Texas football’s NFL pipeline has reached a point where the depth charts themselves are starting to read like a Longhorns reunion.
By 2026, former Texas players are spread all over the league, not just hanging around rosters but landing starting jobs, climbing into key backup roles and, in a few cases, already pushing for bigger responsibilities. For Steve Sarkisian, that kind of production is turning into one of the loudest sales pitches Texas can offer.
The biggest names are easy to spot. Bijan Robinson is still Atlanta’s RB1 and one of the most dangerous backs in football.
Xavier Worthy sits at the top of Kansas City’s receiver chart. Kelvin Banks Jr. has locked down left tackle in New Orleans, while Byron Murphy II, T’Vondre Sweat, Moro Ojomo and DeMarvion Overshown are all listed as first-team defenders.
And the list keeps going.
Texas has roughly 25 former players tagged as first-teamers or No. 1 specialists entering the 2026 preseason, with another sizable group sitting right behind the starters on the two-deep. That kind of spread across the league is the part that really jumps off the page.
The 2026 rookie class is already getting in on it, too.
Anthony Hill Jr., the linebacker picked No. 60 overall by Tennessee, is working with the second team and has a shot to carve out a larger defensive role. Malik Muhammad, taken No. 124 by Chicago, is already listed as CB2 behind Tyrique Stevenson.
Then there’s Trey Moore, who may be the most surprising early rise of the bunch. Miami grabbed him in the fourth round at No. 130, but he’s already showing up first at strong-side linebacker. Moore closed his final Texas season with 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks after putting up 5.5 sacks in 2024.
Miami’s depth chart also includes Michael Taaffe at FS2, DJ Campbell at RG2 and former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers at QB2.
Elsewhere around the league, Matthew Golden is WR1 in Green Bay, Jordan Whittington leads the Rams’ slot receiver group, Gunnar Helm is TE1 in Tennessee and Alfred Collins has moved into a starting role on San Francisco’s defensive line.
The broader picture is hard to miss. Texas has produced 34 NFL Draft picks from 2023 through 2026, including 11 in 2024, a school-record 12 in the seven-round era in 2025 and six more in 2026.
That’s what makes the current Longhorns pipeline stand out. Texas isn’t just getting players drafted. It’s sending them to the league and watching them become starters, rotational pieces and immediate contributors.
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