2026 NFL Draft Preview

PITTSBURGH – University of Houston Football looks to restart its consecutive NFL Draft selection streak when the annual three-day, seven-round event gets underway at 7 p.m. CT, Thursday, from Pittsburgh, Penn.

Schedule

Thursday, April 23 (First Round): 7 p.m. CT
Friday, April 24 (Rounds 2-3): 6 p.m. CT
Saturday, April 25 (Rounds 3-7): 11 a.m. CT

On-Air Coverage
Live coverage of the NFL draft can be found on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the NFL Network.

Streaming coverage is also available on ESPN+, YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo TV and Sling TV.

By the Numbers: Coogs in the NFL Draft

193 all-time NFL Draft selections
9 of the last 10 seasons with a draft pick (2016-present)
3+ players selected on six occasions since 2016
- Second among all programs in Texas (Texas A&M – 8)

Houston Hopefuls: 2026 NFL Draft
Houston tight end Tanner Koziol ranks as a top 15 tight end in the 2026 Draft (by PFF) with excellent catch radius and length. Koziol led FBS tight ends in receptions (74) and second in yards (727) while posting the third most touchdowns (6).

Cornerback Latrell McCutchin Sr., who along with Koziol was invited to the NFL Combine earlier this spring, is an additional draft hopeful. McCutchin's 10 pass breakups ranked eighth among draft-eligible cornerbacks while his 78.2 PFF defense grade in 2025 ranked 31st among draft-eligible cornerbacks in 2025.

Fellow defensive back Wrook Brown posted great numbers as a senior to go with his All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors. Brown was top 7 in the nation in tackling, and led the Big 12, with a 90.6 PFF tackle grade. The Texas-native led Houston in three PFF grades, defense (83.9), run defense (86.1) and tackling (90.6).

Carlos Allen Jr., led FBS interior defensive linemen and the Cougars with 80 tackles while earning All-Big 12 Conference honors from multiple outlets. Allen's 27 run stops led the Big 12 and were third-most in FBS by draft-eligible interior linemen.

Dean Connors led the Cougars with 977 rushing yards, the most by a Cougar since 2015, which ranked fifth in the Big 12. Connors' nine total touchdowns (six rushing, three receiving) ranked fourth in the Big 12 while his 79.4 rush grade by PFF ranked 10th by draft eligible running backs with at least 200 rushing attempts.

Did You Know: Coogs in the NFL Draft

15 Houston players have been selected in the First Round with Payton Turner becoming the latest to do so with the 28th overall pick in 2021.
Rooting for your Coogs to stay "in the city?" Tank Dell became the first Cougar to be selected by the Texans in franchise history in 2023. Prior to that, 11 Cougars were selected by the Houston Oilers with the last coming courtesy of Lamar Lathon's 15th overall pick in 1990. The Texans have nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft with the first at No. 42 overall in Round 2.
The Carolina Panthers are the only NFL franchise to have never drafted a UH player. The Denver Broncos lead the way with the most all-time UH selections (12).

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Players Mentioned

Carlos Allen Jr.

Wrook Brown

Dean Connors

Tanner Koziol

Latrell McCutchin Sr.

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