We are just 10 days away from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and more than at any time in Steve Sarkisian’s tenure at Texas, it feels like the draft stock of Texas’ top prospects is still very much in question.

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Sarkisian has produced a first rounder in three straight drafts, with the last two each having double-digit draftees departing from the team.

But for the 2026 draft, numbers feel drastically lower.

A clear factor in that is Texas’ ability to return talent like Arch Manning, Trevor Goosby, Hero Kanu and Jelani McDonald, all of whom would’ve been drafted if they had declared, the former two most likely in the first round.

Another is Texas’ lack of success in the 2025 season, missing the Playoff for the first time since 2022. As a result, it felt like many players either saw their stock decline or settle while being overtaken by playoff performers late in the season.

As it stands, Texas’ best draft prospect is still LB Anthony Hill Jr.

In Dane Brugler’s ‘The Beast’, arguably the most well-respected scouting guide in the entire industry, Brugler ranked Hill as the only Texas player in the top ten at their position.

He noted Hill as LB5, noting:

Hill needs to play with better control in his movements and take-on attempts, but he is a long, rangy athlete with the closing speed to impact the game in different ways. He has three-down starting potential, although volatility should be expected as he continues to develop.

That puts him behind the likes of Sonny Styles, Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen and Jake Golday, a second-to-third-round prospect. The 2026 consensus big board has him as LB4 and the No. 48 overall player.

Hill’s dreams of being a first rounder aren’t dead, but the more you read, the less you hear his name in those conversations. Still, an insider like Daniel Jeremiah has him as the 32nd best player in the class, showing there’s range in his industry expectations.

As it stands, Hill likely goes early in the second round. He continues to be linked to the Dallas Cowboys, who met with him on Monday. The Cowboys have no 2nd rounder, but have two firsts. Don’t be surprised if Pick 20 is traded back from in order to take him at a deeper spot in the first or early second.

Malik Muhammad is often seen as the next best prospect of that group. The problem is, neither Brugler nor consensus big boards have him as a top-ten corner in the class. CB11 in last year’s class went 85th.

Still, the position is pretty deep in the first three rounds in this year’s class, so Muhammad staying out of the spotlight isn’t overly surprising.

Brugler has him as a firm third-round graded player, saying:

Muhammad can be out-physicaled at times, but he plays with good reaction quickness and route instincts, which help him stay attached in man or zone. He projects as a starter, with shades of Greg Newsome II.

Projecting as a starter makes you believe he could sneak into the second round, but an early third rounder seems like a reasonable expectation for Muhammad.

Jack Endries is the only skill player with serious draft aspirations for Texas this year, and though his testing was solid after the season at the Shrine Bowl and Combine, the juice of him becoming a day two pick seems to be dwindling.

Brugler has him as TE11, a 4th-5th round grade, though we’d venture to say he’ll likely be one of the first eight tight ends taken.

The 4th round seems to be a reasonable expectation for him, as he doesn’t excel physically in any individual trait, but his hands give him a high floor as a future starter in the NFL.

Lastly, Michael Taaffe has one of the most intriguing draft stories in this year’s class, but how far can competitiveness and leadership really take him?

Well, that really depends. If a team believes they can mold him into a true starting NFL safety, he will go in the fourth round despite his undersized frame.

If not, he’ll mostly be added for special teams reasons, which is where you start looking at Round 5 territory.

Trey Moore is probably the lost Longhorn who will get any sort of notable draft, likely in Round 6. He’s going to be drafted to be a sub-package EDGE, a late down pass rusher, and a special teamer, but it’s really hard to project an ideal fit given his tweener size and positional fit.

It’s a thinner class for Texas, one that should clue you in on why there were so many struggles in 2025. There’s not a dominant skill player like Matthew Golden, Xavier Worthy or Bijan Robinson in the past. DJ Campbell is the only OL with any sort of draft stock. No one truly broke out as a prospect on the defensive side of the ball.

Texas expects to send far more athletes to the combine and draft in 2027 as they gear up for a CFP title run.

The 2026 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 23, at 7 P.M. CT on ESPN.