Quinn Ewers, fully healthy, joins Longhorns heading to the NFL combine with a lot to prove

Fourteen Longhorns are heading to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this week, and every one of them, from an early-round prospect like Quinn Ewers to someone like Hayden Conner fighting for a selection at the end of day three, have something to prove at the most important job interview of their lives.

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Ewers, Conner, Jaydon Blue, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Gunnar Helm, Kelvin Banks, Jake Majors, Cameron Williams, Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, Barryn Sorrell, Jahdae Barron, and Andrew Mukuba will have the opportunity to prove themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally at Lucas Oil Stadium. On-field workouts start for Broughton, Collins, and Sorrell this Thursday and others will follow over the course of the weekend.

NFL combine dates.

Interviews on the 26th. DL & LB kick off measurements & games the 27th. pic.twitter.com/Kaa35C352U

— ZeeBee (@BellinoZee) February 12, 2025

In order for these Longhorns to top the program record 11 in the first six rounds from 2024, they’ll have to answer these questions in front of coaches, scouts, general managers, and more during the weeklong event in Indianapolis.

Here’s part one of a look at what Longhorn draft prospects need to do.

Quinn Ewers, QB

A bit of a bombshell was dropped on Tuesday afternoon ahead of Ewers’ week in Indy: he played through a torn oblique in the 2024 season.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers will throw at the combine, per sources. Ewers is healthy from the torn oblique he played through this season and is doing board work with Mike McCarthy and throwing with Jeff Christensen.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 25, 2025

Even if the injury was on the non-throwing side of his body, an oblique issue is going to be a problem for a quarterback. An oblique tear, even a small one? That speaks to Ewers’ toughness in playing through it from the Oklahoma game on.

The degree of his injury and his obviously altered effectiveness does bring up questions for Steve Sarkisian, but that’s not something that can be answered in Indianapolis by Ewers. What the former Longhorns quarterback can do at the combine is show that 1) he’s healthy in the testing room and on the field and 2) hit deep passes on air that seemed to trouble him during his time in burnt orange.

Combine a good showing with a good pro day in Austin and Ewers will put himself in the conversation to be taken early in the draft behind the perceived top two of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.

Kelvin Banks, OT

Despite three years of sterling tape and consistency at the left tackle position, including a 2024 where he was a unanimous All-American, the Outland Trophy winner, and the Lombardi Award winner, Banks is not the consensus OT1 in this class.

That’s not to say Will Campbell isn’t a top-10 caliber prospect. Whoever picks the LSU star will be getting the type of player coaches can build around or count on protecting a quarterback for years.

But for Banks, there seems to be a notion that he’s not cut out for tackle in the NFL. Banks can dispel these concerns with 1) good measurements, something that he can’t work on but that he probably has despite being shorter than most tackles, and 2) elite quickness. Banks’ footwork during his career has been impeccable, and it’s likely due to strong athletic traits that will be made apparent in testing. Those traits should show Banks is a first-round talent and a first-round tackle.

Jahdae Barron, CB

Barron’s technical ability and processing acumen at corner and nickel became evident during the course of his 2024 season. Whether winning at the catch point, peeling off of assignments to make plays few other defensive backs are capable of, or shutting down one side of the field, Barron finished the season as the top defensive back in college football and the third Jim Thorpe winner in Texas history.

Barron isn’t likely to blow away scouts and observers at the combine with his testing numbers. Can he show he’s fast enough? Quick enough? Strong enough? Tall enough? Every other quality first-round picks need are there for the Pflugerville product, but some teams will have concern about his athletic ability. Checking the right boxes will be key. If he does, he’ll be hearing his name called early alongside Travis Hunter and Will Johnson.

Jaydon Blue, RB

Blue has decent size and not much tread taken off the tires as far as running backs go, two things that will work for him in the combine. There are likely a lot of concerns from teams about his football character and whether he can be trusted to run between the tackles 15 or more times per game so he isn’t pigeonholed into gadget status.

One way to overcome those concerns? Run really, really fast. Blue hit 22.3 mph in-game in 2023 and probably wasn’t far off from that number during his touchdown run versus Clemson in the College Football Playoff.

Speaking of fast…

Isaiah Bond, WR

Bond has to show not only that he’s healthy but also that he can do more than be an over-the-top threat. The first part of his season with the Longhorns showed that capability at times, but once his ankle became a problem it was tough sledding for 007.

Quality performances in receiver drills along with a low 4.3 40-yard dash and Bond might move up and provide himself with a day two floor.

Vernon Broughton, DT

Broughton’s quickness and athleticism were the attributes that opened the door to opportunities for him on the field even with players like T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, Moro Ojomo, and Keondre Coburn ahead of him. However, those attributes only took him so far as he was not fully trusted with being an every-down player that could stand up against the run until this year.

It’s hard to prove lower body strength at the combine, but that was obviously the part of his game that improved the most ahead of his standout 2024 campaign. If Broughton can back up the tape he put together on rushing downs while proving he can hold up against NFL interior offensive linemen, he’ll be a player that one of the 32 NFL teams wants to get before he falls into the hands of a rival.

Alfred Collins, DT

The former top prospect took a while to get going. His first four years were plagued by inconsistency enough to where other less physically gifted defensive tackles earned more snaps. But in 2024 in what was truly a contract year, Collins delivered. He upheld the standard that his predecessors in Sweat, Murphy, Coburn, and Ojomo created, and as a result will hear his name called very early.

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If Collins can post strong athletic numbers at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, teams will be salivating at the opportunity to use him no matter what front they deploy.