The state of Texas enjoyed a lucrative 2023 NFL Draft. Fresh off a National Championship appearance, TCU trailed only Alabama and Georgia with eight total players selected. Edge defender Tyree Wilson became Texas Tech's highest-ever pick when the Las Vegas Raiders selected him seventh overall. Texas had an offensive player drafted in the first round for the first time since Vince Young when Bijan Robinson went to the Atlanta Falcons. 

While it'll be difficult to match those results, there are several high-profile football players eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft who could bolt to the pros with a solid season. Here's an early look at the prospects most likely to hear their name called this time next year.

1. QB Quinn Ewers, Texas

Steve Sarkisian has mentored plenty of NFL quarterbacks, but he’s never had the pleasure of coaching a former No.1-overall recruit until Quinn Ewers stepped onto the Forty Acres. Ewers looked every bit the part in an electric first quarter against Alabama, a four-touchdown clinic in the Red River Rivalry and a 369-yard performance in an Alamo Bowl loss. His inexperience glared, however, during a four-game stretch in the middle of the season where he completed just 47 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and four interceptions. The 6-foot-2-inch signal caller returns 10 of 11 starters and could rocket up draft boards in his second year with the Longhorns.

2. TE Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas

Sanders, a former five-star athlete, entered his freshman season with hopes of competing at both tight end and edge rusher. He quickly devoted himself fully to offense, and after a year relegated to special teams, the 6-foot-4-inch, 241-pound specimen turned in one of the most prolific performances in school history as a sophomore. His 54 receptions marked a program record for tight ends, and he compiled 641 yards with five touchdowns as quarterback Quinn Ewers’s security blanket. The First Team All-Big 12 selection projects to be the second best tight end behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers should he declare after this year for the NFL Draft.

3. WR Xavier Worthy, Texas

Worthy was the first recruit Steve Sarkisian signed when he took over at Texas, flipping from Michigan in the spring of 2021. He blossomed in Sarkisian’s offense and is currently third in school history with 21 touchdown receptions after just two seasons of work. Despite a slender frame at 6-foot-1-inch, 164 pounds, the California product is a projected top five wide receiver selection next year due to his blazing speed and crisp route running. But Worthy has the potential to jump even higher if he can improve upon a slight production dip in his sophomore campaign. He reached 100 yards receiving in just one contest after doing it four times as a freshman.

4. C Bryce Foster, Texas A&M

Last year was unfortunately a lost season for Foster, who started just four games before a knee injury sidelined him for the remainder of the schedule. Now fully healthy, the 6-foot-5-inch, 325-pound center looks to regain the form that landed him on the SEC All-Freshman Team after starting 13 games in the nation's most physically imposing conference. Texas A&M certainly missed Foster's production on the line, putting up just 22.8 points per game. Their rushing offense also dropped from 183 yards per game in 2021 to 141.5 yards in 2022. Foster will now pair with quarterback Conner Weigmann for the first time in the young signal caller's career, and he'll be integral in paving the way for a new feature back.

5. DE Shemar Turner, Texas A&M

Turner has the physical makeup of a future NFL player at 6-foot-4-inches, 300 pounds, and he’s become a dependable player on Texas AA&M's defensive line rotation through his first two seasons. After earning Freshman All-SEC honors in 2021, Turner started every game as a sophomore and compiled 32 total tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss. The former Desoto standout gave fans a sneak peek of his dramatic offseason improvement when he took home Co-Defensive MVP honors in Texas A&M’s spring game. Next year’s draft is loaded with edge defenders, but Turner has the talent to propel himself into the top group.

6. C Clark Barrington, Baylor

Barrington may be new to the Big 12, but he’s no stranger to big-game experience. The 6-foot-6-inch, 300-pounder started 40 of 46 games for BYU and was the anchor of an offensive line that allowed merely one sack and ranked top 15 in the nation in tackles for loss allowed last year. While Barrington traditionally lined up at left guard out west, he’ll  transition to center this season for a Baylor program that lost six of their top seven offensive linemen. He figures to be a day one difference maker, considering offensive line coach Eric Mateos and coordinator Jeff Grimes coached him at BYU.

7. CB Josh Newton, TCU

TCU tied a program record set in 1957 with eight players selected in the NFL Draft, but the National Championship runner-up squad has a surefire professional prospect returning in Josh Newton. The 6-foot, 195-pound corner was the perfect complement to Thorpe Award winner Trevius Hodges-Tomlinson playing opposite him. In his first season with the Horned Frogs after transferring from ULM, Newton allowed a 35.3% completion percentage when tested and broke up 12 passes en route to a First-Team All Big-12 selection. He’ll serve as a lockdown corner for TCU this year while Florida transfer Avery Helm gets acclimated.

8. LT Patrick Paul, Houston

Paul, whose older brother, Chris, plays offensive guard for the Washington Commanders, already has the NFL bloodline. But he’s also got the frame scouts drool over at 6-foot-6-inches, 315-pounds, and the tape to back it up. The two-time First Team All-AAC selection protected quarterback Clayton Tune’s blindside at left tackle for a passing offense that ranked eighth in the nation. He’ll need to be even better this season now that Houston lost fellow First Team left guard Cam’Ron Johnson to the transfer portal and needs to develop a new quarterback and running back.

9. RT Andrew Coker, TCU

TCU may have lost five First Team All-Big 12 performers from an offense that averaged 38.8 points per game, but Coker, a 6-foot-7-inch, 315-pound behemoth, returns on the offensive line. A stalwart who’s piled up 27 consecutive starts, Coker will help transition a unit that has to move on from second round NFL Draft pick Steve Avila and Alan Ali. He’ll pair opposite of fellow returning starter Brandon Coleman at left tackle to protect new quarterback Chandler Morris. While not projected as a top draft pick yet, Coker could play himself into day two Draft consideration with a strong fifth season.

10. WR De'Corian Clark, UTSA

Clark has every measurable of an NFL wide receiver, listed at 6-foot-3-inches, 210-pounds with 4.4 speed. He’ll receive more targets this year now that Zakhari Franklin, who posted 94 receptions for 1,136 yards and 15 TDs, entered the transfer portal. Despite Franklin’s departure, Clark and fellow wideout Joshua Cephus have more than enough firepower to keep UTSA’s offense humming, especially with the return of seventh-year quarterback Frank Harris. Clark 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns in the past two seasons combined, but he’ll need to rebound from a right ACL tear he suffered in week nine last year against UAB.

Dark Horse Prospects

RT Reuben Fatheree II, Texas A&M

A former four-star prospect from Richmond, Fatheree II has entrenched himself at right tackle, starting 20 games in two seasons. His massive 6-foot-8-inch, 330-pound frame allows him to play on either side of the line and could propel him to the NFL next season.

DT Gabe Hall, Baylor

A 6-foot-6-inch, high-effort defender, Hall tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks last year. The Waller High School alum will pair nicely with returning defensive end T.J. Franklin. If he can show improved pass rush moves this season, he could potentially vault to a day two selection based on his size and athleticism.

QB Tyler Shough, Texas Tech

Shough has all the physical tools of a prototypical NFL passer, standing at 6-feet-5-inches, but he must prove he can stay on the field after injuries have limited him to just 11 games in the past two seasons. He'll be pushed by Behren Morton for the starting quarterback job in fall camp. 

CB Malik Dunlap, Texas Tech

Entering his sixth season and third with the Red Raiders, Dunlap was a bright spot for a passing defense that ranked in the triple digits nationally. The 6-foot-3-inch, 220-pounder used his physicality to break up 12 passes en route to a Second Team All-Big 12 selection.

LB Jaylan Ford, Texas

Ford burst onto the scene as a junior, leading the Longhorns with 119 tackles, four interceptions and three forced fumbles. He'll be the lynchpin for Texas once again now that Demarvion Overshown is off to the NFL and must help five-star prospect Anthony Hill Jr. transition to a starting role.