”
That doesn’t mean every recovery follows the same path. Some patients experience setbacks, and the process of gradually returning to full football activity depends heavily on how the individual responds to rehabilitation.
The important distinction here is that a nine-month recovery is an average, not a guaranteed timetable. Goosby’s progress, medical evaluations, and ability to handle the physical demands of football will ultimately determine when he can return.
Still, the initial timeline provides some reason for optimism.
Where things stand with Trevor Goosby
Going into my conversation with Dr. Arthur, I had several questions about how smoothly this recovery could go and what it might mean for Goosby’s NFL future.
There is no perfect comparison when evaluating an injury like this. Every player responds differently, and there is no guarantee that Goosby will be ready for the start of the 2027 NFL season.
However, if he can get through rehabilitation without any major setbacks and return to full health on a reasonable timeline, declaring for the 2027 NFL Draft becomes a much more realistic option.
Based on the scouting feedback I’ve gathered, I believe Goosby could be best served by entering the draft, particularly if the offensive tackle class continues to fall short of expectations.
There is a difference between being viewed as a first-round talent and actually being selected in the first round, especially when an injury of this magnitude is involved. Teams will undoubtedly want extensive medical information before committing significant draft capital to him.
But if the medical evaluations are positive and teams remain comfortable with his long-term outlook, there is a legitimate opportunity for Goosby to maintain his first-round potential.
The next several months will ultimately determine which direction he takes.
For now, the feedback I’ve gathered is encouraging. The scouts I spoke with still recognize his talent and believe he has a chance to be selected relatively high. Meanwhile, the conversation with Dr. Arthur provided a better understanding of the recovery process and why there is reason to be optimistic, provided everything continues to progress as expected.
Goosby has already overcome significant obstacles during his football journey. Now he faces another one, with an NFL career potentially waiting on the other side.
His decision will be one of the more fascinating storylines to follow as we approach the 2027 NFL Draft.
Only time will tell. But after spending the last week gathering information from NFL evaluators and a medical professional, I’m considerably more encouraged about Goosby’s situation than I was when I started digging.
