Top Texas NFL Draft prospect’s poor NFL Combine performance was completely overblown after latest reports come to light
The Texas Longhorns do not lack some intriguing 2025 NFL Draft prospects. One of them is their starting tight end from recent seasons, who had a career year this past season with 786 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Helm did not have a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, but now there's a bit […]
The Texas Longhorns do not lack some intriguing 2025 NFL Draft prospects. One of them is their starting tight end from recent seasons, who had a career year this past season with 786 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Helm did not have a good showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, but now there's a bit of an important update on why that was.
A notable update on Gunnar Helm
The former Longhorns tight end has a good excuse for his frustrating NFL Combine performance.
According to Ian Rapoport, Helm twisted his ankle on his false start attempt for the 40-yard dash.
As Rap noted, Helm did not tell anyone about the pain in the moment. He pushed through it in order to compete and be a part of the important event.
That decision did come with risk, as many people questioned his performance and numbers in comparison to their expectations for the young TE. He lacked explosiveness and did not look smooth during the drills. Now, we know exactly why.
Helm recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.84 seconds, a 20-yard shuttle of 4.40 seconds, and a 10-yard split of 1.69 seconds. Those were not grand numbers on the first look, but there was a reason for it, apparently.
Check out a slow-mo look at the dash attempt where the injury occurred. You can certainly notice a bit of a grimace from Helm in the moment.
Helm remains an interesting prospect for NFL teams coming out of Texas.
He may take more time to get acclimated to the pros than some other options, but there's a good chance he will go somewhere between round three and five still.
Helm is a tight end ready to contribute in the passing game from day one while possessing the framework to develop into a complete player. His basketball background shows up consistently in his ability to win contested catches and box out defenders, skills that will translate immediately to NFL red zone packages. The natural hands and instincts for finding soft spots in zone coverage will make him a reliable chain-mover from the jump.
Give him two years to add functional strength and refine his blocking technique, and you're looking at a potential three-down tight end who can line up anywhere in the formation. His combination of reliable hands, natural feel for space, and emerging route craft gives him one of the highest floors in this tight end class. Teams running heavy 12 personnel packages will see an immediate contributor who can develop into much more. — NFL Draft Buzz
We will see if his choice to do all of those drills on an injured ankle affects his stock one way or another for teams around the NFL.
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