LB, Texas
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 220 lbs
Class: rs-Senior
Overshown was a heavily recruited prospect coming out of Arp High School in Texas. He was ranked as a four-star safety prospect and the No. 52 overall player in the country. He earned offers from 26 schools, committing to the Longhorns over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State.
Overshown played a bit-part role as a safety over his first two seasons at Texas. Following spring practice in 2020, the decision was made to move Overshown into the box full-time and he has played as a linebacker ever since. He earned First Team All-Big 12 honours in 2022 and comes into the draft as one of the more experienced players at the position, with over 2,000 career snaps to his name.
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Strengths
Overshown’s background as a safety is apparent as soon as you turn on his tape. He showcases excellent short area quickness whilst also having the long speed to stick with quicker tight ends and running backs in single coverage. Overshown is also a noticeably smooth and fluid athlete when playing in space, showing the fluid hips to make transitions as a coverage defender or redirect in pursuit. His athleticism helps him to have success as a blitzer too – he has 52 pressures on 201 career pass rushing snaps.
It won’t come as much of a surprise that Overshown also shows plenty of potential as a coverage defender. His fluid movement skills allow him to play comfortably in space and he is at his best in zone coverage. Overshown is excellent at reading the quarterback and flashes some great awareness to jump routes. This, coupled with his impressive wingspan, has allowed him to make a number of important plays at the catch point.
Teams will also love Overshown’s consistently high effort. He plays the game with real tenacity and his desire to make big plays pops off the tape. Whilst he might not be the strongest linebacker prospect, he can often make up for this with his sheer ferocity as a tackler. Overshown excels at getting downhill and he packs a punch as a tackler. This saw him generate 46 defensive stops in 2022, which was the fourth most amongst Big 12 defenders.
Weaknesses
There are some concerns about how Overshown’s game will translate to the NFL. The first of these is his lacklustre play strength. At 6’2″ and 220 lbs, Overshown is on the lighter side for a linebacker. His weight would rank in just the first percentile amongst all linebacker prospects since 1999. You will often see him getting stuck on blocks and he is moved too easily in the run game by opposing linemen. A lot of the time Overshown looks like a safety playing linebacker.
There are a few other areas you would like to see some improvement. Overshown is somewhat tardy as a processer and is still clearly learning the position. He can be slow to key run or pass and his first step is inconsistent. Whilst he is a heavy hitter, his tackling technique is also a worry as it lacks any semblance of finesse. Overshown missed a concerning 19.2% of his career tackle attempts.
Bottom Line
There is plenty to like about Overshown as a prospect. His combination of athleticism, coverage ability, and blitzing prowess translate nicely to the NFL level. Teams will also love his high effort and relentless motor. He has some way to go before becoming a starter though, and his lack of play strength and processing quickness will limit him to a rotational role for the foreseeable future.
Ideal role: Rotational linebacker with plenty of use in blitz packages
Round projection: 3rd round
