From Jahdae Barron to Quinn Ewers and Jaydon Blue, Longhorns on display for 120 NFL types from all 32 teams.
AUSTIN — A whopping 21 Texas football players went through their paces Tuesday afternoon at the school’s pro day to impress more than 120 NFL scouts, general managers and head coaches to help those talent observers determine where they might be headed.
But some almost acted as if they didn’t want to leave. At least, emotionally. Like Jahdae Barron, for example. He’s so shot full of Longhorn love that he didn’t just wear his emotions on his sleeves. He wore burnt orange on them. For the last time. MOCK DRAFT 2.0: How first round looks after free agency “I didn’t wear any of the Pro Day gear because it was gray and black,” said Barron, who won last year’s Thorpe Award as well as Mr. Congeniality for most likable Longhorn if it wasn’t returning safety Michael Taaffe. “I wanted to wear burnt orange for one last time.” So these Longhorns jumped broadly as well as vertically, benched iron till they were out of breath, ran briskly through 40 yards and in and about orange cones and threw and caught passes in front of representatives from all 32 teams. And they did it so well that, come April 25-27, a bunch of them will become the property of NFL teams and perhaps even break Georgia’s record of 15 players chosen in 2022 since the draft was cut to seven rounds in 1994. So many could be taken, in fact, that most of them said, as edge rusher Barryn Sorrell put it, that Texas will break the all-time record for most players taken in a single draft. Sign up for Kirk Bohls' new newsletter for news, exclusive analysis and insights on University of Texas sports. “Oh, absolutely,” said Sorrell, who was voted the best defensive lineman by the offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl in January. “I don’t see why not,” said safety Andrew Mukuba, who became known as a fierce hitter but also had five interceptions. “Everybody that's on the list did an outstanding job.' “One hundred percent,” wideout Isaiah Bond boasted. “I’d say there’s a good chance,” said center Jake Majors, who had a record-breaking 57 career starts, which are the most by any Longhorn in history. “Anybody’s lucky to grab a Longhorn.” His linemate, Cam Williams, declared early for the draft after his junior season and, despite a penchant for false starts, could go in the first two days. What’s really interesting is he was always listed as 6-foot-6 and 365 pounds but in actuality weighs only 317. He did lose some weight but hopes he can put on another 15 pounds and says his knee “feels 80 percent” healthy. Even some Longhorns who weren’t invited to the NFL's scouting combine, including wide receiver Silas Bolden, linebacker David Gbenda, defensive lineman Bill Norton, tight end Juan Davis and safety Mo Blackwell, participated in the comprehensive testing. Alfred Collins, who may be a poor man’s T’Vondre Sweat but not that poor, was wearing a walking boot on one of his legs and didn't participate much. No one has tested better or impressed more than wide receiver Matthew Golden, who dropped one pass all season and has let the rest of the nation in on what Longhorn Nation already knew. QUINN EWERS: What QB said at NFL scouting combine He turned heads at Indy with his blazing 4.29 time at Indy and should become Texas’ fourth consecutive first-round pick on the heels of Xavier Worthy and Byron Murphy II last year and running back Bijan Robinson the year before. Golden could join Longhorn running back Jaydon Blue from Klein Cain as the only high school teammates taken high in the same draft. Gbenda had 18 bench reps, saved his best play for the College Football Playoff and never let up even though he got demoted for Liona Lefau at midseason. It was a maddening scene and a far cry from the pro day following a 5-7 season in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as Longhorn head coach and zero Texas players were drafted. Eleven players were drafted last year, the most since 17 were selected off the 1983 team that went 11-1 and came within a fumbled punt at the Cotton Bowl of winning a national championship. This appeared to be more family reunion than football fanfare. One by one, they stopped by the local media for their last goodbyes. Disappointingly, quarterback Quinn Ewers skipped a session with the press when a television reporter asked for a few words, but not all of the other 20 spoke, either. Of course, Ewers might have just been tired. He threw 59 passes in his personal workout, completing 50 of them with four drops and showing off his tremendous touch and short-game accuracy while also flinging some deep throws that harkened to duck hunting season. And while some may be a tad reluctant to leave the Forty Acres, all of them will take fond memories with them. Barron may be drafted so quickly that he could be the first Longhorn selected. In fact, he said outright he should be the first player taken. “Most definitely,” said the school’s third Thorpe Award winner, who could wind up with the Dallas Cowboys since he’s one of the most tantalizing prospects since current Cowboy linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. “Not many players can play corner and safety and nickel. I most definitely believe that I am CB1. I’m what you need.” At least six head coaches and six general managers were on hand to view these prominent Longhorns that included every position but punter and kicker. They included head coaches like DeMeco Ryans of the Texans, Mike Vrabel of the Patriots, Kellen Moore of the Saints and former Aggie Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets. It wasn’t just a talented crew but a gutsy one that worked out inside the Texas bubble. Defensive tackle Vernon Broughton is dealing with a left quad strain and didn’t run Tuesday, but he said NFL scouts were impressed with how well he moved on the field. He’s got plenty to look forward to as an expecting father whose son is due May 27, a month after the draft to be held in Green Bay. “Two big blessings,” Broughton said. “I can’t wait to know my son, and I can’t wait to be in the NFL. I think a lot of teams like me.” Jaydon Blue, the speedy 5-9, 196-pound running back with the good hands who enhanced his draft stock when he scored four touchdowns in last year’s playoff run, gutted it out, too. He didn’t even know he was suffering from a Grade 2 groin strain until it was discovered in an MRI after Indianapolis and was clocked in a disappointing 4.38 at the combine. On Tuesday? He was a blur and turned in a 4.25 and a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash Tuesday. “I was healthy today, as you can see I ran the time that I wanted,” said Blue, who has visits planned to Denver, Philadelphia and Houston. Tight end Gunnar Helm didn’t hide from his poor 40 time of 4.84 at Indy and didn’t even reveal he’d suffered a debilitating ankle sprain. He didn’t run on Tuesday. “I didn’t want it to look like an excuse of any kind,” Helm said. “I heard from a lot of guys who sent me texts saying things like ‘We didn’t think you were THAT slow.’ ” You need a tough, physical tight end with great hands? Helm’s your dude. He came as a three-star recruit out of Colorado and was a late bloomer, playing in the shadow of Ja’Tavion Sanders for two years before getting his chance and setting a school record for catches by a tight end with 60 receptions for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. Isaiah Bond, who has scheduled visits with Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay and the Rams, clocked a solid 4.34 but didn’t back down from his pre-Combine prediction that he would shatter Worthy’s all-time 40 record of 4.21. He didn’t come close, but it’s cool. “I’ve been confident my whole life,” said the former Alabama transfer, who suffered a foot injury that sidelined him or held him back. “I’m the type to says it out loud. I’ve only had two recorded drops in my whole college career.” But Barron may have provided the best example for future Longhorns. “My janitor’s name is Mario, so I treat him the exact same as I treat you guys,” he said. “I give you all the utmost respect. I always try to give the utmost respect every single time.” He and Sorrell and Majors all lived through the downturn of Texas football, including that forgettable 5-7 season in 2022, before restoring the program to national prominence. “That’s the best thing,” Sorrell said, “especially walking out of these doors knowing that I left this place better than when I found it.”
Forty Acres Dallas Cowboys Cowboy Longhorn Nation Rams New York Jets Aggie Patriots Saints Jahdae Barron Jake Majors Jaydon Blue Quinn Ewers Barryn Sorrell Gunnar Helm David Gbenda Alfred Collins Andrew Mukuba Matthew Golden Cam Williams Juan Davis Bijan Robinson Mario Michael Taaffe Silas Bolden Vernon Broughton Xavier Worthy Byron Murphy II Klein Cain Liona Lefau Steve Sarkisian Mo Blackwell Bill Norton Demeco Ryans Ja'tavion Sanders Worthy Aaron Glenn Kellen Moore Mike Vrabel Texas Longhorns AUSTIN Indy Georgia Green Bay CB1 Philadelphia Houston Denver Colorado Atlanta Chicago Alabama Indianapolis MOCK DRAFT 2.0 College Football Playoff Senior Bowl Cotton Bowl Demarvion Overshown Thorpe Award Isaiah Bond Longhorn Congeniality T'vondre Sweat Texans
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