Numerous Texas high school football products are set to enter the NFL during the 2020 NFL Draft, which starts on Thursday night. 

Seven Texas high school football products are projected to get selected in the first round of the draft by ESPN. Many others could work their way into the league and contribute at a professional level – it all starts this weekend. 

Here are five Texas high school football products who could hear their names called over the next several days.

CB Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State (South Grand Prairie)

Okudah left Texas as the No. 1 cornerback in the nation, and now he heads into the 2020 NFL Draft as the No. 1 cornerback in the nation. Okudah is such a good prospect, the Lions just traded away three-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay to clear a spot for Okudah at No. 3. 

Before his standout career in Columbus, Okudah earned all-state honors while playing at 6A South Grand Prairie. 

OT Josh Jones, Houston (Fort Bend Bush)

Jones quietly ascended from relative unknown to potential first round pick during his five-year stay at the University of Houston. As a senior, he earned all-conference honors after allowing just one sack throughout the season. His improvement late in his career makes him an intriguing prospect. 

Before Houston, Jones was a member of the Houston Chronicle Top 100 and the No. 81 player in the state of Texas by Rivals at Fort Bend Bush. 

CB Jeff Gladney, TCU (New Boston)

Gladney gives the state two of the top five cornerbacks from the state of Texas after accumulating 43 passes defended in his 42 starts at TCU. He proved his worth while earning all-Big 12 nods for three straight seasons and leading the Big 12 in lowest passer rating allowed as a junior. 

Gladney was barely a top 200 player in the state of Texas and picked the Horned Frogs over North Texas and Rice. However, anyone who traveled to New Boston to see Gladney earn district MVP as a senior knew he was worth the investment.

EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU (Galena Park North Shore)

Not only will Chaisson be a first round pick after a standout career at LSU, he is likely to end up with the in-state Dallas Cowboys. The redshirt sophomore helped lead the Tigers to a national championship in 2019 while wearing the “No. 18” jersey at LSU. Chaisson posted 60 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 13 games. 

Before landing at LSU, Chaisson quickly became one of the top players in the nation despite playing just two seasons of varsity football at North Shore. However, he helped win a state title and earned defensive MVP in the program’s win over Austin Westlake after sniffing out a jet sweep on fourth-and-goal, meaning he’s won titles everywhere he has played. Hopefully, he’ll only continue to make more memories at AT&T Stadium. 

All the wide receivers

The list of Texas-based receivers who will be selected in this year’s draft is absolutely insane. Just look at the number of Texas high school products who are ranked among the top 20 receivers in the draft: 

• No. 2: CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma (Richmond Foster)
• No. 8: Denzel Mims, Baylor (Daingerfield)
• No. 9: Jalen Reagor, TCU (Waxahachie)
• No. 12: Devin Duvernay, Texas (Sachse)
• No. 14: Laviska Shenault, Colorado (DeSoto)
• No. 17: James Proche, SMU (DeSoto)

Add some of our other favorites like Texas A&M’s Quartney Davis and Florida’s Tyrie Cleveland to the list and you have one of the most insane position groupings in the history of the draft. You’ll have all day to watch these guys get picked.

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