Ex-Husker Ochaun Mathis showcases wingspan, vertical jump at NFL Combine

One of Nebraska’s top NFL Draft prospects got his chance to impress scouts at the NFL Combine on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Outside linebacker Ochaun Mathis, one of three Huskers invited to the event, was the first to undergo measurements and testing at the annual scouting event.

After groups of interior defensive linemen and edge rushers ran through drills, Mathis worked with the linebacker group. Regardless of where he lines up, Mathis’ NFL future will be as a pass rusher, not an off-ball linebacker. Mathis weighed in at 250 pounds, which is 10 pounds lighter than his weight with Nebraska in the fall.

One of Nebraska’s top edge defenders in 2022, Mathis had an additional year of college eligibility he could have chosen to use. At 24 years old, though, the time was now for Mathis to make the jump to the professional ranks.

“Yes, they want a younger guy and that has a real impact on me coming into the draft,” Mathis told the Associated Press on Thursday. “I didn’t want to get too old, you know, ruin the process of it. So just testing the waters, getting out there and taking that leap of faith is one of the biggest things I have to do.”

Mathis’ arms measured at 35¼ inches, giving him the third-largest wingspan of any edge rusher at the combine. That worked to his advantage in the vertical jump, as his leap of 33 1/2 inches placed him in the top half of his position group. However, Mathis’ broad jump of 9 feet, 8 inches ranked in the bottom half of edge rushers.

Speed is not one of Mathis’ strengths as a prospect, and it showed as his 40-yard dash time of 4.78 seconds ranked 23rd among 28 total edge rushers.

Nebraska’s two other NFL Combine participants, wide receiver Trey Palmer and tight end Travis Vokolek, will participate in drills on Saturday.