Highest NFL draft picks from Texas

Since the first draft was held in 1936, the National Football League (NFL) has used its annual culling of the top college talent in the country to grow its ranks, renew the popularity of the sport, and to increase competitive parity among all football teams. Though the draft process has undergone several iterations since that first draft took place, it remains true to its original design as an equalizer. In its current arrangement, the draft consists of seven rounds, whereby each of the 32 NFL teams receives one pick per round. The order of selection takes place in reverse order of how each team finished the previous season—in other words, barring any trades between teams, each round starts with the team that had the worst overall record and ends with the Super Bowl champions.

There is a long and storied history of teams coming out of the dustbin of failure to resurrect themselves through strategic drafting of top college players. In 1989, for example, the Dallas Cowboys finished 1-15, the worst record in their franchise history. But after drafting Emmitt Smith, who would go on to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher, first-round No. 1 pick Russell Maryland, and No. 1 pick and future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, "America's team" transformed itself into a powerhouse that won three Super Bowls throughout the 1990s.

And while for every top draft pick that went on to gridiron glory—such as 7-time All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning—there are equally storied accounts of star players who almost didn't make it out of the draft at all, let alone make a team's top pick, the NFL's annual strategic raffle has retained, for teams and colleges alike, its power to change the face of the game with a single draft pick. To this, one need look no further than the 2017 draft, when nine teams passed over Patrick Mahomes, who has gone on to take the once-flailing Kansas City Chiefs to three Super Bowl appearances.

With the 2022 draft slated to be held April 28-30 in Las Vegas, Stacker compiled a list of the highest NFL draft picks born in Texas since 1970 using data from Pro Football Reference. Ties were broken by the most recent year drafted.

#20. Waymond Bryant (LB)
- Born: Dallas, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1974
- Drafted by: Chicago Bears
- University: Tennessee St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#19. Joe Washington (RB)
- Born: Crockett, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 1976
- Drafted by: San Diego Chargers
- University: Oklahoma
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (1 Pro Bowls)

#18. Mike Williams (T)
- Born: Dallas, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2002
- Drafted by: Buffalo Bills
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#17. Cedric Benson (RB)
- Born: Midland, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2005
- Drafted by: Chicago Bears
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 6 (0 Pro Bowls)

#16. Trent Williams (T)
- Born: Longview, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2010
- Drafted by: Washington Football Team
- University: Oklahoma
- Years as a starter in NFL: 11 (9 Pro Bowls)

#15. Lane Johnson (T)
- Born: Groveton, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #4 overall in 2013
- Drafted by: Philadelphia Eagles
- University: Oklahoma
- Years as a starter in NFL: 8 (3 Pro Bowls)

#14. Jerry Sisemore (T)
- Born: Olton, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 1973
- Drafted by: Philadelphia Eagles
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 11 (2 Pro Bowls)

#13. Vince Young (QB)
- Born: Houston, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2006
- Drafted by: Tennessee Titans
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (2 Pro Bowls)

#12. Jeff Okudah (CB)
- Born: Grand Prairie, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #3 overall in 2020
- Drafted by: Detroit Lions
- University: Ohio St.
- Years as a starter in NFL: 0

#11. Eric Dickerson (RB)
- Born: Sealy, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 1983
- Drafted by: Los Angeles Rams
- University: SMU
- Years as a starter in NFL: 10 (6 Pro Bowls)

#10. Leonard Davis (T)
- Born: Wortham, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2001
- Drafted by: Arizona Cardinals
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 10 (3 Pro Bowls)

#9. Jason Smith (T)
- Born: Dallas, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2009
- Drafted by: St. Louis Rams
- University: Baylor
- Years as a starter in NFL: 2 (0 Pro Bowls)

#8. Von Miller (LB)
- Born: DeSoto, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2011
- Drafted by: Denver Broncos
- University: Texas A&M
- Years as a starter in NFL: 9 (8 Pro Bowls)

#7. Luke Joeckel (T)
- Born: Arlington, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #2 overall in 2013
- Drafted by: Jacksonville Jaguars
- University: Texas A&M
- Years as a starter in NFL: 3 (0 Pro Bowls)

#6. Ricky Bell (RB)
- Born: Houston, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 1977
- Drafted by: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- University: USC
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#5. Earl Campbell (RB)
- Born: Tyler, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 1978
- Drafted by: Houston Texans
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 7 (5 Pro Bowls)

#4. Kenneth Sims (DE)
- Born: Kosse, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 1982
- Drafted by: New England Patriots
- University: Texas
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (0 Pro Bowls)

#3. Myles Garrett (DE)
- Born: Arlington, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 2017
- Drafted by: Cleveland Browns
- University: Texas A&M
- Years as a starter in NFL: 5 (3 Pro Bowls)

#2. Baker Mayfield (QB)
- Born: Austin, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 2018
- Drafted by: Cleveland Browns
- University: Oklahoma
- Years as a starter in NFL: 4 (0 Pro Bowls)

#1. Kyler Murray (QB)
- Born: Bedford, Texas
- Draft pick: Round 1, #1 overall in 2019
- Drafted by: Arizona Cardinals
- University: Oklahoma
- Years as a starter in NFL: 3 (2 Pro Bowls)

You may also like: Highest-rated football recruits from Texas over the last 20 years