Nine Red Raiders were taken in the 2026 NFL Draft, snapping a 70-year-old record from 1956.
The 2025 Texas Tech football team adds another historical mark to resume. Not only did it win the Red Raiders their first Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff appearance, it also produced the largest draft class to come out of Lubbock in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Nine Red Raiders, six defensive and three offensive, were selected in the three-day event to snap a 70-year-old record, dating back to 1956 when six Red Raiders were drafted and the previous seven-round draft era record (1994-pres.) was in 2009 with four taken.
Texas Tech tied for the fourth-most drafted this year with Ohio State (11) in the lead and trailed by Alabama and Texas A&M with 10 each. It’s also the most by any Big 12 school this year by a substantial amount as Arizona, Arizona State, and Cincinnati came in second with four each.
Below are the nine Texas Tech athletes taken in the 2026 NFL Draft with round, pick number, position, and the team that drafted them.
Round 1 (No. 2): EDGE David Bailey, New York Jets
WELCOME TO NEW YORK DAVID BAILEY‼️
📰: https://t.co/yor2RWWphz pic.twitter.com/1uHPfsJklB
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 24, 2026
Round 2 (No. 43): LB Jacob Rodriguez, Miami Dolphins
Got the Big-12 DPOY 😤
With the 43rd pick, we have selected Jacob Rodriguez from @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/0w62klhvpP
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 24, 2026
Round 2 (No. 49): DT Lee Hunter, Carolina Panthers
Round 3 (No. 70): EDGE Romello Height, San Francisco 49ers
Living for the edge 😤@NetApp | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/rI79OY4OPh
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 25, 2026
Round 3 (No. 75): WR Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins
Got another Red Raider 👊
With the 75th pick, we have selected Caleb Douglas from @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/gIWMtyu4jV
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 25, 2026
Round 5 (No. 143): WR Reggie Virgil, Arizona Cardinals
Round 6 (No. 205): DT Skyler Gill-Howard, Detroit Lions
Round 7 (No. 234): QB Behren Morton, New England Patriots
Red Raider to the Pats ✨@BehrenMorton | @TexasTechFB pic.twitter.com/D0GqO8vXkG
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 25, 2026
Round 7 (No. 244): S Cole Wisniewski, Philadelphia Eagles
Heard y’all wanted a safety👇 pic.twitter.com/QLQLSMg92D
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 25, 2026
Two Red Raiders also signed to teams Saturday as undrafted free agents as outside linebacker Terrell Tilmon is headed to the Chicago Bears, and cornerback Dontae Balfour is joining Wisniewski in the secondary with the Eagles.
Two more signed as undrafted free agents Sunday with linebacker Bryce Ramirez signing with the Kansas City Chiefs and outside linebacker Charles Esters III packing up and moving to the New Orleans Saints.