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Alfred Collins makes case for a first round selection as Texas D-linemen take on day one of the NFL Combine

by:EvanVieth•about 14 hours
Alfred Collins
Alfred Collins (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

There’s no date in the football offseason (outside of maybe the draft itself) that NFL scouts and football fanatics look forward to more than the beginning of the NFL Scouting Combine. Held annually in Indianapolis, the combine invites hundreds of the best college football players to show off their skills and receive precise measurements in height, weight and even things like arm length and hand size.

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Texas, as we’ve become accustomed to in the Steve Sarkisian era, has a loaded group in this 2025 NFL combine, with 14 different Longhorns being invited to participate. The first day of the combine, as is tradition, features the defensive linemen, which means three of Texas’ former stars were on display throughout the event.

The name that headlined the Longhorns’ front five last year was Alfred Collins, an athletic interior defensive lineman who waited five years to break out and become one of the best in the nation. Heading into the combine, Collins was seen as roughly the 50th-best player in the class, and somewhere between IDL6 to IDL9 in a loaded class of tackles and 3-4 DEs.

But instead of measuring like a potential middle of the second round pick, Collins made his presence known amongst not only NFL draft writers, but those that will be making the selections come the first round of the NFL Draft. Collins clocked in at 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds with 35 inch arms and an 85 inch wingspan. Every single one of those metrics was in the 92nd or better percentile of athlete, with that wingspan being longer than a whopping 97% of all defensive tackles that have gone through the combine. He did added a 26 inch vertical jump and an 8 foot broad jump.

Collins now makes a true case to be taken in the first round of the draft. Teams like the Bills, Eagles, Chiefs and Lions who draft late in the first round aren’t going to be looking for the player that’s highest on a consensus big board. They’ll be looking for an instant impact athlete who fits a position of need. Each of these teams could use an elite run stuffing defensive tackle like Collins who may end with a top-five RAS (relative athletic score) in the defensive tackle class.

Though Collins was the high-profile name for Texas today, fellow defensive tackle Vernon Broughton also added some favorable numbers to his draft stock. No player had a longer arm than Broughton, who measured at 35 inches. He was listed at 6-foot-5, and 311 pounds, a bit smaller than Collins but an expected result as Broughton will make his money as a pass rusher, using his long arm length to push through or around interior offensive linemen.

As of right now, Broughton probably projects to be a fifth or sixth rounder in the draft. There’s not much published about him at the moment as a prospect, but being a part of a loaded draft class and being an older, below average run stopper does him no favors. Him also being banged up on the day of the combine won’t help either, as he wasn’t able to fully participate in drills that can heavily elevate draft stock like the 10-yard dash and jumps because of an injury suffered at the Senior Bowl. Still, Broughton will very likely hear his name called come draft day.

Lastly, Texas sent veteran edge Barryn Sorrell to the combine, and unfortunately for the edge rusher, his numbers were quite lackluster. Sorrell had a great start to his offseason in Mobile, Ala. for the Senior Bowl, winning defensive line awards and quickly elevating his draft stock to a potential early day-three pick. Sorrell’s 32.25 inch arms were in the 8th percentile of edge rushers, and his 6-foot-3, 256 frame is shorter and lighter than what was once hoped.

Sorrell has three selling points as a prospect: he was a leader on Texas, he has a ton of past production (124 pressures in college) and was seen as an extremely athletic player in college. Sorrell can win GMs over in the interview process this week, but his athletic numbers being so low is a red flag for the edge rusher. It will be hard for teams to identify a spot for him, as he’s not a particularly big player. He did test fairly well on the speed and quickness grades (4.68 40-yard dash, 1.66 10-yard), but not so much so that it will drastically change the opinions of scouts and evaluators. He also had a 34 inch vertical and a 10 foot 1 inch broad jump. His tape and interviews will need to shine if he wants to hold that early day-three draft spot.

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Tomorrow will be a big day for all three of these players. As these three Longhorns exit Indy tomorrow, defensive backs and tight ends will hit the main stage for their own measurements and 40s. Look out for Jahdae Barron, Andrew Mukuba and Gunnar Helm to make a name for themselves on a national level, if they somehow hadn’t already.

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