🏈 2025 NFL Scouting Combine Highlights: Risers and Fallers 🌟
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine has wrapped up, leaving fans and analysts buzzing with excitement! This year, 329 of the nation's top draft prospects gathered in Indianapolis to showcase their talents through rigorous workouts, interviews with teams, and media interactions. It’s an essential stepping stone that could dramatically influence their draft stock. In this article, we’ll spotlight the most notable performances—those who gained traction and those whose fortunes may have shifted downwards. 📈📉
🌟 Riser: EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Not many players have commanded attention during the pre-draft process like Shemar Stewart. After an impressive showing at the Senior Bowl, he solidified his status with an exhilarating performance at the combine.
Stewart showcased remarkable explosiveness for an edge defender, achieving a 98th-percentile broad jump at 10 feet 11 inches and a stunning 40-inch vertical leap, landing in the 96th percentile. Moreover, his 4.59-second 40-yard dash is particularly impressive considering he stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 267 pounds, with a remarkable arm length of 34 ⅛ inches. Despite a less than extraordinary pass-rush grade of 67.2 during the 2024 season, Stewart seems poised to hear his name called within the top 10 picks come draft night. 🎯
Shemar Stewart at 6’5” | 267 lbs 🤯
– 10’11” broad jump
— PFF (@PFF) February 27, 2025
– 40” vertical jump
pic.twitter.com/BQExTTCkkY
📉 Faller: WR Tez Johnson, Oregon
Tez Johnson confronted challenges even before he stepped on the field in Indianapolis. Weighing in at only 154 pounds, he became the lightest prospect measured at the combine since 1999. Johnson's 4.51-second 40-yard dash ranks him in the 51st percentile among receivers, casting doubt on his size-speed combination.
That said, Johnson excels as a route runner, displaying superior burst and agility in drills. However, with the NFL increasingly favoring players who can blend size and speed, his lightweight frame could severely affect his prospects in the draft. ⚖️
🌟 Riser: S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Nick Emmanwori made waves at the combine, strengthening his case as a potential first-round pick. He boasts a linebacker’s build at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds while displaying the mobility of a cornerback.
With a phenomenal time of 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash—ranking him in the 96th percentile among safeties—and incredible vertical and broad jump measurements of 43 inches and 11 feet 6 inches respectively, both placing him in the 98th percentile, Emmanwori really impressed scouts. While Malaki Starks has been seen as a top safety prospect, this performance puts Emmanwori in contention for that honor on many draft boards. 🚀
Nick Emmanwori running a 4.38 at 6'3" | 220 LBS is absurd
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 28, 2025
📉 Faller: S Malaki Starks, Georgia
While Nick Emmanwori shone brightly, Malaki Starks experienced a less than stellar combine. Weighing in at 197 pounds places him in the 15th percentile for safeties. His struggles in agility drills—posting a 4.45-second short shuttle (sixth percentile) and a 7.26-second three-cone drill (ninth percentile)—were particularly concerning. A vertical jump of only 33 inches saw him slip to the 19th percentile.
Despite clocking a relatively decent 4.50-second 40-yard dash (73rd percentile) and a solid 1.51-second 10-yard split (83rd percentile), this average performance is disappointing for someone who was projected to go within the top 15 picks. The week certainly felt less than ideal compared to Emmanwori’s remarkable showing. 😟
🌟 Riser: CB Darien Porter, Iowa State
Darien Porter delivered an astonishing display at the combine, earning acclaim as one of the most athletic cornerbacks ever. Standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 195 pounds, he combines size with remarkable performance metrics, including a blistering 4.30-second 40-yard dash that ranks him in the 98th percentile. His explosiveness was further proven with a 10-foot-11 broad jump (91st percentile) and a 1.49-second 10-yard split (90th percentile).
Porter also excelled in agility drills, with a 6.71-second three-cone time landing him in the 88th percentile, and a swift 4.04-second short shuttle marking the 80th percentile. With such an impressive mix of size and speed, Porter becomes a prime candidate for consideration as a top press corner in this draft class. 📏⚡️
Iowa State CB Darien Porter ran a 4.30 at 6'2" | 195 LBS. Freak
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 28, 2025
📉 Faller: IOL Tyler Booker, Alabama
Tyler Booker entered the combine with aspirations of solidifying a spot in the first round but faced obstacles along the way. His broad jump of 7 feet 10 inches ranked in just the 14th percentile among guards, while his other significant drill results left much to be desired. A time of 5.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, along with 7.96 seconds in the three-cone drill, 4.84 seconds in the short shuttle, and a vertical of only 27 inches all fell below the 45th percentile.
Particularly alarming was Booker’s unofficial 1.96-second 10-yard split, a time that could potentially tie for the third-slowest ever recorded by a guard in combine history. While he demonstrates strength in tighter combat situations, making him a good fit for teams employing a gap-heavy offensive scheme, it was not the spotlight performance he had hoped for as a projected top-25 selection. 🚧
The 2025 NFL Draft is looming, and the combine results are sure to reshape the landscape of this year's prospects. Keep an eye on these players as teams finalize their boards and make decisions that could shape the future of their franchises. 📅💼