Vernon Broughton, Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Broughton was a four-star recruit from Cypress Ridge High School, in Houston, Texas in the class of 2020

Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Vernon Broughton often gets overlooked in discussions about the 2025 NFL Draft’s top interior defensive linemen because of the class’ depth and Alfred Collins’ success. Broughton isn’t an elite prospect but certainly has the physical tools to be a top 120 selection.

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Vernon Broughton, IDL Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive tackle from Houston, Texas

Background: Broughton was a four-star recruit from Cypress Ridge High School, in Houston, Texas in the class of 2020. He was the No. 122 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 133 for Rivals, and No. 116 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 80th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. He played defensive tackle and tight end at Spring Woods High School in Houston as a sophomore before arriving at Cypress Ridge. As a senior, Broughton amassed 36 tackles, ten tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He was a Second Team All-District 17-6A and First Team 2019 Super Team selection. Broughton was invited to the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game and was one of five finalists for the 2019 Watkins Award, which goes to the nation’s top African American male high school scholar-athlete. As a junior, Broughton tallied 92 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries on his way to earning First Team All-District 17-6A honors. He primarily played basketball in high school until his sophomore season. Broughton was born on July 15, 2001. His mother played college basketball at Grambling.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed NFL Combine and pro day with a quad strain

Awards: N/A

Pros: Elite arm length, good explosiveness off the line, light and nimble feet, sudden lateral redirection, quick steps to exchange gaps and stress centers vertically, quickness to cross the guard’s face and attack A-gap, gets skinny to shoot through narrow gaps, leg drive helps him squeeze through the A-gap, acceleration makes him a weapon on stunts, active and combative hands, tight hand placement to access the lineman’s chest, long-arm, two-handed swipe, rip move, club-swim, swim move, spin counter, hand placement helps win leverage battle as a pass rusher, knee-drop technique helps with occasional double teams, uses long-arm to stack and pry up the guard’s pad level, limited issues redirecting off Tate Ratledge and Jared Wilson blocks (2024), keeps eyes in the backfield on run plays, good effort to pursue screens outside the hashes

Cons: One year of production, high-hipped, inconsistent pad level, play strength needs to improve, inconsistent ability to win with a bull rush/long-arm, needs to add counters off his bull rush, lacks secondary rush moves to revive attack when initial rush fails, ineffective spin move, rushes wild and out of control at times, mass makes him inconsistent at POA, inconsistent breaking the lineman’s clamp, gap-shooting tendencies cause loss of gap integrity, diving missed on tackle attempts at LOS

Overview: Broughton’s size made him a versatile chess piece for the Longhorns. He lined up everywhere from 0-tech out to 4i in 2024 with a heavy concentration on 3-tech and 4i. Broughton looks like he was built in a lab, standing 6'5", 311 lbs. with an 83 7/8-inch wingspan and 35-inch arms. Those numbers are from the Combine, which shortchanged most prospects, meaning Broughton’s arms might be even longer. He displays good explosiveness off the line and is light on his feet, allowing for sudden gap exchanges and lateral explosiveness. Broughton carries his weight well and gets skinny to shoot gaps. He’s a nice weapon on stunts because of his acceleration. His combative hands seek out the offensive lineman’s chest to establish a long-arm. Broughton’s pass rush plan also includes club-swims, rips, swims, two-handed swipes, and an inconsistent spin counter. His lack of density makes it difficult for him to post consistent wins with his bull rush. He needs to get a little stronger to offer more as a power rusher. Broughton’s pass rush plan lacks go-to counters and secondary rush moves when his initial attack fails. Sometimes, he defaults to just being an athlete and rushing wildly with no plan, which leaves him off balance. Broughton is high-hipped, which leads to some pad level concerns. Fortunately, he uses his hand placement to pry up the offensive lineman’s pads and establish proper leverage in both the run and pass games. The redshirt senior’s lack of mass makes him a target for some offenses in the run game, but he uses the knee-drop technique to give double teams all they can handle. Broughton occasionally struggles to break the offensive lineman’s grip, but he had little difficulty separating and redirecting against some of the SEC’s most notable linemen. He likes to shoot gaps, leading to the loss of gap integrity. Broughton shows good effort in pursuit but needs to finisher a higher percentage of tackle attempts.

Overall, Broughton is a physically gifted penetrating 3-tech who had to wait his turn in Texas’ deep defensive line room. His rush plan is still developing, but he has the foundational moves to offer value rotating in on passing downs early in his career. Some teams might opt to sub Broughton out on run downs, but he is building the block recognition and counters to become a three-down player.

Role & Scheme Fit: Penetrating 3-tech in an even front

Round Grade: Fourth Round

Size: 6'5", 311 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 09-16-24

Updated: 04-12-25