Several NFL teams have requirements for prospects when it comes to measurables.
They like linemen to have a certain arm length, or quarterbacks to have a certain hand size. For linebackers? Well, being shorter is typically frowned upon.
From Lawrence Taylor (6-foot-3) to Brian Urlacher (6-foot-4) to Leighton Vander Esch (6-foot-4), teams gravitate toward the longer, lengthier players at linebacker.
But Texas linebacker Gary Johnson hopes to become an exception to the rule. At 6-foot, Johnson knows he has to overcome the “short” stereotype to NFL scouts.
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“A lot of people say I’m too small to be a linebacker, that I should be a DB, but that’s just a lot of motivation for me,” said Johnson, one of several Texas players to keep an eye on at its Pro Day today.