5 early top Texas football prospects to watch for 2023 NFL Draft
Demarvion Overshown, LB
There might not be a single Longhorns player with a more volatile draft stock that is more dependent on his production and film this coming season than the former converted safety and rising senior linebacker Demarvion Overshown. This fourth-year linebacker and former blue-chip recruit has all the tools and talent in the world to be a day two pick in the draft.
The 6-foot-4 and 220-pound Overshown has more than enough size, speed, and overall athleticism to thrive as a versatile linebacker at the next level.
Just take a look at the insane closing speed and hitting power that Overshown possesses both in defending the run and the pass. He’s got the speed and ranginess to hang with opposing wide receivers and tight ends in coverage assignments. But he’s also got the power and closing speed to hang with speedy downhill rushers anywhere on the field.
But Overshown needs to show the consistency and playmaking ability at the linebacker position that he flashed at times in the last few seasons. This coming season needs to be the one where Overshown finally puts it all together on the field.
Some of the specifics that Overshown needs to improve on this fall include cutting down on missed tackles, preventing big plays in the passing game, and getting to the quarterback more often. There is no other Longhorns player that has more missed tackles in the last two seasons combined than Overshown (44).
There are too many times when Overshown has the opportunity to bring down the opposing ball carrier/quarterback in the backfield and just takes a poor approach and misses the tackle. He has to work on his angles to start making some of these big negative plays for opposing offenses this fall.
Overshown has improved his missed tackle rate in each of the last three seasons, though. That gives a reason to believe he can continue to make the necessary strides in this regard in 2022.
We saw Overshown make strides in terms of rushing the passer and stuffing the run. He needs to improve in pass coverage assignments out of the box this fall while continuing to show he can be an effective run stuffer and pass rusher this fall.
Put that all together, and we should see Overshown go as a late day two or early day three pick in the 2023 draft.