This past weekend, the Underwear Olympics (aka the NFL Scouting Combine) took place in Indianapolis, allowing some of the top college prospects from around the country to shine in front of NFL brass.
Casual fans may be dismissive of the event, thinking it doesn’t fully capture what the players have put on tape, but NFL executives use this time to conduct interviews and make subtle changes in their draft board, allowing movement from key performances (or duds).
Though some of the top talent passed on performing individual drills in favor of their collegiate Pro Days instead, several players took this opportunity to shine and perhaps bumped their stock up from a Day 3 selection to Day 2, or vice versa.
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2025 NFL Combine Winners & Losers
The 2025 draft class is highlighted by outstanding depth along the defensive line and running back, but each position revealed a few gems (or lumps of coal) this past weekend. Here are my thoughts on some of the players that made the most of their spotlight, and others that failed to seize the moment.
Derek Brown and Andrew Erickson were live on location for the combine and shared their biggest draft risers and fallers at quarterback, running back wide receiver and tight end.
NFL Combine Winners: Quarterbacks
With Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders only conducting interviews and not participating in on-field drills, Jaxson Dart became the top quarterback prospect to step onto the field and exhibit his strengths to scouts.
During the passing drills, Dart continually peppered wide receivers with well-placed balls on intermediate and deep throws, including several outstanding go-route balls. The former top recruit in the country had impressive timing and anticipation and got the ball out quickly when asked to.
Even though he was unfamiliar with the receivers he was throwing to, Dart adjusted on the fly nicely. He has a solid chance to be drafted as a late first-round selection.
Tyler Shough (QB – Louisville)
Tyler Shough was off my radar entering the combine, with most analysts and pundits projecting him as a Day 3 selection, due in part to his advanced age (he turns 26 this year) and mediocre measurables.
Shough was among the few quarterbacks who participated in the 40-yard dash, and his 4.63 time raised an eyebrow. Following a decent broad and vertical jump, Shough showed a live arm when throwing to receivers, and consistently hit spots with accuracy and authority.
Shough has plenty of arm strength to make any throw requested of him, but I pause to overhype him too much when viewing his lengthy injury history at Texas Tech. He is ideal in size (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) and has plenty of arm talent, but a team will need to groom him to rise from a backup to a fringe starter.
NFL Combine Losers: Quarterbacks
Viewers immediately knew when Will Howard took the field on Saturday afternoon, as a bevy of traveling Buckeye fans cheered loudly with every throw he made (much to the chagrin of host and Michigan fan Rich Eisen). Howard performed well on shorter throws but struggled to connect with receivers down the field, especially on dig and comeback routes where timing and anticipation are paramount.
Ranked outside the top five at the position by most draft analysts, Howard didn’t do himself many favors on a day where he had the opportunity to seize the spotlight. His tape from Ohio State exhibited plenty of leadership traits and a knack for extending plays. Hopefully, that keeps him within the Day 2 discussion as a backup option with upside.
Shedeur Sanders (QB – Colorado)
I can already sense the thought going through your brain: “Why did you single out Sanders and not include Ward, since both passed on participating?” Simply put, the drumbeat has begun to ring loud and clear for Ward to be selected over Sanders as the consensus top signal-caller in this class, and Sanders passed up an opportunity to close that gap by only conducting interviews.
Most analysts would agree Ward is the more athletically gifted prospect of the two, with Sanders’ calling cards being his toughness in the pocket and accuracy on throws in tight windows. I think this was a lost opportunity by foregoing the chance to demonstrate that to a large national audience and work only with receivers he is comfortable with during his Pro Day. Sanders will likely remain a top-15 pick, but the gap between him and Jaxson Dart or Quinn Ewers is closer than before.
NFL Combine Winners: Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins (RB – Ohio State)
The Buckeyes’ one-two punch of Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson turned plenty of heads on Saturday, but Judkins did the most to improve his draft stock. The 6-foot-0, 220-pound bruiser ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, finished with the second-fastest 10-yard split at the position (1.51 seconds) and led all running backs with an 11’0″ broad jump.
Known primarily as the thunder to Henderson’s lightning, Judkins showed plenty of explosiveness during the drills and even caught the ball well when given the opportunity. He might not have quite the same upside as Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) or Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), but there is a solid chance Judkins will be selected early in the second round on Day 2 and will make an immediate impact for fantasy purposes.
Omarion Hampton (RB – North Carolina)
Speaking of Omarion Hampton, he shined in the spotlight on Saturday afternoon, especially with Ashton Jeanty opting not to run any drills. Jeanty is the poster boy of the running back class (and for good reason, given his insane collegiate production), but Hampton rose out of his shadow and solidified himself as a contender for the crown.
A 6-foot-0, 221-pound bruiser, Hampton is a chiseled specimen unafraid of running through defenders, but also possesses jump-cuts and quick feet to make people miss in space. His 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash was exceptional, and the comparisons he has drawn to Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet are well-earned. His burst and one-cut ability will make him a first-round selection.
NFL Combine Losers: Running Backs
Johnson entered the Combine as my No. 3 prospect at the position, right behind Omarion Hampton and ahead of TreVeyon Henderson. During his time at Iowa, Johnson showed great ability for pressing holes and seams that his offensive line provided, and constantly falling forward for additional yardage, even after being met behind the line of scrimmage.
That didn’t translate during his testing, as Johnson posted a disappointing 4.57 40-yard dash time and a 1.62 10-yard split mark (the slowest recorded at the position). During the short-area agility drills, he was notably more sluggish than some of his competitors, and he didn’t participate in either the broad jump or long jump drills to offset some of his other numbers. I still anticipate teams will view him as a bell-cow back and Day 2 selection, but the gap between him and several others immediately behind him is notably closer now.
NFL Combine Winners: Wide Receivers
Speed kills, and Matthew Golden has plenty to spare. Golden led all wideouts with a blazing 4.29 40-yard dash mark, just off the record pace his teammate Xavier Worthy set last year. Known primarily as a big play threat, Golden has a polished route tree that will enable him to succeed with multiple concepts. His ability to make defenders miss and blow past defensive backs in open space is noteworthy.
Mild-mannered and well-spoken, Golden performed well when catching the ball in drills and solidified himself as a top-20 selection in the upcoming NFL Draft. Any team looking for help at the position should strongly consider him with their top pick.
Jayden Higgins (WR – Iowa State)
To be fair, both Cyclone receivers (Higgins and teammate Jaylin Noel) were exceptional, but Higgins caught my eye early on by running a 4.47 40-yard dash with his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame. Unlike the past several drafts where smaller wideouts and slot receivers headlined the position, the 2025 class is more well-rounded and has multiple options that can fulfill the “X” role outside the hash marks.
Golden’s huge catch radius offers quarterbacks a wide area to target. Higgins consistently showed great hands and contested catch ability downfield at Iowa State. My colleague Derek Brown has been leading the bandwagon on Higgins for a while, and I believe there is plenty of room left aboard the hype train. All aboard.
NFL Combine Losers: Wide Receivers
I was excited to watch Tez Johnson run, after seeing multiple Oregon games where he made defenders look silly in open space because of his elusiveness after the catch. Host Daniel Jeremiah spoke highly of his ability to play fast and came away equally disappointed as I was with his 4.51 40-yard dash mark.
A 37-inch vertical jump and 1.53-second 10-yard split were somewhat offset by a strong showing at the three-cone drill (his 6.65-second mark led all wideouts), but this still felt like a disappointing overall effort by someone most analysts ranked within the top 15 at the position. Jeremiah seemed confident Johnson would perform better at his Pro Day, where he hopes to demonstrate that his extremely slight frame (just 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds) can hold up at the NFL level. Johnson has drawn comparisons to Los Angeles Ram Tutu Atwell, which is reasonable.
NFL Combine Winners: Tight Ends
Terrance Ferguson (TE – Oregon)
Terrance Ferguson’s 4.63 40-yard dash time surpassed my expectations, along with his 39-inch vertical jump and 10’2″ broad jump. Used primarily as a short-to-intermediate yards pass-catcher at Oregon, Ferguson excelled during the gauntlet drill, catching multiple passes without breaking stride or losing any speed in his transition upfield.
I still believe he has plenty of areas of improvement before he makes a fantasy impact, most notably his poor blocking in the running game and mediocre contested catch rate. Those aspects aside, a team might be willing to take a chance on him as a backup option with upside in a pass-heavy offense.
Even though Mason Taylor didn’t participate during the metric events, he took the field during passing drills and beat up on “Fred the Sled.” His athleticism is noticeable at first glance. For a 6-foot-5, 250-pound athlete, Taylor moves with exceptionally quick feet and grace. I’d be remiss to note he is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor and nephew of linebacker Zach Thomas, so his football genetics are certainly favorable.
Taylor’s concentration and soft hands were fantastic during the gauntlet drill, where he ran straight as an arrow. I’m excited to see what sort of numbers he puts up during his Pro Day, which is right around the corner.
NFL Combine Losers: Tight Ends
NFL Fans
Call me slightly bitter about this one, but I wanted to see Tyler Warren (Penn State), Colston Loveland (Michigan) and Elijah Arroyo (Miami) participating in drills. Just as top prospects have begun to skip their bowl games in anticipation of the NFL Draft, there appears to be a growing trend of first-round talent foregoing the combine in favor of waiting several weeks for their Pro Days instead.
While I understand the underlying factors of allowing your body additional time to rest and recover, it detracts from the attention the Combine desperately needs. The 2025 tight end draft class is deep. I enjoyed watching Mitchell Evans (Notre Dame) and Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green), but the absence of the top players was noticeably felt.
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