How Texas players performed at the NFL Scouting Combine

A program-record 14 players participated in the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis, continuing to serve notice that head coach Steve Sarkisian’s program is capable of developing talent and ensuring that former Longhorns are no longer undervalued in the NFL Draft.

“I think our player development is so huge, right? When we got here in year one after year one, we had sent one player to the NFL Combine. It was Cameron Dicker, our kicker, and now, last year we had 11 here at the NFL Combine. This year we have 14,” Sarkisian said in an appearance on SportsCenter.

“So making sure, one, we’re recruiting really highly-talented players. We get good character kids that ultimately develop in our program and I think we’ve done that. We like our team. We like our prospects of not only next year, but years to come. So I think we’re at a spot now where we’re growing into the program that we always wanted to be, back-to-back CFPs and now we’ve got to go do it again next year.”

Here’s a look at how the 14 Longhorns performed in Indianapolis.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers

In the pre-draft process, Ewers and his camp have attempted to accomplish the difficult task of acknowledging the significance of the oblique injury he suffered early in the season while also emphasizing his mental and physical toughness in playing through that injury and his high ankle sprain suffered against Kentucky.

“I think something that gets lost is this guy’s had to endure a lot in his time with us at the University of Texas, it’s his resiliency. This guy always bounced back. He had to fight through a bunch of different injuries along the way. Played in a bunch of big-time games. Some of those things are hard to measure at a combine or at a pro day, but I think the totality of who he is, his resume, of who he is as a quarterback, I think is going to be helpful for him,” Sarkisian said.

Having battled injuries all three seasons at Texas, Ewers threw at the Combine hoping to help his stock. On a day when the wide receivers struggled to get out of their breaks, there were some missed throws, and Ewers notably wasn’t synced up on his deep throws, a significant concern in the pre-draft process, but he did also showcase his intermediate accuracy in a setting where talent can really shine.

Some notable draft observers came away impressed, including the NFL Network’s Ian Rapport.

There is some belief that the weakness of the quarterback class in this draft could help Ewers, whose arm talent remains enticing, especially when viewed through the spectrum of his road performances against Alabama in 2024 and Michigan in 2025.

With Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ohio State’s Will Howard throwing poorly in Indianapolis, Ewers has a shot at QB3 in the draft if he can overtake Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, who helped his stock with his combine performance, and remain ahead of players like Syracuse’s Kyle McCord and Louisville’s Tyler Shough.

Running back Jaydon Blue

After opting out of the East-West Shrine Bowl at the last minute, Blue entered the weekend needing an explanation for his absence and strong testing times to make up for his ball-security issues and questionable running ability between the tackles.

At 5’9 and 196 pounds, Blue measured smaller than his listed height and weight of 6’0, 200 pounds by Texas, not particularly significant developments. And Blue did run an extremely fast 40-yard dash of 4.38, right in his projected range, but it came after expressing public confidence he could run much faster.

Blue did not go through any testing other than running the 40.

Wide receiver Matthew Golden

The Houston transfer helped his stock as much as any Texas player at the combine by running a 4.29 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time this year.

Golden arrived in Indianapolis with a reputation as a high-level route runner capable of creating separation and then finishing catches with superlative hands, but with question marks surrounding his top-end speed.

Consider those answered in resounding fashion as Golden made a compelling case to become WR1.

Wide receiver Isaiah Bond

Even though an ankle injury derailed most of Bond’s lone season on the Forty Acres, the expectations remained high for his speed work at the combine, including from Bond himself, he fell into the trap of making big promises upon which he did not deliver.

Former Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who set the combine record last year at 4.21, took notice.

Bond, who measured 5’11, 180 pounds, did not participate in other testing at the combine.

Tight end Gunnar Helm

Few players experienced as much of narrative swing as Helm did at the combine. The fluidity, athleticism, ball-tracking ability, and sure hands that he put on film as a senior attracted the notice of draft observers, but the testing didn’t quite match the performance as Helm ran 4.84 40-yard dash and ranked 935 out of 1,202 tight ends from 1987 to 2025 in Relative Athletic Score.

The explanation? A sprained ankle sustained on a false start that Helm battled through to finish testing.

It was a decision by Helm and his camp to test through pain that puts incredible pressure on his ability to move better at the Texas Pro Day later this month.

Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks

Since Banks put himself on NFL Draft radars as early as his second start against Alabama and their elite edge rushers Will Anderson and Dallas Turner, the on-field performances have never come into question.

But there were longtime lingering concerns at his arm length and listed height of 6’4 that caused some pre-combine speculation that he might not be able to remain at tackle in the NFL.

Banks went through all the testing except for the bench press and didn’t make a case as one of the most athletic linemen in the draft, but his measurements edged him past LSU’s Will Campbell as OT1.

Offensive tackle Cam Williams

Williams is still not fully recovered from the knee injury that he sustained against Clemson and played through in the semifinal loss to Ohio State, but did measure 6’6 and 317 pounds, down almost 20 pounds from his listed weight as a junior and more than 50 pounds below his listed weight in 2023.

That’s a positive development for a player with athleticism and technique concerns.

Offensive guard Hayden Conner

One of the fringe invites for the Longhorns, Conner declined to do testing to counteract perceptions of a lack of athleticism at 6’6 and 314 pounds, only participating in the three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and some position drills.

Center Jake Majors

While Majors did show good strength with 25 reps on the bench press, tied for 10th among offensive line at the combine, his measurements highlighted his lack of size and length, measuring 6’3 and 306 pounds with arms just a little over 30 inches.

Because Majors didn’t do any athletic testing, he limited his ability to help his draft stock, but his experience and reputation for football intelligence and leadership remain his top qualities as a prospect.

Defensive tackle Alfred Collins

At 6’6 and 332 pounds with long arms, Collins has the size and length that NFL teams covet to go along with his much-improved tape from 2024, but his 26-inch vertical and 8’0’’ broad jump aren’t as helpful to his draft stock as his versatility to play multiple techniques up and down the line of scrimmage and his anchor against the run.

Defensive tackle Vernon Broughton

A hip flexor strain sustained prior to the Senior Bowl kept Broughton from testing or going through position drills at the combine, but he’s hopeful to be healthy for the Texas Pro Day. Broughton measured 6’5, 311 pounds with above-average arm length.

Defensive end Barryn Sorrell

Count the New Orleans product as one of the Texas players who did the most to help his stock with a strong showing in Indianapolis. At 6’3 and 256 with 32 1/4-inch arms, Sorrell made up for his lack of prototypical height and length with an impressive frame and 28 reps on the bench press.

Sorrell is more than just strong and physically imposing, though, as he ran a 4.68 40, recorded a 34-inch vertical, and had a 10’1’’ broad jump to post a Relative Athletic Score in the 92nd percentile of all defensive ends tested since 1987.

The athleticism from Sorrell’s testing also translated to his position drills.

Cornerback Jahdae Barron

Entering the combine, Barron was developing a reputation in draft circles for his pure ability as a football, prompting Todd McShay to say that he didn’t care what Barron runs at the combine.

But NFL teams will care that the 5’11, 194-pounder ran a blazing 4.3 40 with a 35-inch vertical leap and 10’3’’ broad jump that all attest to Barron having elite athleticism in addition to his toughness, tackling ability, and overall instincts and technique playing multiple positions in the secondary.

Barron now looks like a first-round draft pick as one of the biggest risers from the combine who helps himself in his interviews.

Safety Andrew Mukuba

The Clemson transfer has been raising his draft stock since moving to safety for Texas and showing significant improvement in his pure playmaker ability. At 5’11 and 186 pounds, Mukuba is one of those defensive backs who isn’t going to impress from a measurable standpoint, but his 4.45 40 was impressive enough that he didn’t need to go through any other athletic testing.

When Mukuba claimed he’s the best safety in the draft, it wasn’t really at odds with how impressed a lot of draft observers are with his tape.