Justin Houston of the Georgia Bulldogs had the choice of whether to sell himself to NFL teams as a defensive lineman with room to grow or a big linebacker. Linebacker it is, and based on his performance Monday at various NFL Combine drills, it looks like he made the right choice.
Houston finished second among linebackers in the bench press with 30 reps of 225 pounds, behind only Ohio State’s Ross Homan and just ahead of Boston College’s Mark Herzlich. He also tied for seventh among LBs in the 40-yard dash, running a 4.68, and finished No. 4 in the vertical jump and No. 2 in the broad jump.
Georgia’s Akeem Dent fared well in the vert, finishing No. 2 behind UConn’s Scott Lutrus.
Weighing in at 270 pounds, Houston shouldn’t be able to outrun and outjump players who weigh 20 or more pounds lighter. He was already expected to go in the first round, but today demonstrated he has the versatility to play just about anywhere a creative defensive coordinator wants to put him.