Texas football is flooding NFL depth charts in 2026, with former Longhorns starting, rookies rising and Steve Sarkisian's pipeline delivering again.
Texas football’s NFL pipeline isn’t just healthy in 2026, it’s starting to look ridiculous.
Former Texas Longhorns football players are all over NFL depth charts, with established stars holding down starting jobs, recent draft picks climbing fast and another wave of young players already pushing for meaningful snaps.
For Steve Sarkisian, that’s becoming one of the strongest recruiting pitches in college football.
The headline starts with the stars.
Bijan Robinson remains Atlanta’s RB1 and one of the most dangerous backs in football. Xavier Worthy is sitting atop Kansas City’s receiver depth chart. Kelvin Banks Jr. is entrenched at left tackle in New Orleans, while Byron Murphy II, T’Vondre Sweat, Moro Ojomo and DeMarvion Overshown are all positioned as first-team defenders.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
Texas currently has roughly 25 former players listed as first-teamers or No. 1 specialists entering the 2026 preseason, with another large group sitting directly behind starters on the two-deep.
That’s where this gets interesting. The 2026 rookie class is already making noise.
Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., selected No. 60 overall by Tennessee, is running with the second team and has a chance to force his way into an expanded defensive role.
Cornerback Malik Muhammad, drafted No. 124 by Chicago, is already CB2 behind Tyrique Stevenson.
Then there’s Trey Moore, perhaps the biggest early surprise of the bunch.
Miami took Moore in the fourth round at No. 130, but he’s already listed first at strong-side linebacker. Moore finished his final Texas season with 35 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks, after recording 5.5 sacks in 2024.
The Dolphins also have Michael Taaffe at FS2 and DJ Campbell at RG2, while former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers currently sits at QB2 in Miami.
Elsewhere, Matthew Golden is WR1 in Green Bay, Jordan Whittington is atop the Rams’ slot receiver depth chart, Gunnar Helm is TE1 in Tennessee and Alfred Collins has climbed to a starting defensive-line role in San Francisco.
The numbers behind Sarkisian’s NFL production tell the story.
Texas produced 34 NFL Draft picks from 2023 through 2026, including 11 in 2024, a school-record 12 in the seven-round era in 2025 and six more in 2026.
That’s what makes this Longhorns pipeline different right now.
Texas isn’t just sending prospects to the league and hoping they stick. A growing number are becoming starters, rotation pieces and core contributors almost immediately.
For recruits watching Austin from across the country, that’s a pretty loud message. Come to Texas, develop, win, and there’s a growing chance Sundays are waiting.
