2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles: Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, I’ll be profiling Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown.

#0 DeMarvion Overshown, LB, Texas (R-Senior) – 6023, 220lb

Senior Bowl Invite

Measurements

The Good

— Has great length and a long, athletic frame
— Possesses the play speed to run-and-chase the ball sideline to sideline
— Battle-tested with 50 career games played and 33 starts
— Shows good effort in his pursuit to the football
— Has the burst and acceleration to close on the ball quickly
— Can keep blockers off his frame when he extends his arms to fend off blocks
— Can shed blocks and work through trash as a run defender
— Violent hitter that shoots himself through the ballcarrier
— Effective blitzer when coming up the middle or off the edge
— Length aids in his ability to occupy zones and minimize passing lanes
— Safety background aids in his ability to play in space
— Has the athletic profile to run with backs and tight ends in coverage
— Effective as a QB spy, mirroring the passer and tracking him down

The Bad

— Lacks the ideal bulk at the position given his height and length
— Will get off blocks occasionally, but lacks strength to stay clean consistently
— Has a hard time shedding blocks if the blocker gets hands on him first
— Mental processing is a bit slow in terms of pulling the trigger to the football
— Delayed reaction time will result in him being out of place at times as a tackler
— Could be more fluid in man coverage, being more comfortable playing straight-ahead than laterally
— Will occasionally struggle with spacing concepts when it comes to zone coverage
— Lacks consistent hand usage or the pure strength to be a reliable pass rusher off the edge

Bio

— Redshirt Senior Prospect from Arp, TX
— Born August 13, 2000 (age 22)
— High school All-America, all-state, and all-district, 2018 Under Armour All-America Game invite
— Ranked as a top 50 prospect nationally as a safety
— Totaled 142 tackles, 14 TFLs, five sacks, five interceptions, forced four fumbles, recovered two fumbles and 13 PBUs as a senior in 2017
— Played in nine games in 2018 as a special teams contributor and make one tackle as a true freshman
— Played in eight games and started two as a hybrid safety/linebacker in 2019 and made 18 tackles, seven TFLs, two sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, and four PBUs
— Moved to LB full-time in 2020 and started all 10 games, totaling 60 tackles, eight TFLs, one sack, seven PBUs, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four quarterback hurries and two INTs
— Started all 10 games in 2021 and registered 74 tackles (38 solo), 5.5 TFLs, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hurries, two PBUs, and one blocked kick
— Decided to return for a fifth year and made 11 starts, posting tackles (49 solo), 10 TFLs, four sacks, two quarterback hurries and five PBUs
— 2022 first-team All-Big 12 2021 All-Big 12 honorable mention
— Two-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (spring 2020, fall 2021)
— Team captain, Anthropology major

Tape Breakdown

Texas LB DeMarvion Overshown is a long, athletic off-ball linebacker that originally began his college career as a safety, being one of the top recruits at the position in the country back in 2018. The move to the box in 2020 did Overshown wonders as he became the leader in the middle of the Longhorn’s defense for the next three seasons. When you watch the tape on Overshown, you see an athlete that has the range of a safety, flowing to the football with good burst and closing speed to chase down ball carriers.

Overshown is an aggressive tackler that likes to go throw his target, striking the ballcarrier violently either as a blitzer coming up the middle or as a run defender as you can see in the clips below.

Overshown is also a good athlete in terms of working through trash near the LOS. His length aids in his ability to keep blockers off his frame when he extends his arms to play off blocks as a run defender. Watch this first clip of Overshown working around the block attempt by the LT as he wraps up the runner, keeping him from getting the first down on third-and-short. In the second clip, we see Overshown extend his arms as the blocker tries to pick him up in the box, shedding the block to get in on the tackle.

When it comes to rushing the passer, Overshown can win on twists, stunts, and straight-fire blitzes from the box. He also has the fluidity and length to be a problem for backs and tight ends to block as you can see from this rep from the Senior Bowl, pulling a spin move against the back in pass protection to win the rep.

Given Overshown’s background as a former defensive back, he has made several plays in coverage during his career in Austin. Watch this rep of Overshown dropping from the edge to the middle of the field against Oklahoma in zone coverage, reading the QB’s eyes as he slides over to the right side of your screen to step in front of the pass which he picks off and takes back for a big return.

Still, Overshown isn’t the quickest when it comes to processing either the pass or the run. There are moments where he stalls for a moment in time, causing him to get out of place. There are also times when Overshown will get trigger-happy and fly downhill out of position. On this rep, we see Overshown shoot a gap against Alabama, but he overruns the play as the back cuts to the right, getting into the second level of the defense as Overshown attempts to turn around and get back in on the play.

Overshown also lacks the ideal size and strength to consistently fend off blocks when offensive linemen get onto his frame. He has the length to keep blockers away from his frame and latch on, but when they get inside his chest, he struggles to get off the block. Watch this play against Oklahoma where the TE is in the shotgun and looks to take the direct snap but moves out of the backfield as a lead blocker on the snap. Overshown takes on the block, but allows the blocker into his chest, proceeding to get ran toward the sideline and later planted into the ground as the runner gets the corner.

Overshown had played a fair amount on the edge for the Longhorns, but this isn’t his best position given his lack of strength to set the edge against the run as well as the lack of hand usage and pass rush plan as an edge rusher. Watch this rep where Overshown comes off hard on the edge against the LT on a speed rush but is unable to turn the corner or knock his hands down, getting run outside the arc of the pocket. He later gets off the block and pursues the QB from behind on the scramble bringing him down just before the line to gain.

Conclusion

Overall, DeMarvion Overshown is a promising prospect given his athleticism and his long frame. He looks the part coming off the bus, having the experience and the defensive back background to be a capable off-ball LB that can play against the run and the pass. However, he needs to get stronger and add more functional mass to his frame to become an every-down linebacker at the next level, having the capability to work off blocks more consistently and be more productive than disruptive as a pass rusher.

When watching Overshown play, I can’t help but see similarities physically to current Eagles LB Kyzir White. White was also a former safety in college back at West Virginia, being more of that tweener that possesses a long, yet lean frame (6’2, 234lb). He was drafted as a safety to the Chargers back in 2018, but converted to linebacker, having the athleticism to cover backs and tight ends in coverage, but wasn’t as fluid as what you would want your safeties to be in coverage. White also was a big hitter coming out, having the tenacity to run down ballcarriers in the open field as well as the chops to rush the passer as an occasional blitzer.

White’s body type, play style, and role in the league closely mirror what I’d expect Overshown to be at the next level. He needs to get stronger and add more lean mass to better hold up against the run, but there is a lot to like from the athletic, run-and-chase defender. The Steelers need to address the off-ball linebacker position this offseason, and Overshown has the pedigree, experience, and athleticism they tend to look for at the position. Should they wait till the middle rounds of the draft to address ILB, Overshown could be a player they target who could contribute immediately on special teams and get on the field in certain packages as he continues to develop his body for the NFL.

Projection: Late Day Two/Early Day Three

Depot Draft Grade: 7.7 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)

Games Watched: vs Oklahoma (2022), vs Alabama (2022), at Iowa State (2022)