The 2025 NFL Combine wrapped up at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the next generation of NFL stars is set to take center stage. Top prospects from across the country showcased their skills and abilities in front of scouts, coaches and executives, hoping to boost their draft stock ahead of the NFL Draft.
Whether it be the deep defensive line and edge rusher class taking the stage or the really bad quarterback class raising their draft stock, there were a lot of winners that will have their names called in a month at the NFL Draft. However, there were a handful of disappointing performances too.
Here’s a list of winners and losers from the NFL Combine:
NFL Combine winners
Edge Shemar Stewart:
Stewart is an impressive run-stuffing edge from Texas A&M who has great size at 6-foot-5. He’s nearly 270 pounds but moves like an edge at 250 pounds and he showed that at the combine. He ran a 4.59 40 yard-dash, an almost 11–foot–long jump, and a 40-inch vertical. His performance made him one of the highest-ranked athletic players in the combine’s history.
WR Matthew Golden:
The Texas wide receiver put out an incredible 4.29 40-yard dash, the highest of any wide receiver this year. During the season, he had fantastic routes and great hands. The 40-yard dash was icing on the cake for his draft stock boosting his already day-one hype. The only bad part was that it was the only drill he participated in.
OL Armand Membou:
The offensive line group was really solid across the board with a handful of them running a sub 5.0 40-yard dash; Missouri’s tackle Membou was one of them. Before the combine, there were conversations about whether he would stick at tackle or move to guard; but, he made it very clear he can be a tackle at the next level. He weighed in at 330 pounds and ran a 4.91 40-yard dash. He moved fluidly in his drills and made it clear that he’ll be one of the premier tackle prospects in the draft.
WR Nick Nash:
Nash led all of college football in receiving touchdowns and came in second in receptions and receiving yards. At the combine, he ran a 4.58 which isn’t record-breaking, but with his big frame and how smooth he ran, he’s easily one of the best receivers in this year’s draft class.
CB Jahdae Barron:
Despite his small stature, Barron is a top-three player at his position. His 40-yard time, 4.39, was incredible, and his speed showed in his drills. He can play on the inside as a nickel or the outside against the opposing team’s top threat.
QBs Brady Cook, Max Brosmer and Will Howard
This quarterback class is not good at all, and these combine performances didn’t help. However, these three showed up and showed out. They tested pretty well in the 40-yard dash and other tests, but they really impressed in the throwing drills. The drill involved throwing to wide receivers on a multitude of routes that required touch, accuracy, and arm strength. Brosmer and Cook both had fantastic short–area accuracy and Howard put some good air on his deep ball.
What makes these guys different is that, to a degree, they weren’t on anyone’s radar for day one or two of the drafts. They were maybe a late-round pick. Now, I think these guys could all go on day two to teams that need quarterbacks. They are definitely the most improved guys in the quarterback class.
The Running Back Class
The whole running back class was fantastic. This might be the strongest group going into the draft. This class is full of day-one guys that will fall to days two and three, a team will get a starter in the 6th or 7th round.
While no position group is perfect, this group is filled with guys who have the vision and speed of All-Pros and Pro Bowlers.
North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and Georgia’s Trevor Etienne proved that they can all be round two picks with their strong performances.
Even some day three guys were turning heads like Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten. He went all out, showcasing elite athleticism that might have catapulted him up an entire round in the draft conversation and could be a steal in the later rounds
WR Isaiah Bond
After Texas’ Xavier Worthy broke the 40-yard dash record last year, Bond was quick to one-up it, saying he could break the record when he went to the combine. He failed to do so, running a 4.40 compared to Worthy’s 4.21.
Even with that, Bond’s time was still impressive and so were his drills. He was fluid, fast and had great hands during all of his catching drills. Bond’s routes were crisp and he came out of them cleanly. He definitely boosted his stock at the combine.
CB Maxwell Hairston
After missing time at Kentucky and there being some concerns about his speed, Hairston had the fastest 40-yard dash of the day at 4.28. The individuals that have run the fastest 40-yard dash time, usually get selected in the first two rounds. In the last five years, excluding the 2021 combine that was canceled due to COVID-19, three of four were drafted in the first two rounds.
Safe to say, Hairston is in good company.
Maryland WRs Kaden Prather and Tai Felton
Wide receivers had a fantastic day in general and a lot of schools had multiple receivers shine during testing and drills. However, the best school to have two standouts has to be Maryland’s Prather and Felton.
Prather is a big, deep threat and Felton is a shifty, speedy weapon but they both had great hands and fantastic routes. Teams that need receivers should start looking at Prather and Felton, they’ll be off the board way earlier than projected before the combine.
LB Jihaad Campbell
Alamaba’s linebacker Jihaad Campbell had a silent but killer day. He had the best day of any linebacker during the combine.
His testing was really good, having a 4.52 40-yard dash and a 10-and-a-half foot broad jump. In his drills, he was fluid and crisp and has a ton of versatility as an off-ball middle linebacker or a situational pass rusher. He’s a four-down kind of guy and has secured a first-round pick. Expect him to go in the top 12 picks.
NFL Combine losers
The 2025 Combine had some of the best athletes in a very long time. Most of them had very good days and most actually raised their respective draft stock.
However, there are still some notable athletes that did not have a great day.
Edge Abdul Carter
Carter will be a first-round pick, maybe even the first-overall pick. Anyone who watched a Penn State football game can tell you how impactful of a rusher he is. We didn’t need him to prove that at the combine.
What is concerning is why he didn’t perform at the combine. Carter has a stress reaction in his right foot. The medical evaluation was very uncertain leading up to the combine; at first, he was good to go and then he was out. It’s something that should heal by the start of the season but not a great medical evaluation for Carter.
WR Tez Johnson
Wide receivers come in all shapes and sizes, especially in today’s NFL, and Johnson is a small but quick receiver who beat defenders with speed rather than strength when he played at Oregon.
He is 154 pounds, very small even compared to smaller receivers in the NFL but he was expected to run fast in the 40-yard dash – he did not. Johnson ran a 4.51 in the 40 which is not amazing considering if he takes a big hit, he doesn’t have the frame to absorb it and shake it off; he’s more equipped to outrun his opponents, but with that time, it’s not a great sign that he even can beat an NFL defender with speed.
TE Harold Fannin Jr.
Fanning put up ridiculous numbers at Bowling Green this past season but he did not look particularly good at the combine.
The most blatant issue is his 40-yard dash time. Fannin ran a very unimpressive 4.71 as a 241-pound tight end. He showed a lack of speed at an ever-evolving position which will not go well in the draft.
RB Cam Skattebo
The Arizona State running back was sidelined with an injury at the combine; and in a running back class where a lot of guys’ stocks went up, his naturally went down.
He’ll have a chance to make up for it at his pro day.