LT Overton is a 6 ‘5, 278-pound EDGE from the University of Alabama, who enrolled at Texas A&M University as a five-star prospect in 2022 after a historic high school career at Milton High School in Georgia. He was part of the historic 2022 Texas A&M recruiting class, rated the best of all time, and it was a building block of their success. He won awards such as the 2022 Under Armour All-American and Defensive Player of the Week (Week 3, 2024), and was on watch lists for the 2025 Lott Impact Award and the 2025 Nagurski Trophy, among others. He is not known for his injury history, as he only missed time due to medical issues and a lower-body injury that caused him to miss two games.
Athletically, Overton has adequate speed, which will limit his success if it does not develop quickly, as he will spend more time at defensive tackle. He relies on other parts of his game to make up for the lack of speed, like power. His power and counter to the quarterback during passing situations are his best traits, but his inability to finish the play, sacking a quarterback, or batting down the ball with his length and size at the position is a major red flag. However, he has forced quarterbacks into bad throws and interceptions. Mentally, Overton excels in the mental processing and execution phases of misdirection, run-pass options, and screen plays, as he is glued to his assignment and knows the play beforehand. The big athletic weakness here is the inability to execute the bend and finish on passing plays. Lastly, he has a strong competitive toughness, finishing plays even when the play seems dead, which is a good sign for NFL teams.
Overton’s hand placement and technique ability are good, especially for his length, but they can be elite with the composure and patient use of his hands. At times, he will use his hands aggressively, causing him to spin out of control and either create a gap on the left side of the line or be completely out of the play. In the run game, where Overton is valued, he can fill gaps in the middle of the defensive line or as an edge rusher. His patience, along with elite running ability, makes him a tough defender to go after when trying to get ahead of the chains as the offense goes. Offenses have gone away from his direction because of his ability in the running game.
Scheme and Team Fit
Overton’s scheme fit is either a 3-4 edge rusher or a 4-3 defensive tackle. He is used to a 3-4 at Alabama, but with a 4-3 defense, he will be more effective with four rushing up front and a possible outside linebacker rushing as well. The teams that I thought fit this were the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears. The Packers enter this season with a new defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, who runs a 4-3 defense. For them, they could use an edge or defensive tackle, with the departure of Colby Wooden, Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, and with Micah Parsons and Lukas Van Ness coming off serious injuries. They could use his technique instead of power, which most of the defensive line relies on, especially to replace their losses. For the Steelers, it is a developmental team that can develop anyone defensively. With Cameron Heyward nearing retirement, they could have Heyward teach Overton, which will help him develop, and their scheme is a 3-4, which is what Overton ran at Alabama. Lastly, the Bears, who, much like the Packers, are in desperate need of a defensive line presence, and with them running a 4-3 with heavy secondary blitzes, the Bears will be the best fit for Overton at this time in his career, with Chicago’s elite secondary giving Overton a chance to show his full potential.
NFL Player Comparison: Lukas Van Ness
Lukas Van Ness is the comparison I used for Overton, as he relies on strength, length, and technique rather than speed and acceleration. The other thing is Van Ness stands 6 ‘5, 272 pounds as an edge rusher for Green Bay, almost identical to Overton, so it is a perfect comparison.
Projection: League Average Starter
Overton can be a solid starter who sees a lot of playing time, especially at defensive tackle. He will need to work on his speed and use his length to his advantage in passing downs, but with an elite running ability, he will be a good player for a good amount of time.
Grade and Round Projection: 4.3, 3rd Round Pick
With the underwhelming scouting combine performance from Overton, he will fall to the third round because of his pass-rush ability and his average speed. His versatility to play both inside and outside gives him significant value, along with his length, power, hand use, mental processing, and elite running ability.
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