Isaiah Bond declares for NFL draft

The Texas Longhorns’ season ended last week when they lost 28-14 to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl.

Since then, a handful of top Texas players have announced their intentions to leave the school and enter the NFL Draft.

On Tuesday, that list grew again, as wide receiver Isaiah Bond told ESPN’s Pete Thamel he’d be forgoing his senior season and declaring for April’s draft.

Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond is leaving school early to enter the NFL draft, he told ESPN. Bond projects as one of the fastest players in the upcoming draft, and he ranks as the No. 6 wide receiver in Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL draft rankings. pic.twitter.com/jqi4XxSc3H

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 14, 2025

Bond started his college career with the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he had 65 receptions for 888 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons with the team. He had a team-high 48 receptions in the 2023 season, including a touchdown reception on 4th and 31 to lead Alabama past Auburn and keep the team’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.

After Nick Saban’s retirement in January of 2024, Bond entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas.

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The Longhorns lost wide receivers AD Mitchell and Xavier Worthy to the 2024 NFL Draft, so being able to replace them with a speedster like Bond helped guide Texas to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.

Bond finished the regular season with 32 receptions for 510 yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown, the first of his career.

An ankle injury limited Bond at points during the season, and he re-aggravated it in Texas’ SEC Championship loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. In the SEC Championship and Texas’ two playoff games, Bond combined for just two receptions for 30 yards.

Bond is one of the fastest players projected to be in the NFL Draft, and assuming the ankle injury heals up, he should be a major difference-maker on any NFL offense.

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