Former Texas players impress at NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Day

Brock Bolinger, General Sports Reporter

Last week, five former Texas players had the chance to display their talents at the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. 

Running backs Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson, defensive linemen Keondre Coburn and Moro Ojomo and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown represented the Longhorns at the combine, showcasing their skills in front of NFL scouts and coaches at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Robinson, as expected, put on a show. He clocked in at a 4.46 second 40-yard dash, the sixth-fastest among running backs. The Doak Walker Award winner also recorded a 37” vertical and a 10’4” broad jump, placing him in the top-six for each category among the running backs. Robinson is ESPN’s No. 6 overall player in the draft and the No. 1 running back. He is projected to be as high as a top 10 pick.


Johnson, a bigger back than Robinson, came in at over 6-feet and 219 lbs. His 40-yard dash came in at 4.58 seconds, just outside of a top-10 time at the position. He also recorded a 31.5” vertical and a 10’2” broad jump. ESPN has Johnson ranked as the No. 17 running back in the draft and a top 250 prospect.

Coburn posted exceptional measurables at the combine, coming in at over 6-foot-1-inch and an impressive 332 lbs. His athletic testing, however, was not as impressive. He ran a 5.22 second 40-yard dash, the fifth-slowest time at his position. He also recorded a 27.5” vertical, an 8’5” broad jump and recorded 24 reps on the bench press. Despite his underwhelming combine performance, ESPN has Coburn ranked as the No. 7 defensive tackle and a top-80 prospect in this year’s draft.

Ojomo had an impressive showing at the combine. Ojomo weighed in at 292 lbs, standing at just shy of 6-foot-3-inches. He notched a 5.04 second 40-yard dash, 33” vertical, 9’4” broad-jump and 29 reps on the bench press. ESPN is projecting Ojomo as the No. 92 prospect in the draft, although that is likely to change after this performance.

Overshown, the last Longhorn participant in the draft, also had a noteworthy display at the combine. His measurables stood out, standing at over 6-foot-2-inches and 229 lbs. His athletic testing was also impressive, clocking a 4.56 second 40-yard dash, as well as putting up a 10’4” broad jump and 15 reps on the bench press. Overshown is ESPN’s tenth-ranked inside linebacker and a top 150 prospect.

To objectively put their performances into perspective, the Relative Athletic Score (RAS), formulates how athletic a prospect is by giving a simple number on a scale of 0 (least-athletic) to 10 (most-athletic). The metric, developed by Pro Football Network analytical developer Kent Lee Platte, takes into account both the prospect’s measurables and athletic testing to calculate the score.

Bijan Robinson had the highest RAS score of the five Texas players at the combine with a 9.81, the second-highest of all running backs this cycle. Overshown recorded the third-highest among Longhorns with a score of 8.51, followed by Johnson’s 8.09. Ojomo had an RAS score of 8.56, the seventh-highest among both interior and edge defensive linemen. Coburn recorded the lowest of the five with a 3.72.

The Longhorns who didn’t get invited to the combine, such as D’Shawn Jamison, Jahleel Billingsley and Anthony Cook got to make their cases to multiple NFL scouts and coaches at Texas’ Pro Day on Thursday.

Jamison, ESPN’s No. 32 ranked cornerback and No. 278 overall, ran an unofficial 4.49-second 40 and recorded a 33” vertical, 4.27 second shuttle and a 10’3 broad jump in his workout. Listed at 5-foot-10-inches and 187 lbs, Jamison would have scored a 6.19 RAS rating, had these been official combine numbers.

Billingsley had a very good showing at the Pro Day. The tight end came in at 6-foot-4-inches and 220 lbs. He ran a 4.57 second 40 yard dash, and posted a 36” vertical and a 9’9” broad jump. His RAS score is an unofficial 7.12.

Cook, measuring at 6-foot-1-inch and 188 lbs, recorded a 4.61 second unofficial 40. He also finished his workout with a 4.29-second shuttle, a 34” vertical, a 10’5” broad jump and 12 reps on the bench press. His RAS score would register at an even 6.00.

Neither Billingsley nor Cook are listed in the ESPN top 320 prospects.

Both the NFL Scouting Combine and the Pro Day gave Longhorn players a valuable opportunity to showcase their abilities and make an impression on NFL scouts. With an impressive group of former players representing Texas in the draft, many of them have a chance to excel at the next level and potentially become future stars in the NFL.