{"id":173982,"date":"2026-02-21T06:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T06:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/173982\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T06:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T06:02:14","slug":"7-texas-football-players-try-to-raise-draft-stock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/173982\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Texas football players try to raise draft stock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seven Texas footbal<\/a>l players\u00a0drew invitations<\/a> to this year’s NFL scouting combine, which takes place Feb. 22 through March 2 in Indianapolis. That\u2019s a drop from the past two seasons, when Texas had a school-record 14 invitations<\/a>\u00a0to the 2025 combine and\u00a011 to the 2024<\/a>\u00a0event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the 2026 NFL Combine and the seven invited Longhorns.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

When is the NFL Combine 2026?<\/p>\n

The NFL Scouting Combine will be held from Sunday, Feb. 22, to Monday, March 2.<\/p>\n

Each day focuses on different groups of position players. Here’s the drill schedule:<\/p>\n

Thursday, Feb. 26 \u2014\u00a0Defensive linemen, linebackers<\/p>\n

Friday, Feb. 27 \u2014 Defensive backs, tight ends<\/p>\n

Saturday, Feb. 28 \u2014 Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs<\/p>\n

Sunday, March 1 \u2014 Offensive linemen<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Where is the NFL Combine 2026?<\/p>\n

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Colts) in Indianapolis. The combine has been held annually in Indianapolis since 1987.<\/p>\n

MORE: Why the Texas-Notre Dame football series must go on: It makes too much cents | Golden<\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

How can I watch the NFL Combine 2026?<\/p>\n

You can watch the NFL Scouting Combine on the following:<\/p>\n

Combine airs on NFL Network and\u00a0can Stream on NFL+\u00a0<\/p>\n

Who will be at the NFL Combine 2026?<\/p>\n

The NFL invited 319 prospects to attend this year’s event. The full list of invitees can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

What drills are at the NFL Scouting Combine?<\/p>\n

Here are the following drills to be performed at the NFL Scouting Combine:<\/p>\n

40-yard dash
\nBench press
\nVertical jump
\nBroad jump
\nThree-cone drill
\n20-yard shuttle
\n60-yard shuttle<\/p>\n

When is the NFL Draft 2026?<\/p>\n

The\u00a0NFL draft\u00a0<\/a>will take place April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. Last spring, Texas had\u00a0a program-record 12 players drafted<\/a>, which broke a one-year-old mark set in 2024 when UT sent 11<\/a> to the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Which Texas football players are invited to the NFL Combine?<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s crop of Texas players with NFL combine invitations includes offensive lineman\u00a0DJ Campbell<\/a>, tight end\u00a0Jack Endries<\/a>, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.<\/a>, defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau<\/a>, linebacker\/edge rusher Trey Moore<\/a>, defensive back Michael Taaffe<\/a> and defensive back Malik Muhammad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to watch for each Longhorn.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) celebrates a stop on fourth down against Kentucky Wildcats in the third quarter during the second half of an NCAA college football game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov 24, 2024.<\/p>\n

Ricardo B. Brazziell\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Anthony Hill Jr., linebacker <\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 6-foot-3, 238-pound middle linebacker, who declared early for the NFL draft after three seasons at Texas, projects as a late first-round or second-round pick.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: With prototypical size and athleticism, Hill could close in on a round-one selection by clocking a 4.6 or faster in the 40-yard dash.<\/p>\n

Malik Muhammad, defensive back<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: Like Hill, The 6-foot, 188-pound cornerback declared early<\/a> for the NFL draft after three seasons at Texas. He projects as a second- or third-round pick.<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Muhammad plays bigger than his size, and a favorable arm-length measurement and vertical leap will help confirm his ability to defend bigger receivers.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Jack Endries, tight end<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 6-4, 238-pound Endries<\/a>, who spent one season at Texas after transferring in from California, projects as a mid-round pick who could jump up to the third round with strong pre-draft workouts.<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Endries needs to show nearly elite speed considering his slim frame limits him as a blocker at the next level. Last year, three tight ends ran a sub 4.7 at the combine, and Endries may need to hit that mark.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns defensive back Michael Taffe (16) walks the field during the game against San Jos\u00e9 State at Darrell K Royal\u2013Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Michael Taaffe, defensive back<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 6-foot, 189-pound Taaffe played five seasons at Texas after originally joining the Longhorns as a walk-on from nearby Westlake<\/a>. He projects as a mid-round pick<\/a> because of his versatility even though he spent most of his time at Texas as a safety.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Taaffe has underrated athleticism that could be evident in drills like the three-cone and shuttles, but he needs a strong 40 time to alleviate concerns about his straight-line speed.<\/p>\n

DJ Campbell, offensive line<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 6-3, 321-pound Campbell, who played four seasons as a guard after joining the Longhorns as a five-star prospect out of Arlington, projects\u00a0as a late-round pick<\/a> who could work his way into the third or fourth round.<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Campbell has a reputation as a mauler who sometimes struggles in pass protection, so good performances in the shuttle and cone drills will show scouts he has the footwork to handle the inside rush. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns linebacker Trey Moore (8) pressures Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) during the game at Darrell K Royal\u2013Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Austin.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Trey Moore, edge\/linebacker<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 6-3, 250-pounder arrived at Texas for the 2024 season from UTSA as an edge rusher who dominated at the lower level of competition but switched to linebacker in 2025. He projects as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Moore is a tweener who lacks length or burst as a pass rusher, which means his NFL future could be at outside linebacker. He\u2019ll need to show adequate speed and agility as well as some ball skills to show scouts he\u2019s comfortable in space. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Jaylon Guilbeau, cornerback<\/p>\n

Projected draft position: The 5-10, 186-pound cornerback, a part-time starter during his four seasons at Texas, projects as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.<\/p>\n

What will help at combine: Guilbeau likely doesn\u2019t have the length or speed to play on the outside and projects as a slot coverman because of his quick-twitch ability to change directions. That means he\u2019ll need to shine in the shuttle and cone drills.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seven Texas football players\u00a0drew invitations to this year’s NFL scouting combine, which takes place Feb. 22 through March…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[21872,132,134,133,261,70342,537,536],"class_list":{"0":"post-173982","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-austin","10":"tag-austin-headlines","11":"tag-austin-news","12":"tag-college-football","13":"tag-nfl-scouting-combine","14":"tag-texas-longhorns","15":"tag-texas-longhorns-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}