The Houston Cougars are fresh off a breakthrough 10-3 season under Willie Fritz. And when the wins start rolling in, that often correlates with NFL Draft success. Last year, Houston finished without a drafted player for the first time since 2015 (although first round selection Matthew Golden originally attended Houston before transferring to Texas).
This year, a new streak is destined to start for Houston, with tight end Tanner Koziol and cornerback Latrell McCutchin as the most likely NFL Draft selections.
Koziol and McCutchin led the 17 Cougar draft hopefuls that tested on Houston’s March 27 Pro Day.
A summary of results are below, including each player’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS) chart. RAS is a metric developed by Kent Lee Platte which grades a player on a scale of 0.00 to 10.00 based on NFL Combine or pro day performance, factoring in size, speed, explosiveness, and agility in relation to other players at a certain position. All historic RAS scores can be found at https://ras.football/.
NFL Combine invites
Tanner Koziol, TE
No tight end captured more passes in 2025 than Koziol, who ranked 14th in the FBS with 74. Koziol only spent one year at Houston, but he was already one of the top tight ends in the country during his Ball State tenure which featured a 94-catch, 839-yard season in 2024. The 6’6”, 247 pound tight end not only offers impressive on-the-field abilities such as a remarkable catch radius — on full display in the Texas Bowl win over LSU — but he also tested extraordinarily well at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Expect Koziol to be one of the earlier tight ends off the board later this April.
Latrell McCutchin, CB
McCutchin suited up two seasons at Houston after previous stops at Oklahoma and USC. The 6’2” cornerback presents impressive length and coverage skills, reaching career-highs in tackles (51) and pass breakups (10) in the 2025 campaign. McCutchin surprisingly never recorded an interception in college, but his impact went beyond the stat sheet, turning a struggling Cougar pass defense into a formidable unit the instant he cracked the lineup. McCutchin tested particularly well in the vertical jump and broad jump at the Combine, while recording a stellar 4.43-second 40-yard dash for a position where speed is essential.
Pro Day participants
Dean Connors, RB
No Houston player elevated his stock at Pro Day more than Connors, who certainly raised some eyebrows among the scouts present. Fresh off a career-best 977 rushing yards in his final collegiate season, Connors proved he’s ready for the next level with a strong showing in the 40-yard dash and exceptional athleticism in the vertical and broad jumps. The running back also offers versatility as one of the top receiving backs in this class. In 2024 while at Rice, Connors ranked second among all FBS tailbacks with 62 receptions and excels as a route runner.
Stacy Sneed, RB
Sneed was tied for the longest tenured member of the Houston roster, first arriving to campus for the 2020 pandemic-adjusted season. Even through the coaching change from Dana Holgorsen to Willie Fritz, Sneed stuck with the Cougars, often operating as a second fiddle in the backfield. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry across his college career, with the majority of his production stemming from the 2022 campaign. Sneed’s best relative score at Pro Day transpired in the shuttle run.
Mekhi Mews, WR/RS
Mews is a two-time national champion, serving as a member of the 2021 and 2022 Georgia Bulldogs teams that ran through the College Football Playoff. He saw expanded playing time in 2023 at Georgia before transferring to Houston. In 2024, he attained career-highs in receptions (29) and receiving yards (253), while housing his second punt return touchdown of his college career. Mews remained the Cougars’ primary punt returner in 2025 which could be his ideal role at the next level.
Stephon “Boogie” Johnson Jr., WR
Johnson suffered a season-ending foot injury in the sixth game of Houston’s season. The Cougars’ leading receiver from the 2024 campaign, Johnson intended to extend his time with the Cougars and applied for a medical redshirt. However, the request was denied, forcing the receiver to prepare for the NFL Draft rather than return to college for 2026. Johnson participated in wide receiver drills with quarterback Conner Weigman but did not test the other measurables at Pro Day.
Matthew Wykoff, G/OT
Wykoff was a well-traveled lineman, playing two years at Texas A&M (2021-22), another two at California (2023-24), and one final season at Houston. More importantly, he accrued valuable starting experience at all three stops, playing snaps at center, guard, and tackle. Guard was his primary position where he started 11 games for the Cougars in 2025, refusing to allow a single quarterback hit or sack all season. Wykoff particularly excelled on the bench press and in the 3-cone drill at Pro Day.
Dalton Merryman, OT
Perhaps Houston’s biggest positional upgrade from the 2024 team that went 4-8 to last year’s 10-3 squad was the offensive line. The Cougars brought in size, and the 6’8” Merryman certainly fortified the trenches. The starting right tackle never allowed multiple sacks in a single game and presented impressive speed for his size. That was evident at Pro Day with a 5.07-second 40-yard dash and a 7.89-second 3-cone drill.
Eddie Walls III, DE
Walls originated at the FCS level, spending the 2021-23 seasons at Bethune-Cookman. In 2024, he shined at the FBS level with FIU, immediately leading the team in sacks with 5.0. That same dominance up front translated to Houston where he ranked atop the Cougars with 7.0 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, putting his fingerprints all over the season-ending Texas Bowl win over LSU.
Carlos Allen, DT
Allen was the heart and soul of Houston’s defense over the past two years. What he lacked in size, he more than made up with his play, generating 80 tackles to lead all FBS defensive tackles in 2025. Allen also contributed 7.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, serving as an omnipresent force on the defensive line. At Pro Day, Allen stood out with a 9-foot-5-inch broad jump, showcasing his athleticism that was evident on the field.
Jalen Garner, OLB
Garner was arguably Houston’s most improved player from 2024 to 2025, rising from a backup linebacker to a 10-3 team’s second-leading tackler with 77 takedowns. Garner added two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a pair of forced fumbles to a loaded résumé, one he hopes can be conveyed into an NFL future. At Pro Day, the shuttle run and broad jump were his top testing categories.
Marc Stampley II, CB
Stampley was one of many transfers in Houston’s 2025 secondary — perhaps the deepest unit on the roster. The former Georgia Southern Eagle was a ballhawk throughout his college career, securing seven interceptions including two at Houston. Stampley added 28 tackles and a pair of pass breakups last season while starting seven games at the ‘star’ position. He tested exceptionally at the 3-cone drill on Pro Day.
Zelmar Vedder, CB
Vedder traveled from the JUCO ranks to Sacramento State (while it was an FCS school) to Houston in an eventful college career. He wasted no time in contributing to the Cougars’ secondary in 2025, finishing with 20 tackles and seven pass breakups — ranking third on the team in the latter statistic. Vedder enjoyed one of the best Pro Days of any Cougar, drawing eyeballs in the vertical and broad jumps, while recording a solid 4.51-second 40-yard dash time.
Wrook Brown, SS
Brown arrived at Houston in 2025 after three seasons at Wyoming and instantly became a key fixture in the secondary. The strong safety checked in at seventh on the team with 48 tackles, while logging six tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in a havoc-wreaking season. Brown started six games at the ‘star’ position last year and was renowned for his hard, yet effective hitting ability.
Blake Thompson, SS
Thompson is yet another well-traveled member of the Houston secondary, taking stops at Iowa State and Louisiana Tech before winding up on Willie Fritz’s roster. Thompson’s peak production transpired with Louisiana Tech in 2024 where he collected 59 tackles and two forced fumbles, but he saw some action at Houston — generating 18 tackles and his first career interception last fall.
Ethan Sanchez, K
Sanchez was a frequent recipient of Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week, securing the honor three times in a standout season. The former Old Dominion kicker transformed Houston’s special teams, and he sunk walk-off game-winners to defeat Oregon State and Arizona in his lone season with the Cougars. His 21 made field goals ranked 13th in the FBS and only four kickers sunk more in the 40-49 range than Sanchez.
Jacob Garza, LS
Garza was the other sixth-year senior on Houston’s roster that never transferred, sharing the desigation with Stacy Sneed. The long snapper made his first appearance in 2020 and continued as an integral member of the Cougars’ special teams through 2025, where he was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, with the first round starting April 23, the second and third rounds April 24, and the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh rounds April 25.
