COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Ever since Rivals started ranking high school football players almost 20 years ago, no former recruit ranked No. 1 overall in any class has gone undrafted to the NFL. Terps defensive lineman Byron Cowart is looking to keep that streak alive this April.
But Cowart’s journey from top prospect in 2015 to Maryland for his final year of college football last season has had its ups and downs, and it remains to be seen if the adversity he has faced will help or hurt his chances of being selected by an NFL team.
“It’s a little bit more intense (now) because this is for all the coin,” Cowart said at Maryland Pro Day when comparing his experiences as a highly sought after former five-star high school recruit to his current pre-draft process.
The 6-foot-3, 298-pound Tampa, Fla., native committed to Auburn’s 2015 class out of Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) High School, where he recorded 185 tackles and 29 sacks in his career for the Hawks on his way to becoming the nation’s top-ranked recruit.
His time in Auburn didn’t go as planned though. Cowart never found his footing with the Tigers, and after two full seasons and just 12 total tackles, he decided to leave the program early in the fall semester of his junior year and enroll at Hillsborough Community College.
A year in JUCO led Cowart to College Park, where he started all 12 games for the Terps in 2018 and produced 38 total tackles, five for loss, and two interceptions. It was a fulfilling ending to a tumultuous college career, and it resulted in an invite for Cowart to the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
“Me having to sit out a season and watching what my guys did at Auburn--they had a great season, beating Georgia and Alabama--that sucked, but at the same time, my journey was different,” Cowart said. “I had to go through that type of adversity. Coming here and the stuff we dealt with, I felt like it was even more adversity. So I felt like it all came full-circle for me and it taught me how to grow and get through the adversity and keep pushing. That showed my character. It showed my durability. I’d rather my adversity or my humble pie come sooner than later.”
With more stakes on the line for him these days, Cowart doesn’t have the hype surrounding him that he once did coming out of high school, but he is glad to have the knowledge he has gained throughout his college career to help guide himself now as he attempts to woo NFL teams.
“The thing I learned--not to throw shots at anybody--the rankings, they matter, but for me, I’ve learned they really don’t matter,” Cowart said. “You still have to perform. I was the No. 1 player coming out of high school and I thought I was going to be Jadeveon Clowney and be three-and-out and be drafted at the top of the first round. But my journey was different. I still had to go through some adversity and grow as a player. I feel like I’m a first round talent, but at this point, I just want the opportunity to get drafted and then play in the league four or five years.
“But I don’t look at guys like that. I don’t say, ‘Oh he was a three-star and I was a five-star.’ Because at the end of the day, everybody has to work. Everybody has to show up. I mean, you look at Tom Brady and all those guys like (Julian) Edelman who went in the sixth and seventh rounds. So for this new level that I’m transitioning into, the stars and stuff don’t matter. It’s about how you fit into the team and if you’re going to help them on and off the field, in the locker room. Can you produce? Can you contribute? That’s what I’m learning. It’s a plus though.”
Cowart was pleased with his performance at the Terps’ pro day and said he felt “healthy,” “quick,” and “explosive.” He likes the feedback he’s receiving so far from NFL teams and believes he will be in line for many visits in the coming month.
“They said I move good for being 290 (pounds),” Cowart said. “So really it has been good feedback and it’s a confidence boost for me, which is good. I’ve met with a lot of the teams and I have a lot coming up too, just workouts and Top-30 and stuff like that. It’s exciting. I’m not going to lie, I’m proud of myself but I have to keep going. I’m happy that I had the opportunity to do what I did at Maryland, but it’s looking up for me.”
Cowart was worked out as a defensive end at the combine, but his position at the next level could end up being determined by where he lands. His versatility and athleticism for his size allows Cowart to play multiple positions across the defensive front, and that ability to adapt has him looking like an intriguing option for pro teams.
“A lot of teams know I can play end, but they want to see me play tackle because I’ve heard some teams telling me that [I] can literally play across the line,” Cowart said. “So they just want to see how I react when I’m not with a comfortable spot. Coach (Jimmy) Brumbaugh really did a good job of teaching me the fundamentals and how this position can help me play that position, so wherever they want me to go is where I’m going to go.”
The coaching and mentorship Cowart received from members of the Terps coaching staff like his former defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh has helped transform his football career and put him back on track to becoming a pro.
He credits College Park with a lot of his recent success and preparing him to take the leap into the NFL.
“I feel like Maryland, especially with getting [Coach Locksley], we have the pieces,” Cowart said. “Whether you transfer in or you come out of high school, it’s the place to be. I know that for a fact. You have to put the work in. It’s a great system. I put my name on it and that’s why I want to have the platform where Byron Cowart went to Maryland, he got drafted, and I’m going to come back and rep Maryland. I’m supporting this school because this whole DMV area did a lot for me. A year or two ago I probably wouldn’t even be here, so I put my heart on that. Maryland did a lot for me and I’m willing to give back. I think it’s the place to be.”
