259 football players were drafted during the 2023 NFL Draft with 30 coming from the great state of Texas.
Among the 30 Texans, more than a third (11) played high school ball in DFW.
FIRST ROUND
17. DB Christian Gonzalez (The Colony) – New England Patriots
– Gonzalez was the second player from Texas and first from the metroplex to be selected going 17th overall to the Pats
– Played college at Colorado and Oregon
– Was a 4-star safety at The Colony
– Started all 18 games at corner at Colorado and 12 at Oregon before declaring for the draft
– Also played offense at The Colony with 18 total career touchdowns
– First Oregon DB to be picked in the first round since 1996
20. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Rockwall) – Seattle Seahawks
– 5-star player at Rockwall
– Ranked 5th WR in the country for 2020 class
– First WR off the board in the draft
– Played at Ohio State
– 2021 Rose Bowl game MVP with Rose Bowl records 347 receiving yards and 15 receptions and three touchdowns
– Had 95 catches in 2021 and a Big Ten record 1,606 yards receiving
– Career numbers at Rockwall included 5,346 yards receiving and 82 touchdowns
SECOND ROUND
36. OL Steve Avila (SGP) – LA Rams
– 4-star player at SGP
– Ranked as the No. 9 guard in the country for the 2018 class
– Listed at 6-4 and 330
– Named to the 2023 Senior Bowl at TCU
– 2021 and 2022 First-Team All-Big 12
– Frogs played in the national title game with Georgia
55. WR Rashee Rice (Richland) – Kansas City Chiefs
– Amassed 3,111 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns in 44 games with SMU
– 96 catches, 1,355 yards, 10 touchdowns in 2022
– Started in 12 games for the Mustangs and led the FBS in receiving yards per game (112.9)
– 3-star player at Richland High School
– 841 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2018, 1,386 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2017
63. WR Marvin Mims (Frisco Lone Star) – Denver Broncos
– 4-star player at Lone Star
– Ranked in the top 30 WR in the country for the 2020 class
– Played in 37 games with 24 starts at Oklahoma
– Had 2,398 yards receiving and 20 touchdowns in his OU career
– Most receiving yards for a career (5,485) and in a season (2,629) in Texas high school football history
– Had 117 catches and 32 touchdowns as a senior with Lone Star
THIRD ROUND
67. LB Drew Sanders (Denton Ryan) – Denver Broncos
– Played at Arkansas and Alabama
– 5-star athlete at Ryan
– Also played at Lake Dallas and Colleyville Heritage
– Ranked as the top athlete in the country, No. 3 player in Texas and No. 22 nationally in the 2020 class
– Had 4 touchdown passes, 13 rushing, 119 tackles and 8 sacks in 2018 for Ryan
– Helped the Raiders to the state title game
– Played in 12 games with 3 starts last season at Arkansas
– Finished with 24 tackles, 2.5 for loss and 1 sack
FOURTH ROUND
109. DL Dylan Horton (Frisco) – Houston Texans
– Played at TCU and New Mexico
– Helped the Frogs to the title game
– 3-star player at Frisco
– Also did basketball and track in high school
– Played in 25 games during his first three years with the Lobos
– Set a college football playoff record with 4 sacks in the semifinals against Michigan
118. OL Braeden Daniels (Hebron) – Washington Commanders
– Played at Utah
– 3-star player at Hebron
– Ranked in the top 70 guards in the country for the 2018 class
– Played in 49 career games with the Utes, including 43 starts
– Second-Team All-Pac 12 in 2021, first team in 2022
130. DL Tyler Lacy (Sachse) – Jacksonville Jaguars
– 3-star player at Sachse
– Ranked in the top 50 strong side DE in the country for the 2018 class
– 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Oklahoma State
– 3-time honorable mention All-Big 12
– Played in 44 games with OSU with 113 tackles, 30 for loss and 11.5 sacks
– 60 total tackles as a senior in 2017
FIFTH ROUND
139. QB Clayton Tune (Hebron) – Arizona Cardinals
– 3-star player at Houston
– Ranked in the top 40 pro style QBs in the country for the 2018 class
– Ranked No. 18 QB by ESPN
– Amassed 6,686 yards passing, 1,074 rushing and 86 touchdowns in his career with Hebron
– 23 touchdown passes, 9 rushing as a senior
– Totaled over 11,000 yards passing at Houston with 95 touchdowns
– Threw for 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2022
SEVENTH ROUND
247. TE Brayden Willis (Arlington Martin) – SF 49ers
– Listed at 6-4, 240
– Played in 58 games at Oklahoma with 25 starts
– Totaled 75 catches, 998 yards, 13 touchdowns
– Also played on special teams
– 586 yards receiving, 7 touchdowns, 572 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns, 521 yards passing, 4 touchdowns as a senior
– District MVP as a senior
