Who will be the top Longhorns drafted in 2026?

As much as you can criticize Pro Football Focus for its sometimes questionable grading or paywall-backed statistics, the website is prompt in updating anything and everything regarding the NFL Draft.

Almost as soon as the 2025 NFL Draft concluded on Saturday, PFF updated its 2026 NFL Draft Big Board, ranking its top 200 players one year in advance.

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Of course, these rankings are very unpolished. Last year’s April Big Board had Isaiah Bond and Quinn Ewers as second-round picks, with Matthew Golden nowhere to be found. At the time, those rankings had validity—no one expected the fates of those three Longhorns—but you still need to take them with a grain of salt.

Still, who does PFF expect to be the top picks out of Austin this time next year?

No. 4 Overall (No. 1 QB): Arch Manning

PFF admitted that Manning was hard to place on their board, but this still feels a little hasty. Manning has only played 260 snaps in college football, and it will be his first year starting. That’s not to mention that the prevailing school of thought is that Manning will wait until 2027 to enter the draft process.

Still, PFF must do its due diligence and include him in these rankings. He starts above returning SEC starters like Garrett Nussmeier and LaNorris Sellers, as well as players with CFP experience like Drew Allar, Sam Leavitt, and Cade Klubnik, the current QB2. At this point, Sellers, Nussmeier, and Klubnik are probably better NFL prospects, but Manning could easily disprove that in the first week of the season.

No. 13 Overall (No. 1 LB): Anthony Hill

There are no surprises here. Hill has been an elite athlete and a key piece of the Texas defense since the start of his freshman year, and few linebackers in the country boast his stats and skills both on and off the ball.

Some teams may try him out as an edge at the next level, but for now, he is easily the best LB in the class. It’s rare to see an LB ranked as a top-15 player in a draft class. The only two players to do it in the 2020s were Isaiah Simmons and Micah Parsons—two players who played multiple positions heading into the league.

No. 25 Overall (No. 3 CB): Malik Muhammad

This may be a surprise to some, but it really shouldn’t be. The NFL loves players like Muhammad: multi-year starters, high-level recruits, and 90th-percentile athletes. Muhammad checks all those boxes.

Muhammad isn’t ahead of Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell—both are more polished and finished the season much better than the Longhorn—but he is a good mover taking over the No. 1 role from Jahdae Barron, the 20th pick in this year’s draft. Don’t let a poor end to the season cloud your judgment of him as a prospect.

No. 36 Overall (No. 3 SAF): Michael Taaffe

Caleb Downs is the No. 1 player on PFF’s Big Board, and for good reason. He’s the most decorated player in the sport at the moment and not even old enough to drink yet. Taaffe will never eclipse him in the draft process, but he does start in a really good spot for a former walk-on and fifth-year player.

Only Oregon transfer safety Dillon Thieneman ranks between Taaffe and Downs. Thieneman is younger and a tad more athletic. Taaffe would’ve been a good but not great pick in 2025, so returning home to potentially become a first-round pick would be a great way to cap off his time in Austin.

No. 67 Overall (No. 2 TE): Jack Endries

Yes, Endries is the No. 2 TE prospect heading into the season, at least according to PFF. Sitting just behind elite Vanderbilt athlete Eli Stowers, Endries ranks near the top of a projected weak tight end class.

He sits above Ohio State transfer Max Klare and joins the Longhorns in Austin with the expectation of being a starter. Endries could join Golden and Adonai Mitchell as highly picked transfer pass-catchers just one season after landing in Austin.

No. 133 Overall (No. 17 EDGE): Trey Moore

Moore may play edge; he may play LB, but he will definitely be drafted in 2026. Moore continues to show he’s flexible and hardworking at Texas, but he doesn’t have the athletic traits to be a super high pick in the draft. He’s also behind a deep edge-rushing class highlighted by T.J. Parker at Clemson. LB may be where he plays at the next level.

No. 199 Overall (No. 14 RB): CJ Baxter

Baxter is an interesting choice here. Similarly to Manning, he just hasn’t played much football after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. His five-star ranking and being part of the Texas RB room were likely the factors that snuck him into the top 200. Tre Wisner should probably be there instead.

So, who is missing?

As mentioned in the Baxter paragraph, Wisner is probably the most NFL-ready guy. He played a ton of football last season and will be drafted when he declares, if that does end up being in 2025. He plays on special teams, blocks, catches passes, and carries the ball well—an NFL GM’s dream for a later-round RB.

DeAndre Moore Jr., Trevor Goosby, and DJ Campbell are other offensive players who will be drafted next season. Moore is an athletic receiver who will be the No. 2 option on a great team and will play both inside and out. Campbell is a three-year starter who is physically dominant and will likely have a late-career breakout in 2025. Goosby has shown he can be an NFL-level LT already—he just needs a full season of tape to prove it.

Texas may see some defensive linemen like Cole Brevard or Ethan Burke drafted, as well as Jaylon Guilbeau or Jelani McDonald in the secondary, but it’s fair to keep them off the top 200 at the moment. Most of their stock comes from potential, not past tape or production.

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Where would the over/under be set for Texas players in the 2026 NFL Draft? Our current take is 10.5.