Heading into the 2026 college football season, the Texas Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian are expected to be among the biggest contenders to come away with a national championship. A deep and talented roster drives that expectation, and for anyone in the NFL Draft community, Texas sits near the top of the list at several positions when it comes to 2027 NFL Draft prospects. 

Over the last few days, I’ve spent a lot of time checking in with several scouting sources around the NFL to talk about the Texas NFL Draft prospects, uncover some behind-the-scenes information, and find out what has impressed and what has stuck out as scouts have been on the road visiting Austin over the last couple of weeks for fall camp.

Here is what I have been able to find, what folks should expect from this team, and just how good the 2027 crop can be from the Longhorns this cycle.

QB Arch Manning

The conversation starts with Arch Manning, who is reportedly up to 230 pounds this offseason on his 6-foot-4 frame. Manning’s 2025 season started on a rough foot, but the redshirt sophomore bounced back during that campaign with a strong finish. Now, as a redshirt junior, Manning is poised to be one of the best signal callers in the country and remains the early favorite to be the first overall selection in the 2027 NFL Draft.

While I still believe that to be the case early, there have been some scouts who have come through Austin a little underwhelmed. According to one current area scout I spoke to who was in over the last week or so, while he is a big fan of Arch as a prospect himself, that he did look pretty underwhelming in the practice that he said that he took in.

That seems to be a common thread across the scouting community. If we can judge by those opinions, it appears Manning has had a pretty underwhelming camp in general, which makes it worth watching how fast of a start he can get off to in 2026. I’m still buying stock in the talented passer who has legit 4.5 speed and a great pedigree. 

There are reasons for optimism, but the offseason has left people with slightly mixed reviews on his overall upside as a prospect, even if he does end up being the first overall selection next April.

EDGE Colin Simmons

Of all the prospects I discussed with scouting sources, Simmons generated the biggest rave reviews. According to one scout, “Simmons is everything I thought he was. My goodness, what a (expletive) alpha. He (expletive) wrecked practice and talked his talk the entire time. He made Melvin Siani back down. They said he’s been wearing Siani out ever since he got there.”

That is a great thing to hear about Simmons, who is reportedly up to 255 pounds after playing in the 240s a season ago. With increased power, he has a tremendous opportunity to be the first edge off the board in the 2027 NFL Draft, with South Carolina star Dylan Stewart being his main competition.

OT Trevor Goosby

Goosby has been in the news recently after a scare with a lower body injury that was proven to be a bone bruise. He is expected back early during the 2026 season, which was great news. 

From a physical stature perspective, he has all the frame and length you would want as a blindside protector at the NFL level, and he showed great improvements during the 2025 season with a couple of impressive outings down the stretch.

Goosby does carry a wide variety of opinions. His 2024 film, although a much smaller sample size, showed a more athletic player. In 2025, it appeared he was carrying some bad weight despite playing heavier. 

The biggest concern, according to multiple scouts this offseason, is the lack of overall play strength. He has enough range as an athlete to stick on the outside, and he is a coordinated player overall, but he needs to show more strength in his profile. 

One scout I spoke to said he still plays a little bit too soft, especially at the point of attack in the run game. That will have to be a major point of emphasis and improvement heading into the season.

OT Melvin Siani

One scout I spoke to this offseason about Wake Forest transfer Melvin Siani said he was body beautiful and looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle. He’s also a really impressive athlete with a ton of length to show great range. 

I’ve now spoken to at least three scouts who are buying early stock into Siani. While he needs to show that he can transition well from the ACC to the SEC, there’s no questioning that he has the overall physical profile to be a big riser in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The biggest question marks surround his technical development. He’s now working with offensive line coach Kyle Flood, so there’s reason for optimism on that front. He does need to play with better knee bend overall, but he is one of the early favorites to be a huge riser at offensive tackle in the 2027 class.

WR Cam Coleman

Everyone in Austin is excited about the former Auburn pass catcher. Coleman is reportedly up to 210 pounds for scouts this offseason and has been grinding in and out of the weight room, appearing laser-focused for what should be a massive junior season. 

Coleman was plagued by some drops during his time with Auburn, but the increased size has helped his play strength. That has shown throughout fall camp with his ability to play through contact and win more consistently at the catch point.

Some scouts I’ve spoken to believe Coleman has top-10 upside and could eventually rival Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. 

For now, he is the unquestioned leader to be the second wide receiver off the board early in the process. I have yet to hear anyone mention anything negative about his character. He has been putting in a lot of work since he first made it to Austin. There is no reason to believe he won’t have a massive 2026 season working with quarterback Arch Manning.

WR Ryan Wingo

I’ve heard some split opinions on Wingo this offseason. At about 210 pounds, he is a thoroughbred athlete. I’m told that he should test somewhere in the high 4.3s, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve watched his film. 

He is an explosive athlete at his size with a ton of overall upside as an after-the-catch weapon in a passing game. The problem has always been with drops, which was a massive issue for him in 2025.

A team source around Texas told me he has been incredibly consistent with his hands and overall ball skills throughout the offseason and showed massive improvements in that department. There has been an added attention to hand-eye coordination, including using some modern technology to improve that area of his game. 

I did, however, speak to one scout who was through Austin recently and said Wingo had a day that was tough in terms of drops, which showed back up on the field.

There’s a lot of cautious optimism for Wingo, who has an argument as one of the freakier overall athletes in the 2027 class at wide receiver. For me, he’s a wait-and-see prospect. He could end up being a first-rounder, or he could be a guy who needs to go back for another year if he struggles with those ball-skill and drop issues again. 

He’s a volatile player with a massive ceiling to tap into.

RB Raleek Brown

The USC and Arizona State transfer originally thought about entering the 2026 NFL Draft before opting to return to school and enter the transfer portal. He’s a smaller running back who weighed in at sub-200 pounds this offseason for scouts, but they are reportedly amazed by his overall explosiveness and big-play ability. 

One scout said, “I haven’t seen a twitchier athlete this offseason on the road. He’s an explosive weapon, but you have to understand that he’s not going to be for everyone. But for me and for us, he’s exactly what we’re looking for.”

It will be worth watching how Brown works alongside Hollywood Smothers in the backfield. Both play a similar role, while Brown is the more explosive of the two backs. He could see himself drafted inside the top 100 with a big 2026 season.

LB Rasheem Biles

The Pitt transfer is a player that I’m admittedly not incredibly high on. While his stats were impressive with the Panthers, he’s a smaller linebacker who I also didn’t think was quite the athlete I wanted for a player who lacked overall size and physicality. 

Despite that, it does appear there are some top-100 grades across the NFL on Biles early in this process.

According to a scout who was out to see him recently, “his eyes are just awesome. He seemingly has that instinct where he’s just always in the right spot. And while he wasn’t the most impressive athlete in the world, he just plays at such a high level, a high speed, and has such good reactionary skills.”

This is a player that I’m just not going to be as high on as the consensus, and even the NFL, it seems. The instincts are good, but I struggle to see him taking on blockers at the point of attack or consistently finishing plays at the NFL level. 

Only time will tell if I’m right.

S Jelani McDonald

Aside from Colin Simmons, there might not be a player who was talked about at a higher level than McDonald. 

Some scouts I’ve spoken to believe he has a chance to be the first safety off the board in the 2027 NFL Draft. I got a tip on McDonald last offseason before he had even become a full-time starter for the Longhorns about just how athletic, rangey, and how high of an upside this player has at the next level. 

He’s a great open-field tackler with smooth hips to play in deep coverage. According to a scouting source, his character is also off the charts.

McDonald is probably going to show up in most second-round mock drafts to begin the year, but don’t be surprised if he starts getting first-round love as the 2026 season goes on.