From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, 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, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas DL Vernon Broughton.
#45 Vernon Broughton/DL Texas – 6-4, 305 pounds (Senior)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Vernon Broughton | 6-4/305 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Stout with good overall build
– Excellent upper body strength and stout at the point of attack
– Impressive two-gapper who can’t be moved by base/combo blocks, eats blocks against the run
– Handles double-teams well and able to split them, gets skinny and reduces surface area
– Understands leverage and doesn’t let blockers get under his pads
– Bull has ability to create power
– Smart and reads/anticipates blocking schemes/angle of departure well
– Asked to stunt and contain, pro-style defense
– Versatile and moved around the front
– Athletic bloodlines
– Durable and available throughout career
The Bad
– Little bit shorter than ideal for base end
– Below-average athlete and isn’t explosive off the football
– Limited pass rusher without a plan
– Lacks go-to rush moves, and bull isn’t as effective as it should be
– Tends to lean on blockers as a rusher
– Too often stuck on blocks in the run game, needs to use his hands to defeat them more consistently
– Prone to getting washed down too much when one-gapping
– Arms don’t always get extended in the run game, causing him to lose vision on the football
– May not be an option in sub-packages
– Unimpressive career production, though stronger senior season
Bio
– 55 career games for the Longhorns, made 16 starts
– Career: 69 tackles (11 TFL) 6 sacks, 2 FFs
– 2024: 39 tackles (4.5 TFL) 4 sacks, 2 FFs
– Didn’t start full-time until 2024
– Four-star recruit from Houston, Texas, chose Texas over Alabama, Florida, USC and several other big-time schools
– Played basketball until sophomore year of HS, played DE and TE early in HS career
– Didn’t begin playing football until mid-way through high school
– Mother longtime college basketball coach, head coach at Texas Southern, and assistant at TCU and LSU, led Grambling State to first-ever NCAA tournament in 1994 (lost by 10 to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in opening round)
– Father was a lineman for AFL, once teammates with Kurt Warner for Iowa Barnstormers
Tape Breakdown
Vernon Broughton stayed local, giving the edge to Texas despite a hard push from Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M. It took until 2024 for Broughton to crack the starting lineup, but he showed his chops as a run defender. Strong and stout at the point of attack, he was a black hole against the run, absorbing everything that came near his way. Simply put, he is a tough guy to move, and at his best, he’s impactful at and behind the line of scrimmage.
His pad level is solid, and he stays low, making it hard to get under and displace by base and combo blocks. Even double-teams proved futile, with Broughton often anchoring and/or splitting them.
He often played in a 3-4 front and aligned as the 4i and occasional 5-tech. He stunted, looped, and contained in a similar way the NFL would ask him, especially for a team like Pittsburgh.
Negatively, Broughton isn’t a good athlete. There is not much explosion out of his stance, and he’s severely limited as a pass rusher. Perhaps his lack of experience is a factor, as he did not play football until mid-way through high school and only started full-time in 2024 as a rotational player at Texas beforehand. He has no pass-rush plan or go-to moves aside from a bush that occasionally pushes the pocket. But he was an ineffective rusher, not ready for passing downs.
Against the run, he can get stuck on blocks and needs to develop his hands more consistently. Part of that means getting more arm extension to avoid being chest-to-chest and losing sight of the runner.
Conclusion
Overall, Broughton is a plus run defender with plenty of strength. He’s old-school and can two-gap at an above-average level, but he’s a two-down player who lacks the refinement and arguably the athleticism to get after the quarterback. That will limit his upside and, by extension, his draft-day value.
My NFL comp is Jarvis Jenkins.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.0 – Fifth Round (Backup/Special Teamer)
Games Watched: at Michigan (2024), vs Florida (2024), vs Georgia (2024)
