INDIANAPOLIS–Miami OG Javion Cohen was a member of one of the best offensive lines in football with the Hurricanes last season, but before that he was a National Champion with Alabama. But in between winning a title at Alabama and starring on the line at Miami, Cohen spent a month in Seekonk, Massachusetts at Herren Wellness Recovery Center, a residential organization for men who struggle with addiction or mental health.
Cohen overcame some of his mental health struggles to become a star at Miami and put himself in position to be drafted, and during an interview at the NFL Combine, Cohen opened up about his time at the center, his Senior Bowl experience with Steelers assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams, and his goal to spread mental health awareness across football.
Williams was one of Cohen’s offensive line coaches at the Senior Bowl, and Cohen talked about how much Williams helped impact his game.
“It was great. He had a lot of great pointers. They fixed my stance while I was at the Senior Bowl, gave me the opportunity to show more athleticism, made myself a lot more strong too. So learning tidbits from him, and also Coach [Chris] Watt from the Colts as well, just both those guys gave me a lot that I needed.”
Cohen started all but one game for Alabama in the 2021 season, but in the offseason, he was struggling with his mental health. He said his stint at Herren, founded by former NBA player Chris Herren, was life-saving.
“It was awesome. Saved my life. Shoutout to Coach Saban, Miss Terry [Saban], everybody out there. The support that I had at the time allowed me to get up there. Went there for a month, learned everything that I could. Paying attention to everybody that was in the community around me, learned more about meditation and how to balance my emotions, and since I left I haven’t had a bad day since.”
Cohen transferred to Miami for the 2023 season where he played one of the best lines in college football, one that also featured Combine participant Matt Lee, one of the top draft-eligible centers this year. Cohen now projects as an early Day Three selection, and when he makes it to the NFL, he wants to prioritize and spread mental health awareness.
“I know it’s not looked at in the brightest light among the NFL world, knowing we’re supposed to be raw, tough men, but I feel like that’s more important, being able to not only help other NFL players and my teammates as well at the time, but also everybody in the world can use that information and that help and that courage to go and seek help for their mental health. That’s something that I want to do, definitely looking forward to opening up camps and having kids start talking about their mental health. So start at an early age, and continue to be able to spread that information to anybody I can.”
Cohen said the idea that football players are supposed to have a certain level of mental and physical toughness was a hurdle for him to be able to express himself and realize that he did need help, but talking to Nick Saban, his former coach at Alabama encouraged him to go get the help he needed. He mentioned NFL players like Dak Prescott, Hayden Hurst and Solomon Thomas as guys who he wants to get with to continue the conversation about mental health and eliminate the stigma around it, and create something “larger than us” when it comes to talking about mental health.
At an unofficial 6-4 and 319 pounds, Cohen has ideal size for an interior offensive lineman, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him test well and bump his draft stock a little bit. The Steelers are pretty set at guard with James Daniels, Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig, but depth is never a bad thing and Cohen could be an option for the Steelers on Day 3. The team held an informal meeting with him, and his connection with Williams certainly helps the team’s interest in him. He’s an impressive person on and off the field, and I have little doubt that Cohen will thrive wherever he ends up.
