What to expect for Texas Longhorns NFL Draft prospects on day two

After Byron Murphy was selected by the Seattle Seahawks and Xavier Worthy was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs, 11 more Texas Longhorns continue to await hearing their name called in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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With the second day of the draft on Friday, Inside Texas assesses where Longhorns like Adonai Mitchell, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jonathon Brooks, and T’Vondre Sweat could be picked during the second and third rounds of the draft.

Adonai Mitchell, WR

The Buffalo Bills’ decision to make two trades from No. 28 to 32 and from No. 32 to No. 33 likely cost Mitchell a spot in the top 32 as Kansas City made a trade with the Bills to grab Worthy at No. 28 and Carolina flipped places to grab Xavier Legette at No. 32. If Mitchell was Buffalo’s top target the whole time, the Bills’ front office made some astute decisions to gather more picks while maintaining the chance to get their guy. Mitchell misses on first-round money but he goes to a franchise still in annual contention with a top-tier QB in Josh Allen.

Prediction: Not waiting long on Friday.

The Athletic grade: 1st-2nd round

Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE

Sanders leaves Texas first in school history in receptions, second in receiving yards, and with the record for most yards by a tight end in a single season. He recorded three separate 100-yard games, including a 114-yard performance at Alabama. One of the most effective players in Steve Sarkisian‘s offense, Sanders’ tape earned him TE2 consideration in this year’s draft behind Brock Bowers.

Then, his lackluster NFL Combine and Texas pro day occurred. A 4.69 40-yard dash is one thing, eight bench press reps is another.

Like most tight ends leaving college, there are still plenty of aspects about the position for Sanders to improve upon. After all, he’s only been a full-time tight end for three years. He may get dinged for some of his physical benchmarks, but the film tells the full story of Sanders and gives him a strong chance of being a day two selection even if he isn’t TE2.

Prediction: 3rd-4th round

The Athletic Grade: 2nd-3rd round

T’Vondre Sweat, DT

The 2023 Outland Trophy winner, unanimous All-American at defensive tackle, and the Big 12 defensive player of the year had one of the best seasons by a defensive player in school history. With Murphy alongside him, Sweat made running the football against the Longhorns a non-starter for opposing offenses. Texas had the No. 3 rush defense in the nation thanks to Sweat functioning as an immovable object.

It took five years for Sweat to get to that point, but once his motor was running it had a lot of horsepower. That motor had to run because of his weight. Sweat was listed by Texas at 362 pounds throughout the course of the season, and at the NFL Combine he checked in at 366. That indicates he may have been playing a bit heavier than that, one of a number of concerns about Sweat.

The other was his recent DWI arrest. Sweat could be one of the largest humans in the league and pair that with incredible ability to hold the point of attack and push the pocket from the defensive tackle spots. He has to remain motivated and keep his eyes on the prize. For a NFL franchise, the arrest functions as a red flag.

Still, he’s a strong player and would fit in a number of different defenses. His off-field issue may have cost him a round or two, but day two isn’t completely out of the question.

Prediction: Round 3-4

The Athletic grade: 4th round

Jonathon Brooks, RB

Brooks is not even 21 yet operates with an extremely mature mindset. His skills aren’t all that bad either, and Stan Drayton deserves a tip of the cap for being one of the few college coaches who saw a future draft pick in the Hallettsville product.

After a couple of years spent behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, and even after a game or two behind CJ Baxter in 2023, Brooks took over Texas’ RB1 duties and never looked back. He rushed for 1139 yards in 11 games, scoring 10 touchdowns on the ground and adding one more through the air. He showed the ability to run past defenders in the open field and through the line of scrimmage.

But against TCU late in the season, Brooks tore his ACL in his right knee. While all medicals (the Dallas Cowboys team doctor performed the surgery, by the way) at this juncture have checked out and teams (like the Cowboys) rave about Brooks, the ACL injury may give some teams pause before calling Brooks. That pause won’t last that long as he’s the consensus RB1 in the draft and day two is when players ranked that way typically are picked.

Prediction: 2nd round

The Athletic grade: 2nd-3rd round

Christian Jones, OT

Extra seasons were godsends for Jones, as it gave him more time to develop and opportunity to move over to his more natural right tackle position. There, opposite Kelvin Banks, Jones gave Texas one of the more formidable tackle tandems in the entire country. There were even times Jones outplayed the former five-star in Banks.

Jones brought a physicality at his size that was rarely seen at Texas in recent years. Plus, his mean streak was on display often.

Jones has shown year-over-year improvement ever since he stepped on campus (and went through his first pass-set with former O-line coach Herb Hand). He went from “is this guy a Power Conference player” to “how high will he be picked in a few short years?”

A player with tackle length, Jones offers a versatility for teams who may want to use him at guard. He has the size to be able to clear people in the run game, but might have some struggles against the league’s elite pass-rushers. Those struggles aren’t as magnified at guard, where he could enjoy a lengthy NFL career.

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Prediction: 4th round

The Athletic grade: 4th round