The Big 12 Conference delivered its strongest NFL Draft performance in league history, producing 38 total selections in the 2026 NFL Draft — the most ever for the conference and surpassing the previous record of 35 set in 1997 and 2003.

Texas Tech led all Big 12 programs with a school‑record nine draft picks, while Arizona, Arizona State and Cincinnati each finished with four selections.

Six First‑Round Picks | Three Top 10 Picks

The Big 12 opened the draft with a dominant first round, placing six players among the first 32 selections — matching its highest first‑round total since 2011.

Three of those came inside the top 10, the league’s most since 2012:

• No. 2 — David Bailey, Texas Tech → New York Jets

• No. 8 — Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State → New Orleans Saints

• No. 9 — Spencer Fano, Utah → Cleveland Browns

They were later joined by:

• No. 21 — Max Iheanachor, Arizona State → Pittsburgh Steelers

• No. 23 — Malachi Lawrence, UCF → Dallas Cowboys

• No. 28 — Caleb Lomu, Utah → New England Patriots

Historic Early‑Round Production

Seven Big 12 programs combined for 11 selections through the second round, tying the conference record for most first‑ and second‑round picks since 2011.

Across the three‑day event, the Big 12’s breakdown was:

• Day 1: 6 picks

• Day 2: 8 picks

• Day 3: 24 picks

The performance reflects the league’s rising talent profile, especially among programs that have joined the Big 12 in recent realignment cycles.

Check out the complete list of Big 12 players taken in the 2026 NFL Draft below:

First Round Selections (6)
2^nd Pick – David Bailey (Edge Rusher) from Texas Tech – New York Jets
8^th Pick – Jordyn Tyson (Wide Receiver) from Arizona State – New Orleans Saints
9^th Pick – Spencer Fano (Offensive Line) from Utah – Cleveland Browns
21^st Pick – Max Iheanachor (Offensive Line) from Arizona State – Pittsburgh Steelers
23^rd Pick – Malachi Lawrence (Edge Rusher) from UCF – Dallas Cowboys
28^th Pick – Caleb Lomu (Offensive Line) from Utah – New England Patriots
 
Second Round Selections (5)
38^th Pick – Treydan Stukes (Defensive Back) from Arizona – Las Vegas Raiders
43^rd Pick – Jacob Rodriguez (Linebacker) from Texas Tech – Miami Dolphins
49^th Pick – Lee Hunter (Defensive Line) from Texas Tech – Carolina Panthers
51^st Pick – Jake Golday (Linebacker) from Cincinnati – Minnesota Vikings
64^th Pick – Bud Clark (Safety) from TCU – Seattle Seahawks
 
Third Round Selections (3)
70^th Pick – Romello Height (Defensive End) from Texas Tech – San Francisco 49ers
75^th Pick – Caleb Douglas (Wide Receiver) from Texas Tech – Miami Dolphins
82^nd Pick – Domonique Orange (Defensive Lineman) from Iowa State – Minnesota Vikings
 
Fourth Round Selections (2)
126^th Pick – Kaleb Elarms-Orr (Linebacker) from TCU – Buffalo Bills
131^st Pick – Genesis Smith (Safety) from Arizona – Los Angeles Chargers
 
Fifth Round Selections (9)
143^rd Pick – Reggie Virgil (Wide Receiver) from Texas Tech – Arizona Cardinals
144^th Pick – Sam Hecht (Offensive Line) from Kansas State – Carolina Panthers
150^th Pick – Dalton Johnson (Safety) from Arizona – Las Vegas Raiders
157^th Pick – Keith Abney II (Defensive Back) from Arizona State – Detroit Lions
164^th Pick – Tanner Koziol (Tight End) from Houston – Jacksonville Jaguars
166^th Pick – Keyshaun Elliott (Linebacker) from Arizona State – Chicago Bears
170^th Pick – Joe Royer (Tight End) from Cincinnati – Cleveland Browns
176^th Pick – Cyrus Allen (Wide Receiver) from Cincinnati – Kansas City Chiefs
179^th Pick – Enrique Cruz Jr. (Offensive Lineman) from Kansas – San Francisco 49ers
 
Sixth Round Selections (6)
184^th Pick – Jackie Marshall (Defensive Lineman) from Baylor – Tennessee Titans
191^st Pick – Josh Cameron (Wide Receiver) from Baylor – Jacksonville Jaguars
193^rd Pick – Jack Kelly (Linebacker) from BYU – New York Giants
199^th Pick – Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (Wide Receiver) from Kansas – Seattle Seahawks
205^th Pick – Skyler Gill-Howard (Defensive Lineman) from Texas Tech – Detroit Lions
212^th Pick – Namdi Obiazor (Linebacker) from TCU – New England Patriots
 
Seventh Round Selections (7)
228^th Pick – VJ Payne (Safety) from Kansas State – New York Jets
234^th Pick – Behren Morton (Quarterback) from Texas Tech – New England Patriots
235^th Pick – Gavin Gerhardt (Offensive Line) from Cincinnati – Minnesota Vikings
244^th Pick – Cole Wisniewski (Safety) from Texas Tech – Philadelphia Eagles
248^th Pick – Carsen Ryan (Tight End) from BYU – Cleveland Browns
255^th Pick – Michael Dansby (Defensive Back) from Arizona – Seattle Seahawks
256^th Pick – Dallen Bentley (Tight End) from Utah – Denver Broncos