Brandon Jones, Malcolm Roach seek spot in NFL department of defense

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — It happens all too often: since kids start playing sports, those who play offense often outshine the defense. It’s not always true, and definitely not fair, but the fact is that the guys who end up putting points on the scoreboard often get attention and praise and fans before those whose job is keeping points off the scoreboard.

While the discrepancy might be true with some fans, NFL teams need talented players on both side of the ball … and while most project wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay as the Texas Longhorns’ top two prospects for the NFL Draft, which will be held April 23-25, they are not the only Texas players with a chance. Several other UT players have spent the spring training and hoping to impress NFL scouts, but two — safety Brandon Jones and defensive lineman Malcolm Roach — were invited[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] to the NFL Combine.

Brandon Jones gave serious thought to doing this last year. He was one of the players who submitted a request for feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Committee last year, and unlike so many who opt to return to their schools for another year, Jones reportedly was pleased with the response he got.

But he viewed the Longhorns as a contender to win the Big 12, if not the national title, and returned to the Longhorns for one more season. In 2019, he started 12 games, collecting 86 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, a sack, four pass breakups and a pair of interceptions en route to second-team all-conference honors. Jones, who measured 5-11 and weighed 198 pounds at the Combine, endured his bumps and bruises last season: a shoulder injury kept him from doing much in the Horns’ bowl game, and he also dealt with injuries to his head and ankle.

Jones plays bigger than his frame might suggest, and delivers hits normally handed out by players with more bulk. He also has the benefit of having played all three safety positions in UT’s defense, which coupled with the mentality and athletic ability to contribute on special teams should make him a valuable asset. Depending on what team ends up with him, he likely will end up as a free safety, where he can reduce the number of collisions with the big players in and around the line of scrimmage and use his better-than-average speed to roam the back end of the defense like a center fielder, with speed to run with receivers on deep routes.

He is a tough, high-motor player who will play hurt, if he needs to, but there is concern about how well he’ll hold up when he starts playing against grown men, where he’ll need to tighten up his tackling technique because crushing hits won’t always work against bigger, mature physically players.

Malcolm Roach is viewed as something of a “’tweener” who could play defensive end or defensive tackle, depending on which team he ends up joining. He carried 297 pounds on his 6-2 frame at the combine. His arms measured 31-7/8 inches and his hands a respectable 9-5/8 inches. His 4.84 in the 40-yard dash was viewed as somewhat pedestrian for a defensive end, but a solid time if he plays in the middle. His 20 repetitions on the NFL-standard 225-pound bench press, 30-inch vertical jump and 114-inch broad jump are solid, if not eye-popping results.

At Texas, he was what the coaches wanted: a team-first guy who was the leading vote-getter in the team vote to name captains, a sturdy lineman who can deliver a solid initial punch that seems stronger than his weight room numbers suggest and with enough quickness to slip through gaps in the interior of the opposing offensive line.

His modest speed and lateral quickness were adequate at Texas — he earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2019 after a season in which he had 40 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and blocked a kick — but might not be enough in the NFL, in which case he will need to add bulk and strength to his frame so he can make the slide to the interior of the defensive line a permanent move.

Many analysts have projected Jones as a fourth- or fifth-round pick, with Roach projected in the sixth or seventh round.
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