What NFL decision-makers said about the Texas Longhorns in the 2023 NFL draft
Every year around draft time, NFL franchises bring out the key members in the decision-making process to address the media. Scouts, general managers, head coaches, and the occasional hands-on owner all take questions about the group of players taken in the weekend’s proceedings.
[Get Inside Texas Plus for just $29.99 until 8/31/23!]
After Chicago took Longhorn running back Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the draft, Bears southwest area scout John Syty spoke to the media and could hardly contain his excitement about drafting Johnson.
“This is a young man who has some pretty special qualities just in terms of his leadership ability,” Syty said. “He’s someone we really feel can become a pillar in this organization for a really long time. I feel really strongly about this guy. I’m excited for you guys to meet him. There’s a level of ‘it’ factor to this kid that, the second he walks into the room, all you guys are going to feel.
“I’m a little bit emotional about this kid. We spent a lot of time with him. Coach (David) Walker went down and visited him at Texas. We worked him out at pro day. This kid has been through a lot of adversity, and there’s a reason that we selected him today. I have a feeling this guy is going to be with us for a really long time.”
That wasn’t all Syty had to say.
“This human being is wired differently,” he continued. “The more time you spend around him, the more you realize you’re the one that probably has the stuff that you need to work on. He’s that kind of guy.”
Scouts are a key part of the draft process. They assess game tape, get involved with meetings, and do so much more when presenting data to the decision-makers. Intangibles are an area they are asked to assess. Syty gave Johnson high marks, maybe his highest, in a certain area.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever written a guy with higher character than him,” Syty said.
All in all, Syty was proud of his scouting work for those in Halas Hall.
“He just emulates everything we want a Chicago Bear to be,” he said. “I just can’t say it enough. The ‘it’ factor about this kid is special.”
Here is what other NFL front office members had to say about their Longhorn picks.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles on Roschon Johnson
“This was a guy I was shocked that he was still on the board,” Poles said. “He is a really good football player that I know is going to be successful in this league in many different ways. And on top of that, probably you could understand from talking to him over that Zoom call, he’s an unbelievable human being as well who is going to enhance our culture, enhance our locker room and continue to meet the standards that we’ve put in place.”
Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones on DeMarvion Overshown
“He was a blue chip player there for us.”
Kanas City Chiefs area scout Jason Lamb on Keondre Coburn
“He’s a big dude up front. Strong, powerful, explosive. The thing about him is being as big as he is, the dude can move. He’ll go out there and he’ll chase quarterbacks. He’ll run around and make the quarterback scramble outside the pocket. He’s going to bring a big presence up front, a lot of explosiveness, a lot of power, a lot of strength in the game.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on Moro Ojomo
“Our seventh round pick, when we talk about him, that’s a guy who has traits in his body. He has 34-inch arms. He went to Texas as a 16-year-old. Tremendous testing. He’s got position versatility. He was standing out on our board. We were excited to get him in the 7th round.”
Atlanta Falcons running backs coach Michael Pitre on Bijan Robinson
“On the website, it may say running back, but he’s more than a running back. He truly is. He has an ability to change and affect the game anywhere he’s lining up on the field, and that’s what I think makes us excited about him, because of all the things we do from an offensive scheme standpoint.”
Atlanta Falcons area scout Dante Fargnoli on Bijan Robinson
“His elusiveness. It’s hard to get a good hit on the guy because he’s so hard to tackle. He has spin moves, elusive juke moves. No one really gets a clean shot.”
