Vernon

Broughton

Broughton was a third-round pick of the Saints this offseason and made his pro debut in Week 2’s loss to the 49ers. The rookie lineman appeared on 24 defensive snaps, per PFF, and assisted on three tackles. According to Garafolo, the Saints are still seeking multiple opinions to see if surgery will be required to repair Broughton’s hip.

Broughton bided his time behind Texas defensive tackle stars, Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, before breaking out as a fifth-year player in 2024. An intriguing size-speed prospect, Broughton (6’5/311) exuberantly pursues passers by keeping blockers at bay with his 35-inch arms. When Broughton loses the initial handfight, it can be difficult for him to disengage and at times he fails to accurately asses his opponent’s lateral movement. Improving discipline and strength sit atop his to-do list, though his size and athleticism allow him to dominate lesser opponents, regardless. Broughton primarily lined up as a defensive tackle but could line up as a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL after producing an elite 13.0 percent pass-rush win rate in 2024. In Texas’ full 2024 season, Broughton totaled 32 quarterback pressures, four sacks, 26 stops, 29 solo tackles and five TFLs.

Broughton (6'6/285) announced his decision on Wednesday, with the Longhorns beating out Texas A&M, Ohio State, Arkansas, LSU and Alabama. Keeping the Houston native in-state -- and away from rival Texas A&M -- is a big recruiting win for HC Tom Herman and his staff. Broughton is Texas’ ninth verbal commitment in the 2020 class, and all nine hail from the Lone Star State. The Cypress Ridge HS rising senior has spent time as both a 4- and a 5-technique, and in the view of Rivals recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman Broughton has the ability to play either DE or DT at the college level. “Broughton has that sought-after blend of size and speed to keep opposing offensive linemen guessing. He has long arms that allow him to reach the quarterback even easier. They were measured at 32.5 inches with a total wingspan of 80.5 inches,” Spiegelman wrote in his analysis.

Broughton is down to two: Texas and Texas A&M. Certainly not the first time we’ve had these two schools go head-to-head, is it? Most believe that Broughton is going to be a Longhorn, but, we’ve certainly seen upsets in these battles, haven’t we? Broughton ranks 70th overall in 247Sports rankings, and as the sixth best defensive tackle in the class. Someone’s getting a good one on Monday.

Simmons is hearing that Broughton might have actually already made up his mind, noting that the 6-foot-6, 263-pounder “almost” announced his pledge while at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge on Tuesday. The Houston native has taken all five of his allotted official visits -- to LSU, Ohio State, Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M. Look for Broughton to end the suspense in July unless he opts to jump the gun for real. Rivals ranks Broughton as the No. 60 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Broughton (6'6/263) has his recruitment in tidy order, having already taken official visits to all five of his finalists in LSU, Ohio State, Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M. Per Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman, OSU and Texas A&M have “emerged as the top options” in this race, in part due to scheme fit. Broughton would like to play in a 4-3 scheme. Rivals ranks the Houston native as the No. 60 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Broughton (6'6/263) named Texas as his leader when speaking with Rivals back in February. Longhorns still holding steady, here, it would appear. They hosted the Houston native for an official visit earlier this spring. As for which programs might be able to push Texas off its spot, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Ohio State are all players to watch. Rivals ranks Broughton as the No. 60 overall prospect in the 2020 class. He received a 26-spot bump in the outlet’s latest rankings revision, which was put out last week.

Broughton (6'6/263) name-checked Oklahoma and Texas A&M as programs of interest in addition to the Longhorns, but at this juncture, it’s Texas which holds a slight lead in the race for his pledge. The Houston native said that he plans on putting out a top-five list in the summer, after which he will settle on his future college home. Rivals ranks Broughton as the No. 86 overall prospect in the 2020 class.