3 Texas football players bound to be future 1st round NFL Draft picks

In the last couple of weeks, we saw some of the very best Texas football players show their true potential. Texas is obviously laden with talent, but developing that talent was an issue in recent years. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff are trying to flip that trend of a real lack of player development in the near future.

It was a bad look for the Longhorns to not have a single player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. That was the first time in more than 20 years that the Longhorns went without having a single player selected in the NFL Draft.

We’re also going on well over a half-decade since the last time a Longhorns player was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The last time a Texas Ex was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft was back in 2015 when the New England Patriots picked defensive tackle Malcom Brown 32nd overall.

Texas football players that have the makings of future first-round NFL Draft selections

It does look like Texas is starting to buck the trend with the level of recruiting and player development that Sark and his staff put on display in the last few months. With that in mind, here’s a look at three Longhorns players bound to be future first-round NFL Draft picks.

Bijan Robinson, RB

The most obvious choice to be the Longhorn that breaks the first-round NFL Draft pick drought is the star junior running back Bijan Robinson. The former five-star recruit and Arizona native Bijan looks like the top running back in the 2023 NFL Draft class.

And if he continues to perform at a high level for the rest of the 2022 season, and has a solid showing in the 2023 NFL Draft Combine, I would fully believe that Bijan cements his status as a top 20 next year.

NFL Draft Buzz already tabs Bijan as the No. 1 running back prospect in the 2023 draft class.

Bijan is an incredibly quick running back that is more capable than just about any other rusher in the country in terms of making opposing defenders miss in the open field. He’s got a lightning-quick jump cut and has tremendous field vision. And his short-area quickness really shines whether he’s running to the outside

So far this season, Bijan is proving capable in multiple phases of the game, registering nearly 650 rushing yards, more than 200 receiving yards, and 11 total touchdowns through six games.

Not only is Bijan continuing to prove he is one of the best running backs in the nation this fall, but he is also improving as a receiver and a run blocker. Those were two of the areas he needed to make strides heading into the 2022 season, and he’s done just that in the first half of the campaign.

I would say the biggest downside surrounding Bijan’s game is his lack of home run speed. Bijan definitely won’t be the fastest running back in next year’s draft class. But that isn’t a needed skill in today’s NFL, especially considering Bijan’s ability to create successful run plays seemingly out of thin air at least 20-to-25 times per game.