{"id":128489,"date":"2025-06-14T05:22:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T05:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/128489\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T05:22:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T05:22:14","slug":"baylor-qb-sawyer-robertson-among-locals-identified-as-potential-2026-nfl-draft-sleepers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/128489\/","title":{"rendered":"Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson among locals identified as potential 2026 NFL draft sleepers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">It\u2019s never too early to think about the NFL draft, right?<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Ahead of college football season, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/45485614\/2026-nfl-draft-sleepers-scouts-pick-radar-prospects-risers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/45485614\/2026-nfl-draft-sleepers-scouts-pick-radar-prospects-risers\">ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller spoke with scouts and personnel people around the NFL<\/a> about which college football players could rise up draft boards this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">His list included four local players, including a quarterback. Here\u2019s who Miller singled out.<\/p>\n<p>Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson<\/p>\n<p>Texas College Sports<\/p>\n<p class=\"dmnc_features-cta-social-cta-social-module__zWZy- mb-4\">Get the latest college sports news, scores and analysis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/baylor-bears\/\">Baylor<\/a> was listed among potential draft risers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Robertson, who transferred to Baylor from Mississippi State ahead of the 2023 season, was a first-time starter for Dave Aranda in 2024 and thrived. He threw for 3,071 yards with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions to go along with 230 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cIf you want a dude that\u2019s going to come out of nowhere, it\u2019s [Robertson]. He\u2019s what everyone wants [Penn State\u2019s] Drew Allar to be,\u201d said an AFC South area scout told Miller. \u201cBig, big arm, and he can move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">If Robertson can hone in his impressive physical tools in his second season as Baylor\u2019s starter, he could be a QB to watch in next year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n<p>Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3600 \/ 2400\"   class=\"dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"3600\" height=\"2400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/QJCGKDYKRKEXQGKTPYEE6J3DEY.jpg\" alt=\"Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) runs away from Central Florida defensive tackle...\"\/>Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) runs away from Central Florida defensive tackle Lee Hunter (2) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz.(Darryl Webb \/ AP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Hunter is a 6-foot-4, 320-pound defensive tackle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/2024\/12\/17\/texas-tech-lands-all-big-12-ucf-transfer-dt-lee-hunter-continuing-activity-in-portal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/2024\/12\/17\/texas-tech-lands-all-big-12-ucf-transfer-dt-lee-hunter-continuing-activity-in-portal\/\">who came to the Red Raiders via the transfer portal<\/a> as one of the key players in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/\">Texas Tech<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/2025\/01\/14\/5-offseason-questions-for-texas-tech-will-no-1-transfer-class-live-up-to-the-hype\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-tech-red-raiders\/2025\/01\/14\/5-offseason-questions-for-texas-tech-will-no-1-transfer-class-live-up-to-the-hype\/\">highly touted transfer class<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">He played three seasons at UCF, totaling five career sacks and was second-team All-Big 12 last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cHunter is a big dude, but his strength and ability to command double-teams is where he\u2019ll stand out in the 30 front,\u201d a NFC South area scout who has seen him play in person told Miller.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">With a big season in Lubbock, Hunter could be one of the top interior players in the 2026 draft.<\/p>\n<p>Texas TE Jack Endries<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3389 \/ 2259\"   class=\"dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"3389\" height=\"2259\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/MODLGD54DRAU2CJ7RSHXUZNOMQ.jpg\" alt=\"California tight end Jack Endries, left, is stopped short of the goal line by UNLV defensive...\"\/>California tight end Jack Endries, left, is stopped short of the goal line by UNLV defensive back Jalen Catalon during the first half of the LA Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif.(Ryan Sun \/ AP)<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-longhorns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/texas-longhorns\/\">Texas<\/a>\u2019 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end Jack Endries comes to Austin with hopes of being the latest Longhorn tight end sent to the NFL.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">He is a versatile tight end that transferred to Texas from Cal this offseason. He caught 56 passes for 623 yards and two touchdowns in his sophomore season at Cal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201c[Texas coach Steve Sarkisian] is doing a great job developing tight ends and working his offense around them, but I wonder how much Endries will see the ball with\u00a0Arch Manning\u2018s deep ball,\u201d one AFC West national scout said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a good athlete and he can play anywhere. He\u2019s one of the two most talented tight ends in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Miller also mentions that Endries has two years of eligibility left, so there\u2019s a chance he isn\u2019t in the 2026 draft. But with a good season at Texas, Endries could be among the most intriguing tight end prospects.<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:4096 \/ 2730\"   class=\"dmnc_images-modern-image-module__QFaG- max-w-full h-auto text-white dmnc_images-modern-image-module__9Zlll bg-gray-light object-contain\" width=\"4096\" height=\"2730\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/6MBWBQRGTBD6LMTWXN2FRMIZTA.jpg\" alt=\"Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) is brought down by Oklahoma defensive lineman Gracen...\"\/>Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) is brought down by Oklahoma defensive lineman Gracen Halton (56) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool \/ Staff Photographer)<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/oklahoma-sooners\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/oklahoma-sooners\/\">Oklahoma<\/a>\u2019s incredibly disappointing debut season in the SEC, Halton was a bright spot on the Sooners\u2019 elite defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">He broke out with five sacks thanks to impressive burst and explosive ability on the interior of Brent Venables\u2019 defense. Halton is undersized at 6-foot-2 and 291 pounds, but led the FBS with a 14.1% pressure rate at DT and is one of the top interior pass rushers in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">\u201cI loved his progression from seeing the field as a true freshman to working more as a sophomore, and then, boom, he has that huge year last year. The Gerald McCoy comparisons are coming,\u201d said an NFC West area scout.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\">He had an opportunity to enter this year\u2019s draft but decided to return to Oklahoma for another year. With teams always looking for interior pressure, Halton could be among the 2026 draft\u2019s top DTs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"body-text-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallasnews.com\/sports\/college-sports\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s never too early to think about the NFL draft, right? Ahead of college football season, ESPN draft&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128490,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1101,9436,339,1554,7,49,48,1787,9,1078,4721],"class_list":{"0":"post-128489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-baylor-bears","10":"tag-college-sports","11":"tag-colleges","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-ncaa","14":"tag-ncaa-football","15":"tag-oklahoma-sooners","16":"tag-sports","17":"tag-texas-longhorns","18":"tag-texas-tech-red-raiders"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114680046817160672","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}