3 likely first-round 2024 NFL Draft picks from Texas

Texas football is very likely to have a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft for the second year in a row. After a stretch of disappointing years for Texas in the NFL Draft, 2024 could be the deepest and most prominent class coming from the Forty Acres in at least a decade.

Which Texas football player will be the first selected in the 2024 NFL Draft?

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns had a program-record 11 players invited to the 2024 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis earlier this year. Among those 11 Longhorns players invited to the combine this year, roughly a half dozen have a shot to be selected in the first day or two of the draft.

The latest top 150 NFL Draft prospect rankings from NFL.com's Daniel Jeremih has seven Longhorns players listed. Texas is projected to have between seven and nine players selected in the 2024 draft.

Coverage for the 2024 NFL Draft gets underway on April 25, with the first round kicking off at 7 p.m. CT. Here are three Longhorns players who have a shot to be selected on Day 1 of the 2024 draft.

Xavier Worthy, WR

NFL.com prospect ranking: No. 31

The 40-yard dash time record-holder Xavier Worthy has generated buzz in the last few weeks that he could be selected late in the first round of the draft. His speed and twitchiness at receiver is highly valued for modern NFL offenses.

Worthy is among the best route runners and burners over the top in this deep wide receiver class. What makes him stand out among the rest of the talented wideouts in this draft class, beyond his obvious dynamic speed and agility, is his route-running ability and speed in and out of his breaks.

The biggest concern regarding Worthy are his hands. But his drop rate improved to a career-low 5.4 percent at Texas in 2023. He is looking more reliable as a pass-catcher than at any point previously in his collegiate career.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all teams that need to add a receiving threat who could select Worthy in the first round.