Eleven Texas Longhorns heard their names called in the 2024 NFL Draft, a school record for the program in just the third season under the tenure of head coach Steve Sarkisian.

Three of those 11 picks, defensive tackle Byron Murphy, nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat, and runningback Jonathon Brooks, were the first of their respective positions to be taken, a testament to the development of all three and the work put in by former defensive line and current running back coaches Bo Davis and Tashard Choice.

Though the 2025 NFL Draft is over 300 days away, it’s never too early for fans, and experts, to speculate over how the draft can play out. With the talent returning to the 2024 Longhorns, how many players truly have a shot at being the first of their position off the board?

This first tier denotes players with a good chance of being the first in their position group drafted.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers

The most notable name on this list, Ewers has very little competition in a much less loaded QB class compared to the year prior, where six quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks. There is no player of the caliber of USC’s Caleb Williams in this year’s class, with early projections putting Ewers in tiers alongside Georgia’s Carson Beck and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders at the top.

Though Ewers has had an up-and-down career filled with injuries and errors with the deep ball, he is still second in odds to win the Heisman, only trailing Beck according to FanDuel Sportsbook. A Heisman trophy and a top-four finish for the Longhorns could help Ewers become the first gunslinger taken off the board.

Tackle Kelvin Banks

Tackle was another stacked position in this past year’s draft, and the talent is only getting better in college football. Banks’ pedigree is the highest of any Longhorn entering the draft, having started at left tackle since he stepped foot on campus as a freshman in 2022. Banks has competition with the likes of Will Campbell and Emory Jones of LSU, but with his athletic prowess and experience at the most important position on the line, it’s easy to see Banks becoming not only the first tackle off the board but a top-five pick in the draft.

Nickle/Star Jahdae Barron

Barron made the surprise announcement when he returned for his fifth year in Austin this offseason, but the Longhorn faithful are more than happy to return their jack-of-all-trades defensive back. Barron plays the ‘Star’ role in the Pete Kwiatkowski defense, lining up in front of slot wide receivers and helping in the run game. Barron registered 11.5 tackles for loss just a year ago, and in a position not often pursued by NFL teams early in the draft, Barron could sneak his way to the top of the position group, just as Michigan’s Mike Sainristil did in 2024 after winning a national championship.

Kicker Bert Auburn

Auburn was quietly one of the best kickers in college football in 2023, scoring the second most points of any player in the nation, only behind Michigan running back Blake Corum, and nailing the most field goals on the year with 29. Though his accuracy has room for improvement, he could easily be among the top-tier of kickers in the nation yet again. With two years of elite kicking at the University of Texas, it’s likely an NFL team will take a chance on him in the later rounds of the 2025 draft.

Players in this tier likely won’t be at the top of their position, but a breakout year could boost their draft stock.

Wide Receiver Isaiah Bond

The former Crimson Tide wideout was the top transfer receiver in the 2024 portal season, and Texas couldn’t have asked for a better replacement for Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, both of whom were drafted in the first two rounds of the draft. This upcoming wide receiver class features many talented receivers, such as Bilitnekoff favorite Luther Burden III and Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan, so Bond would have to do a lot to become the first name called from the receiver position. Though unlikely, Bond and Ewers could end up being the top QB-WR duo in the nation and see a rise similar to Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers of LSU last year, both of whom were drafted second in their position group.

The entire interior offensive line

Next season’s interior offensive lineman class does not project to be a strong point in the draft, with PFF’s big board including just one guard and zero centers in their top 50 rankings. An argument can be made for any of Hayden Conner, DJ Campbell, or Jake Majors to be the first interior offensive lineman off the board. Conner and especially Majors bring major experience to the position, and DJ Campbell is an unbelievable athlete that teams could fall in love with at the combine.

These players are extremely unlikely to be the first player off the board at their position, but could still be fringe Day 1 or Day 2 picks.

Defensive Tackle Alfred Collins

Collins has never truly played up to the five-star rating he earned in the 2020 recruiting class, registering just 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in four career seasons. In a wide-open defensive line room, Collins could break out, and with good athleticism and recruiting pedigree, he could shoot up draft boards. Unfortunately for Collins, Michigan’s Mason Graham, and Kentucky’s Deone Walker are already seen as top 10 players in the class, making it nearly impossible for Collins to become the number one option at the position

Edge Ethan Burke

Burke shares a similar fate to that of Collins, as Tennessee’s James Pearce is PFF’s No. 1 player in the 2025 class. Burke is in a crowded edge room that features five players who could be starters on the average Power 4 team, but Burke’s ability and athleticism are hard to miss. Burke notched nine TFLs as a true sophomore and stands at 6’6, 254 pounds. With prototypical NFL size for the position and a likely elite combine performance ahead of him, Burke could become a first-rounder, but probably not the No. 1 edge rusher taken.