Can Texas Tech football break its 70-year-old record in NFL Draft?
On NFL Draft weekend, Texas Tech football needs 7 players selected to break program record set in 1956.
The 2025 Texas Tech football team produced some notable firsts for the program: 12 wins , a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. This past year's Red Raiders could set another program record this week: most players drafted off one team. The school record is six, set in 1956.
The draft was 30 rounds back then, though, with three rounds on Nov. 28, 1955, in Philadelphia and the remaining 27 rounds on Jan. 17-18, 1956, in Los Angeles.
The six Tech players selected were defensive tackle Bill Herchman to the San Francisco 49ers in the third round, halfback Don Schmidt to the Baltimore Colts in the sixth round, tackle Jerry Walker to the Chicago Cardinals in the 12th round, fullback James Sides to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 13th round, defensive end Ken Vakey to the Green Bay Packers in the 19th round, and halfback Ronnie Herr to the Chicago Cardinals in the 21st round. Walker and Sides are members of the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame. More: David Bailey, Jacob Rodriguez win Texas Tech football's Cawthon Award More: Which Texas Tech football team's better, 2008 or 2025?
| Williams The Red Raiders having six players taken in the 1956 draft came on the heels of a three-year run in which Tech went 11-1 with a Gator Bowl victory to cap the 1953 season, 7-2-1 in 1954 and 7-3-1 with a trip to the Sun Bowl in 1955. This year's NFL Draft unfolds over three days in Pittsburgh. The start times (all CDT) are 7 p.