The Texas Longhorns' 2024 draft class posted strong rookie seasons in the NFL

After a breakout season for the Texas Longhorns in 2023, head coach Steve Sarkisian sent a program-record 11 players to the 2024 NFL Draft, a number that this year’s 2025 class will look to shatter after another College Football Playoff semifinal appearance.

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The 2024 draft saw two Longhorns, Byron Murphy and Xavier Worthy, drafted in the first round and three others drafted within the next 22 picks of the second. Texas was one of just four schools, alongside draft powerhouses Alabama and Georgia and CFP runner-up Washington, with five players drafted in the first two rounds, and the only one that accounted for five of the first 55 NFL draft picks.

While no Longhorn is expected to win any Rookie of the Year nominations, there are a few standouts that headline the future of the Longhorns in the NFL.

No Texas-Ex had a better rookie season than nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat. The 2023 Outland Trophy winner has been one of the few bright spots of the Tennessee Titans this year, the team that will be picking first overall in the 2025 draft. Of the 14 rookie defensive linemen that have played over 200 snaps this season, Sweat is first in tackles and second in stops and pressures despite playing strictly from the nose tackle spot. His huge frame and tenacity have led to him being far and away Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded interior defensive lineman of this rookie class, and he should be a sure-fire selection to the all-rookie team.

You can’t talk about Sweat and the Longhorns without reminiscing on his partner in Murphy. Murphy hasn’t quite lived up to his top-16 selection in the draft during his rookie season, but it’s hard to stand out on a middle of the road team in the Seattle Seahawks paired with strong NFL starters Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed. Murphy has been forced into a more uncomfortable nose tackle role, but he’s still second in quarterback hurries and third in most important DT stats. If not for athletic freak Braden Fiske one could easily see Murphy making the all-rookie team with Sweat, but for now, he’ll have to focus on a breakout sophomore season in 2025.

Onto the offense, Texas’ other first round pick has easily been the headline of Texas’ NFL season. Worthy scored two touchdowns in his first NFL game and has been a solid starter for the No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs since. Worthy has 742 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns as Patrick Mahomes‘ best outside receiving option in 2024, and would’ve been one of the better statistical receivers in many draft classes. Unfortunately for Worthy, 2024’s historic class included Brian Thomas Jr., Ladd McConkey, Malik Nabers, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze, all of who eclipsed Worthy in receiving yards. Worthy’s talents will be on display as the Chiefs take on the Houston Texans in the AFC divisional round.

Another two Texas receivers made their mark in the receiving world this season, with Jordan Whittington and Adonai Mitchell combining for 605 yards on the season for the Rams and Colts, respectively. Whittington has, as many expected, turned into a hustle-first fan favorite in Los Angeles, while Mitchell’s talent has been dampened by a crowded receiver room and arguably the league’s worst QB play. Joining them to round out the the four pass catchers in the ’24 class is Ja’Tavion Sanders, who is only behind Brock Bowers on the rookie tight end receiving yards leaderboard.

These six players have turned into solid starters or rotation level players for their respective teams, with all six playing in 14 or more games. Texas had five others drafted in the NFL draft, with three guys, Jaylan Ford, Keilan Robinson and Christian Jones, playing in a combined 16 games as primary backups and special teams players for their teams.

The other two players, Jonathon Brooks and Ryan Watts, have unfortunately started their careers in the worst way possible: sidelined by injury. Just like his backup CJ Baxter from 2023, Brooks suffered a season-ending injury that has only allowed him to take nine carries in three games. Brooks tore his ACL at Texas last season, forcing him to sit out the first 10 games of the Panthers’ season. But just three games later, Brooks tore the exact same right ACL against the Eagles, ending his season before it really started.

For Watts, the Pittsburgh Steelers used a sixth round pick on the cornerback turned safety but have yet to see him in regular season action. A pinched nerve in the team’s final preseason game meant that Watts would miss the entirety of the 2024 season, but a thin safety room should allow him to make an impact in 2025.

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Texas is expected to send another double-digit group of NFL draftees in this year’s draft, and with guys like Sweat and Worthy already making a huge difference in the NFL, it’s only a matter of time before we see the likes of Kelvin Banks Jr. and Matthew Golden making their name known at the next level.