Winners of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine

We’re on our way to the 2025 NFL Draft, and one of the most exciting events for fans is the Scouting Combine. The workouts are often more for the media than for scouting purposes, but they can still create buzz for prospects who perform well. Behind the scenes, teams are doing the real tasks: learning players’ measurements, performing medical exams, and interviewing them. These visits do not count against teams’ top 30 visits, and they allow teams to learn about a ton of prospects at one place and time. Therefore, I thought I’d look at the players who really helped themselves at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. This could be through their workout performances, testing, or interviews. Let’s go!

DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon

Harmon has been rising throughout the draft process, and the Combine did nothing to slow his momentum. He demonstrated good athleticism with a great 1.74-s 10-yard split (which is more important than the 40 for a DT) at 313 lbs. The drills treated him well too, as he looked smooth and controlled throughout. NFL Network’s comp for him was Chris Jones, which is some lofty praise. That’s definitely an overstatement, but the body types do line up. Interior rushers (Harmon had 5 sacks last year) are in great demand, so Harmon could be pushing to be a late first-round pick in April’s draft.

DE James Pearce Jr, Tennessee

We talked about Pearce’s production and explosiveness back in week 13 of the college football season. During that discussion, I compared him to Brian Burns; that may have been spot-on, as NFL Network came up with the same match. The testing backs it up. Pearce ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, the fastest among all defensive linemen this year. He also looked extremely fluid in the drills, more so than any other player. Like Burns, Pearce is a pass rushing machine who may struggle against the run. Teams crave rushers though, and Pearce probably solidified his first-round status with his performance in Indy.

LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

With Georgia’s Jalon Walker sitting the Combine out, Campbell was the consensus top prospect at the inside LB position to work out. He didn’t disappoint. His speed (4.52-s 40) matched his playing tape, where he was all over the field. In 2024, he earned 117 tackles (12 for loss) and an INT, but it was his 5 sacks that had teams salivating. As an ILB, Campbell looks great, and interviewed really well as a leader. However, the draft stock of that position is capped, and his edge rushing potential could provide a boost. Campbell is one of the safest players in the entire draft, and it’s a near certainty that his name will be called during round 1.

CB Trey Amos, Ole Miss

As many analysts will tell you, 40-yard dash times aren’t the ultimate signs of what players will become. In Amos’ case though, the exercise was uniquely important. He has ball skills (3 INTs in 2024), sticky coverage, and tackling ability. The only question was whether he had enough long speed to cover NFL receivers. When he ran his 40 in 4.43 seconds, you could almost see the relief on his face. I almost feel badly for brushing his silky smooth work in the drills aside, but speed was the one concern, and he addressed it in strong fashion. In less than 5 seconds, Amos put himself in first-round consideration.

CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

If we’re trying to pick the player who helped himself the most at the Combine, Hairston could be that guy. Already rising up draft boards, Hairston set the Combine on fire with a 4.28-s 40, making him the fastest participant at any position this year. Aside from proving that he’ll never get burned on a go route, he also did well in the drills, showing off his agility and technique. To top it off, he excelled in the jumping tests. As it stands, Hairston is straddling the line between being a first- or second-round pick. Based on what he did in Indianapolis, the former is the far better bet.

S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

I don’t usually include a player who bypassed the drills, but Emmanwori’s athletic testing results were too good to leave him out. A 6’3″, 220-lb man should not be able to run a 4.38-s 40, but that’s exactly what Emmanwori did. He also posted elite numbers in the 10-yard split (1.49 s), broad jump (11’6″), and vertical jump (43″). His agent probably told him to end his day after the official results came in because he couldn’t possibly do anything better on the field. Already considered a first-round prospect, Emmanwori probably ensured that he’ll be the first safety selected. A lack of positional value can’t stop this athletic specimen.

TE Mason Taylor, LSU

Taylor is a common name, but in this case, there actually are bloodlines: Mason is the son of Jason Taylor, the Hall of Fame DE. When people would talk about Jason, they would mention how smoothly he did everything. That trait was passed to his son, as Mason looked fluid in everything he did at the Combine. In particular, his gauntlet drill was pristine. After watching it, I tried to see if his game had flaws that I wasn’t aware of. I found nothing, as he made no mistakes. While this is a better TE class than normal, this performance might help Taylor sneak into the second round and leap ahead of some other prospects.

RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech

Only one RB could claim to be this year’s fastest, and with a 4.32-s 40 time, Tuten earned that distinction. For good measure, he also led the position with a 40.5-inch vertical jump. Teams always want homerun hitters in their backfields, and Tuten is the likeliest option in the draft to fill that need. Another thing I liked was his ability to catch the ball. Virginia Tech never featured Tuten in the passing game, so showing that he could stay on the field for 3 downs was key. As an RB with only 2 years of carries on his tires, Tuten is an intriguing prospect whose tape teams will re-watch due to his electrifying speed.

QB Brady Cook, Missouri

In a lackluster QB class, simply being competent could make you stand out. Cook had the best day in my opinion. He showed off his athleticism with a 4.59-s 40, the best result among the mere three signal callers who ran. More importantly, I thought he had great touch in the throwing drills. He didn’t just fire lasers all day; he layered the ball so that his unfamiliar receivers could adjust to them. To me, Cook’s floor is as a long-term backup, but perhaps he could be more than that. What he accomplished was jumping ahead of several other QB prospects on my board, which is the goal of participating in the Combine to begin with.

WR Jack Bech, TCU

You could argue that nobody is having a better draft process than Bech. He was the MVP of the Senior Bowl following his brother’s tragic death in the New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year’s Day. That put him on my radar, and he followed it up with a stellar Combine. Though he didn’t run the 40, he was among the best performers in the field drills. Bech made multiple great catches on subpar throws, and he didn’t mess anything up. He comes with quality size (6’1″), and his play speed looked plenty good. Bech’s stock is on a meteoric rise, and he’s solidly a day-2 pick as he continues to prove that he can be a good WR2.

WR Matthew Golden, Texas

For a class that is said to be weak at the receiver position, we certainly had plenty of standouts. Golden already had scouts’ attention based on his heroics during the CFP quarterfinals. If you want to parlay that into a better draft grade, you can’t do much better than becoming the fastest WR at the Combine. Golden ran a 4.29-s 40, which is fantastic on its own but even more so when you consider his 5’11”, 191-lb frame. As his former teammate Xavier Worthy did last year, Golden might be able to ride his Combine performance to a first-round draft selection. After all, you can’t teach speed.

WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State

While teammate Jayden Higgins also had a good day, Noel is the Cyclone who starred. He unexpectedly ran an impressive 4.39-s 40. Then, he ranked first among WRs with an 11’2″ broad jump. As if that weren’t good enough, he arguably outperformed all other receivers in the field drills. Everything he did was fast, smooth, and athletic. I’ll confess: most Iowa State WR tape I’ve watched centered around Higgins. That changed when Higgins missed the Pop Tarts Bowl and went off. I guarantee you that nobody is sleeping on this wideout anymore. Teams that were hoping to steal him as a late-round sleeper can’t be happy today.

OT/G Armand Membou, Missouri

A three-year starter at Missouri despite being just 20 years old, Membou played RT in college but was projected to be a guard at the next level. Not so fast. His arm length of 33.5″ was better than expected, and he excelled in his testing. NFL’s Next Gen Stats gave him a 91 athleticism score, which was the best among all OT prospects. Membou put those skills into action during the drills, where he showed a mix of speed and power that I didn’t see out of anyone else. Most people have Membou going in the top 20 picks. With how he performed at the Combine, Membou could be a top-10 selection and the first tackle off the board.