Jordyn Tyson from Allen headlines list of NFL draft hopefuls with TX connections

Former Denton standouts could be drafted in first or second round.

The three-day NFL draft starts Thursday, April 23, and several former college and high school stars with Texas connections could be selected. Here is a look at where the top prospects could get drafted, according to the Dallas Morning News and NBC Sports.

Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State WR

Tyson attended three different high schools — John Paul II, Frisco Independence and Allen — and he is a consensus first-round pick, despite his history of injuries in college. One mock draft from NFL.com has Tyson going as high as No. 8 to the New Orleans Saints, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects that Tyson will go to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9.

Other mock drafts from those two media outlets have Tyson going lower, with one saying No. 16 to the New York Jets and another predicting that Tyson falls to the Cleveland Browns at No. 20.

Tyson had a monster senior year for Allen, catching 79 passes for 1,499 yards and 12 touchdowns, then played his freshman year at Colorado and spent three years at Arizona State. But he appeared in only 33 games in his college career.

His best year was 2024 at Arizona State when he had 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last year at ASU he caught 61 passes for 711 yards and eight touchdowns.

KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Concepcion transferred to A&M in 2024 after two years at NC State. He's projected to play mostly slot receiver in the pros, due to his size. He's considered a fringe-first round pick.

Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt TE

The former Denton Guyer star could be the second tight end taken in the draft, and NFL.com projects that he will go in the first round at No. 31 to the New England Patriots. Two different mock drafts from ESPN predict that he will go in the second round, with one having the Ravens selecting Stowers at No. 45 and another saying that he will be chosen by the Eagles at No. 54.

Stowers was the star quarterback for Guyer’s state runner-up team as a junior in 2019, and he had accounted for 47 touchdowns and 4,113 yards of total offense entering the state championship game that year before getting injured in a 24-0 loss to Austin Westlake. He won a state title in the high jump in track in 2019, clearing 6 feet, 10 inches.

Stowers spent his first two years of college at Texas A&M, then was at New Mexico State for a year before transferring to Vanderbilt. He became one of the nation’s top tight ends in college, and this past season he won the John Mackey Award that is given to the top collegiate tight end in America.

The consensus All-American led all FBS tight ends with 769 receiving yards this past season, and he had 111 catches for 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns in his two seasons at Vanderbilt. Stowers was the first Vanderbilt player to win the William V. Campbell Trophy, given to the premier scholar-athlete in college football.

Anthony Hill Jr., Texas LB

The former Denton Ryan standout is expected to be a second-round pick, and two mock drafts have him going at No. 56 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Another mock draft from ESPN has him going higher, at No. 47 to the Indianapolis Colts.

Hill was a 2025 second-team All-American and was a finalist for the Butkus Award that is given to the nation’s top linebacker. Hill started 10 games this past season and had 69 tackles (37 solo), seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions.

Hill was a five-star recruit at Denton Ryan and was rated the second-best linebacker in the nation in the Class of 2023. He had 303 tackles, 13 sacks and nine forced fumbles, while also rushing for 378 yards and 13 touchdowns over three years at Denton Ryan, and he won a state championship in 2020 while leading the team in tackles (7.5), tackles for loss (2.0) and sacks (2.0) and scoring a rushing touchdown in a 59-14 win over Cedar Park in the state final.

Malik Muhammad, Texas CB

The two-time state champion from South Oak Cliff is projected to be a Day 2 draft pick, going in either the second or third round. A mock draft from NFL.com has Muhammad being picked in the second round at No. 52 by the Packers, while one of the ESPN mock drafts has the Super Bowl champion Seahawks taking him at No. 64 in the second round.

A different ESPN mock draft has him also going to the Seahawks, but in the third round at No. 96.

Muhammad won back-to-back state titles at South Oak Cliff in 2021 and 2022 and was a four-star recruit, an Under Armour All-American and the fourth-ranked cornerback in the nation in the Class of 2023. He played in 11 games as a junior at Texas this past season and had 30 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB

The former Flower Mound Marcus star is projected to be picked in the third round, with one mock draft having the Steelers taking him with the 76th pick and another predicting that he will go to the Rams with the 93rd pick. If he went to the Rams, he could join a quarterback room led by three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Matthew Stafford from Highland Park.

Nussmeier could be the third quarterback taken in the draft, behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. Mendoza is expected to be selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the No. 1 overall pick, while Simpson is a first-round choice in many mock drafts.

Nussmeier was a four-star recruit at Flower Mound Marcus and was rated the 14th-best quarterback in the nation in the Class of 2021. His father, Doug Nussmeier, is the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and was previously the quarterbacks coach for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and for the Cowboys.

Nussmeier had a big season as a junior at LSU in 2024, throwing for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns. He played in only nine games in 2025, throwing for 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Eric McAlister, TCU

McAlister transferred to TCU in 2023 after two seasons at Boise State. The former Azle product was the second-leading receiver after former second round pick Jack Bech. In 2025, he led the team in receiving with 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns.

McAlister is considered a fringe-day 3 draft pick with good size and speed. He did struggle with drops (16) over his four-year college career, he broke his foot at TCU's pro day, and he had legal troubles during his time at TCU.

In 2024, McAlister was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and terroristic threat, causing fear of imminent bodily injury. He eventually pled guilty on the latter count — a misdemeanor offense — while the former was waived.

Other D-FW draft prospects

Here are other players from Dallas-area high schools who could be drafted:

Player, High school, College and position

Keith Abney II, Waxahachie, Arizona State DB

Febechi Nwaiwu, Coppell, Oklahoma OL

Taylen Green, Lewisville, Arkansas QB

Charles Demmings, Mesquite Horn, Stephen F. Austin DB

J. Michael Sturdivant, Flower Mound Marcus, Florida WR

Ar’maj Reed-Adams, DeSoto, Texas A&M OL

DJ Campbell, Arlington Bowie, Texas OL

Louis Moore, Mesquite Poteet, Indiana S