Here’s where all 11 Texas Longhorns in the 2024 NFL Draft stand after the final 53-man rosters
From Byron Murphy II and Xavier Worthy in the first round all the way to Jordan Whittington in the sixth
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was proud to see 11 Longhorns get drafted last April. They all stuck, too.
The active 53-man rosters were finalized earlier this week, and all 11 who were drafted made it through training camp with their teams. Jonathan Brooks and Ryan Watts were put on injured reserve, and Christian Jones and Keilan Robinson got dinged up. But all in all, the Longhorns will have a strong rookie class when the season begins.
Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (Seattle) and receiver Xavier Worthy (Kansas City) were both first-round picks, so they were practically locks to make the 53-man roster. It was the first time since 2007 that Texas had two players taken in the first round.
Worthy has already turned heads with the Chiefs and earned praise from quarterback Patrick Mahomes for his ability to adjust on a route that led to a preseason touchdown.
Defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is now clogging up running lanes in Tennessee. In Indianapolis, receiver Adonai Mitchell impressed with an aggressive push into the end zone against the Cincinnati Bengals for a score. They were both second round picks.
Brooks, who was also taken in the second round, knew he’d have a slow road to the field while recovering from a torn ACL in November. “You kind of just have to look at your future,” Brooks told Panthers.com. “Like my running back coach says, Rome wasn't built overnight. You’ve kind of just got to look at yourself as somebody who wants to play the game for a long time.
“I just have to know that for me to have patience is going to help me further my career, especially with this injury because if I try to rush it back,” Brooks added. “I get hurt again, then it could potentially affect the rest of my career. So I just have to look at it as a bigger picture.”
Fourth-round pick tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders is in Carolina along with Brooks. Sanders caught three passes in the preseason, and it’s clear his receiver-like tools will translate at the next level.
“I’m just trying to be the next Greg Olsen,” Sanders told Panthers.com in May. “I’m trying to be the new face of the offense for sure.”
The fifth rounders have some bumps and bruises. Jones (Arizona) was put on short-term injured reserve while Robinson (Jacksonville) is sidelined with a toe issue. Linebacker Jaylan Ford (New Orleans) is a full go in the Big Easy. Last season, he was Texas’ defensive play-caller but now will be used primarily on special teams.
Watts was also put on injured reserve in Pittsburgh, but his fellow sixth-round pick, Jordan Whittington made the cut with the Los Angeles Rams. Whittington had multiple injuries over the years but still finished his career with the Longhorns and made it to the NFL.
A salute to Jordan Whittington, one of the most persistent, unbreakable Texas Longhorns in school history
Multiple injuries never derailed his dream, and now he’s a member of the Los Angeles Rams
If the Longhorns continue cranking out double-digit draft talent, there’s no telling how many SEC games Sarkisian and his staff can win.
“I said this when I first got here,” Sarkisian said Monday. “You know, we should always be hovering around 10 draft picks. If we do this right, if we recruit the right way, if we develop our players the way we should be developing them, if we have the team success which ultimately then lends itself to the individual accolades, awards and honors, one of which is being an NFL draft pick, we should always hover around that 10 number.
“Some years, it might be plus or minus two or three,” he added. “Where some years you maybe you get 12 to 13 guys picked. Maybe another year you have eight. I don’t know what that looks like, but I wouldn't be surprised again if we’re somewhere around that number of 10 come next spring for draft picks.”
