5 early top Texas football prospects to watch for 2023 NFL Draft
Honorable mentions
Keondre Coburn, NT
The likely highest draft pick among the honorable mentions on this list for the Longhorns is the rising senior nose tackle and former four-star recruit Keondre Coburn. This sizable 6-foot-3 and 350-pound defensive line anchor needs to make some strides in terms of proving he can stay healthy and get more consistent pushes up the middle to blow up plays in the backfield this fall.
If Coburn can even improve slightly this fall compared to the level he performed at in the last two seasons, expect his draft stock to rise enough to be a day three pick in 2023.
Junior Angilau, OG
One Longhorns player that will really be fighting for his draft stock to rise this fall is the rising senior offensive guard Junior Angilau. This is another Longhorns player that needs to prove he can stay healthy and become a real anchor in the trenches on his side of the ball this coming season.
If Angilau has a career year for Texas in the trenches in 2022, I would expect his draft stock to rise significantly.
A factor that shouldn’t be overlooked in regard to Angilau’s draft stock in the next year is the fact that his pass blocking dramatically improved down the stretch last season. If he continues to progress in pass blocking the way he did in the last three games of last season, Angilau should be a day three pick in 2023.
Roschon Johnson, RB
A real stud that should be a consideration as a day three pick, or an extremely underrated and undervalued undrafted free agent signing for the 2023 draft class is rising senior running back Roschon Johnson. Roschon’s versatility can’t be overstated in terms of the value he brings to the table as an intelligent skill position player that blocks well, has good hands as a receiver out of the backfield, and is a skilled running back.
In the regular season finale win over the Kansas State Wildcats last November, Roschon proved that he can do everything it takes for this offense to triumph.
There’s no doubt in my mind that another solid campaign for Roschon will help gain the attention of NFL Draft scouts this fall.