The NFL Scouting Combine is always a good show and I got to attend my first one as Fantasy Football Happy Hour covered the event (unlike any other fantasy show) in prolific fashion. I spoke with some prospects, including Ohio State QB Will Howard, Ohio State RB Quinshon Judkins, Penn State TE Tyler Warren, Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, and Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, and all were very pleasant. While some of the stars like Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, Miami QB Cam Ward, Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty and Arizona WR Tetairoa MacMillan didn't do any of the drills, they made waves with good interviews and media quotes.
At the Combine you'll see many players' 2025 NFL Draft stock rise and fall. Most famously, Chris Johnson’s 4.24 40-yard dash time catapulted him into the first round in 2008 and the rest was history. Outside of what you'll read below, I was impressed with Missouri QB Brady Cook’s performance as he ran a 4.59 in the 40 and had a 37-inch vertical jump at 6-foot-2, 214 pounds. He also threw the ball well in drills and his stock should be on the rise.
Now let's tap into the players with the biggest movement…
STOCK UP
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
While Ashton Jeanty has his spot as this year's top running back prospect solidified, I tend to think the gap is closer than most. At 6-0, 221 pounds, Hampton blazed the track at the NFL Combine with a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash. He further showed signs of explosiveness with a 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump and a 38-inch vertical. As a sophomore alongside Drake Maye, Hampton amassed 1,726 yards from scrimmage. In 2024 he lost Maye to the NFL draft (Patriots) and upped that number to 2,033 yards. Hampton has all but stamped himself as a top-tier, three-down back who should go in the first round. He would fit well with teams like the Chiefs, Commanders, Chargers, Steelers or Broncos.
North Carolina’s Hampton could ‘be a star’ in NFL
Connor Rogers sheds light on players just outside of the top ten in his NFL draft big board, including running back Omarion Hampton, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, and star tight end Colston Loveland.
Sam Brown, WR, Miami
Brown has a lot of college football experience under his belt having played at West Virginia, Houston, and most recently Miami. Despite that he’s still only 22 years old and has been moving up draft boards after a great performance at the NFL Combine. At 6-2, 200 pounds, Brown ran a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash and had a 41 ½-inch vertical jump. The latter was tied for the best amongst wideouts, and only South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori jumped higher (43 inches). Brown excels at running after the catch on short to intermediate receptions and while he may have put up better numbers in 2023 (at Houston), he was still an efficient playmaker in a more crowded offense at Miami. NFL teams will value his speed, athleticism, and underrated strength (20 bench press reps at Combine) at the next level.
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
Golden didn’t do much testing, but he didn’t need to as he flew on the Indianapolis turf to finish his 40 in 4.29 seconds. He edged out Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton (4.30) for the best time amongst wideouts and was narrowly beaten by Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston (4.28) for the overall title. Coming into the Combine, Golden was looked at as possibly a late first or early second-round pick and he may now be challenging to be the first receiver taken. With Tetairoa McMillan not participating, has Golden gained some ground on him?
Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
These two are neck and neck for the best wideout duo in the draft (Isaiah Bond and Matt Golden of Texas). Both Higgins and Noel caught more than 80 receptions, at least eight touchdowns and came within 20 receiving yards of 1,200. One operates out of the slot (Noel), one dominates outside (Higgins), but both tested well at the NFL Combine and raised their stocks:
Jayden Higgins (6-4, 214 pounds)
Jaylin Noel (5-10, 194 pounds)
40-yard dash: 4.39
Vertical: 41 ½ inches (tied for best among WR)
Broad Jump: 11-foot, 2 inches
Both players should be Day 2 picks in the draft and could have an impact early in their careers depending on their landing spots.
Higgins calls himself ‘a mismatch’ at WR
Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins joins Connor Rogers to discuss his evolution as a wide receiver from college to the NFL, how his game continues to develop, his Senior Bowl experience, and which receivers he looks up to.
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
When you're a 5-9, 206-pound running back who runs a 4.32 in the 40 and has a 40-inch vertical jump, you will get noticed. Tuten likely had fans and wanna-be football analysts running to watch his YouTube highlights for a quick evaluation and to see if Tuten has on-field speed. Nonetheless, Tuten put his athleticism and explosiveness on display and showed why he ran for exactly 3,600 yards in his four-year college career (including two seasons at North Carolina A&T). It'll be interesting to see how he rises during the draft process after raising some eyebrows at the NFL Combine.
Honorable mentions: RB Jaydon Blue (Texas), RB Trevor Etienne (Georgia), RB D.J. Giddens (Kansas State), RB Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State), WR Dont’e Thornton (Tennessee), WR Elic Ayomanor (Stanford), WR Luther Burden III (Missouri), WR Jimmy Horn Jr. (Colorado), WR LaJohntay Wester (Colorado)
STOCK DOWN
Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
Skattebo was a menace against opposing defenses in 2024 (and throughout his career). He’ll be a value for teams in this year's draft as he’ll be able to bring a nice change of pace to a backfield. What Combine vultures won't like is that he avoided the 40-yard dash. At 5-9 ½ and 219 pounds, Skattebo had an impressive 39 ½ inch vertical jump and backed it up with a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump. He showed some explosiveness there, but some folks won't buy that he's a good talent because he likely doesn't run a 4.3 in the 40. I'm personally telling you that I wouldn't care if the kid ran a 4.79, he can ball.
Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green
Running a 4.71-second 40-yard dash at 6-3, 241 pounds is bad by any stretch of the imagination. At that size, however, a 4.4 or low 4.5 would’ve changed Fannin’s narrative for the better. Football fans wanted to see how he set records (117-1555-10) in 2024 and now they may be left puzzled for a little bit. Fannin leaped 9-foot and 10 inches for his broad jump and had a 34-inch vertical. Neither of those efforts pop out as far as testing is concerned. With Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland (widely considered the top two tight ends in this class) not working out, Fannin failed to gain any ground on them.
Warren loves ‘getting engine started’ in run game
Connor Rogers chats with top 2025 NFL Draft tight end prospect Tyler Warren to discuss his passion for blocking in the run game, why he models his game after Jeremy Shockey and the talent environment at Penn State.
Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
The NFL Combine is all about player testing and what you perceive it as. Despite college football fans having seen Johnson play, some people’s opinions may have changed on him after his performance. At 5-9, 159 pounds, he was the smallest athlete at the Combine, but no one really made a big deal until he ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. Many expected him to run in the 4.3’s as his on-field play shows his abilities as a receiver and a return man. What I’ll say is, if you liked him as a player before this, then continue to do so and vice versa.
Ollie Gordon, RB, Oklahoma State
I had Bucky Irving in this portion of my post-combine article last year mainly stating why his stock was “down” (he ran a 4.55 in the 40) and why fans shouldn't worry. At 6-1, 226 pounds, Gordon ran 4.61 in the 40-yard dash and had a 34 ½ vertical leap. It doesn't matter to me. Gordon is a downhill runner who football fans may have forgotten about after he won the Doak Walker Award (college football’s best running back) in 2023. If anything, like Irving, if Gordon slips in the draft because of this (which would be foolish) some team will be getting a steal. Many of the teams I listed above as good fits for Omarion Hampton would also apply to Gordon.
Josh Kelly, WR, Texas Tech
Kelly has played college football over six different seasons (with three schools) and has recently turned 27 years old, so the odds were already stacked against him. He was able to get his first 1,000 yard season in 2024, but at 6-1 and 186 pounds, a 4.70 in the 40-yard dash will be tough to overcome. That time was the slowest amongst all RB, WR and DBs. A 33-inch vertical didn't help his cause either. For those that didn't watch him, it'll be tough to see all the glaring numbers (age, 40 time etc.) and be sold on him. I would have liked to have seen Colorado WR Will Sheppard have Kelly's spot at this year’s Combine instead.
