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Texas Longhorns TE Gunnar Helm Working With SEC QB Before NFL Draft

Former Texas Longhorns tight end Gunnar Helm has teamed up with a former SEC opponent to prepare for the NFL Combine.
Lindsey Plotkin|
Texas Longhorns tight end Gunnar Helm (85) runs the ball down the sideline in the fourth quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025.
Texas Longhorns tight end Gunnar Helm (85) runs the ball down the sideline in the fourth quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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As former Texas Longhorns tight end Gunnar Helm prepares for the NFL Combine, his training partner is a former opponent, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia.

The two faced off on Oct. 26, 2024 when Texas beat Vanderbilt 27-24. Pavia is now set to return to school for another year.

Gunnar Hel
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns tight end Gunnar Helm (85) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday, April 24 in Green Bay, and Helm could be among the first tight ends selected.

Take a look at the video:

In that game against Vanderbilt this past season, Helm had four catches for 46 yards. On the other side, Pavia threw for 143 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. While Pavia sued the NCAA for extra eligibility and won, Helm is heading to the 2025 NFL Draft.

With the 2025 NFL Combine looming, Helm is currently the fifth-ranked tight end and is projected to be a third-round pick. Helm was second on the team in receiving yards, catching 60 passes for 786 yards and seven touchdowns.

One of the best at his position in the country, he was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, the trophy for the nation's best tight end.

He helped Texas to its second consecutive College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance, catching the winning touchdown in the second overtime to give the Longhorns the win over Arizona State in the quarterfinals.

Helm stayed at Texas during the lowest of the lows, sticking by head coach Steve Sarkisian because he knew he would turn things around. He was one of the key players that took Texas from being 5-7 in 2021 to 13-3 in 2024. He also now holds the program record for most career catches by a tight end.

He will showcase his skills at the 2025 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana from Feb 27-Mar 2.

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Lindsey Plotkin
LINDSEY PLOTKIN

Lindsey Plotkin is a journalism major and sports media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a double coverage editor for the Daily Texan on the football and baseball beats, and a staff writer for Texas Longhorns On SI.

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