The Biggest Big 12 NFL Draft Preview Ever

There were rumors that the Big 12 was disbanding amid conference realignment talks less than 4 years ago, but now the Big 12 is alive and thriving as the most competitive conference in college football. Top to bottom the 16-team conference is loaded with quality teams, including four inside the AP Preseason Top 25. BYU, Utah, and Baylor are the first three teams receiving votes just on the outside looking in with TCU and Colorado also receiving votes. That’s 9 total teams ranked or receiving votes, and the nation will see the Big 12 on full display in week 0 with the Farmageddon rivalry between No. 17 Kansas State and No. 22 Iowa State.

Quality teams develop quality players, and the Big 12 is loaded top to bottom with NFL talent. Every team in the conference has players that will play on Sundays… yes, even Kansas. To start the 2024 NFL season, the Big 12 had 265 former players on NFL rosters. Many of today’s stars played in the Big 12 including Brock Purdy, Geno Smith, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Chuba Hubbard, Brandon Aiyuk and Tyler Lockett. The list goes on. Hell, the 3-time Super Bowl winning trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid each hailed from a current Big 12 school.

The talent is clear and abundant throughout the country’s most wide-open league, and I want to find the next wave of NFL talent coming out of the Big 12. Below is a very in-depth look at each team’s 2026 NFL Draft hopefuls and what they need to do to improve their stock come April. Let’s start with the preseason poll… oh wait, there is not 2025 preseason poll for football after last year’s debacle where Arizona State was picked dead last in the preseason poll and went on to win the conference championship and make the College Football Playoff. Yet again, the Big 12 is a leader and innovator among P4 conferences.

With no preseason poll, it’s almost like there are no rules this season in the Big 12. Everyone wants chaos, and I think they are going to get it. But regardless of what happens between the lines there is one thing that is clear and unchanging. The Big 12 is going to have players drafted to the National Football League. This year’s class features elite tackle prospects out of Utah in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, superstar wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and his quarterback Sam Leavitt, and about 10 other QBs that could potentially play on Sundays. There are a couple more potential first-round talents as well such as Colorado CB DJ McKinney, Cincinnati DT Dontay Corleone and Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey. Let’s go team by team, take a look at the players you should be watching this season and how the Big 12 will impact the 2026 NFL Draft.