2025 NFL Draft: Prospects with Most to Gain at Scouting Combine

The NFL Scouting Combine is the crown jewel of the league's evaluation process. Its importance can't be overstated, even though everyone will always add the caveat that the event is only part of the process.

Some, like Xavier Worthy after he broke the 40-yard dash record, will generate a level of buzz that can't be denied.

A prospect's time in Indianapolis is designed as a gauntlet that's meant to test each of them physically and mentally. NFL decision-makers want to see how they react and perform when worn down and then asked to test athletically in front of a national audience.

The combine breaks down into three important phases: medical evaluations, interview sessions and on-field workouts. Everything the prospect does is evaluated.

NFL front offices have years of collegiate tape, on-campus assessments and all-star performances to break down before these individuals arrive in Indianapolis. Yet plenty can still be proved during the week when the entire league descends upon Lucas Oil Field, the Indiana Convention Center and downtown Indianapolis.

Those prospects with lingering concerns have the perfect platform to show something that's vital to their evaluation.

QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama

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No one will ever question the natural ability that Alabama's Jalen Milroe brings to the table. He's one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft class.

Milroe's athleticism and big arm present a rather wide set of error lines. It's the lack of consistency and efficiency as a passer that will have many doubting whether he can become a starting NFL quarterback. His upside is immense, while his downside is significant.

To Milroe's credit, he did show improvement at the Senior Bowl after a rough start, which helps. But the combine provides three different opportunities for the quarterback to shine.

Obviously, Milroe can blow the doors off Lucas Oil Stadium if he tests athletically, which most quarterbacks choose not to do anymore. In interviews, the reigning William V. Campbell Trophy winner (academic Heisman) will have opportunities to impress with his understanding of schemes, retention and communication skills. As part of position drills, improved footwork and accuracy—even against air—will help calm some nerves.

If everything aligns and Milroe impresses, he could easily find himself slotted as QB3 and sneak into the back end of the first round.

WR Arian Smith, Georgia

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Georgia's Arian Smith is a strong candidate to emerge as this year's Mr. Combine.

Smith is an extremely explosive athlete, who could easily leave Indianapolis with the class' fastest 40-yard-dash time and farthest long jump. According to Tracking Football, Smith posted the best 100-meter dash and long jump during the attending prospects' high school days.

But everyone already knows Smith is fast and explosive.

Really, Smith's biggest issue is that he's not a natural hands-catcher and drops have plagued him. The senior still led the Bulldogs in 2024 with 817 receiving yards. But he could have been an even more effective target in an offense that needed all the help it could get.

After Smith posts huge testing numbers, what he needs to do is shine in individual drills, particularly the gauntlet for wide receivers. A strong effort in that particular session combined with a smooth overall positional workout will quickly generate significant buzz, because many become enamored with speedsters and what they can bring to an offense.

Smith is an elite athlete. He must show he's a quality wide receiver to help himself.

OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State

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The NFL combine isn't just about athletic testing when prospects try to help their draft standing. That portion of the week may actually be the least important. Medical evaluations top the list of what occurs in Indianapolis.

Multiple high-profile prospects would greatly benefit from a clean medical evaluation, starting with a trio of cornerbacks in Michigan's Will Johnson, Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison and East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr.

Ohio State's Josh Simmons is also highlighted based on how critical his medical evaluation is to an entire position class.

Simmons suffered a knee injury during an Oct. 12 contest against the Oregon Ducks, which cost him the rest of his senior season. The left tackle prospect endured a torn patellar tendon, and its status leading into the combine needs to be determined.

If Simmons gets cleared by doctors, with no major delays in his recovery, he could immediately reclaim his previous status as OT1.

Right now, Missouri's Armand Membou holds that designation, with the B/R Scouting Department viewing LSU's Will Campbell as a future interior blocker. But Simmons is the class' best pure tackle prospect. He just needs his medical records to show that he'll be fine for training camp and the 2025 regular season.

OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State

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Two Ohio State offensive linemen are included here for two very different reasons, though they tie together.

Josh Simmons' knee injury led to left guard Donovan Jackson bumping out to left tackle, where he held down Will Howard's blind side throughout the team's national championship run.

Jackson had been a career guard. The 6'4", 320-pound blocker appears tailor-made for the position at the professional level, with 32 two straight starts at left guard before bumping to tackle.

The first-team All-American did well enough at left tackle to open up the possibility of him sticking there for an NFL team. The former 5-star recruit is an excellent athlete.

"His 1.59 10-yard split is faster than any offensive linemen has ever clocked at the NFL combine since the league officially has kept that stat," Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported prior to the 2024 campaign.

NFL offensive line coaches will be watching closely during specific drills to see if Jackson can hit his aiming points when doing deep pass sets and how he unlocks his hip. As long as Jackson is not exposed in these instances, he could very well be looked at as an offensive tackle prospect, thus significantly improving his overall draft value.

Edge Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

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Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart is already an ascending talent based on a strong practice week at the Senior Bowl. He can enter rarified air by proving exactly why scouts think his potential is through the roof.

First thing's first, Stewart has the physical tools to be a dominant defender, but he wasn't during his time with the Aggies, at least as a pass-rusher. The former 5-star recruit finished his collegiate career with only 4.5 sacks.

To be fair, the early entrant was strong against the run during his time with Texas A&M and generated significantly more pressure during his final season on campus. But he isn't a polished pass-rusher at the moment.

The combine serves as an opportunity for Stewart to place his full physical prowess on display. He's an outstanding 6'5", 281-pound athlete, with arms over 34 inches in length. Scouts will get to see his movement skills, explosivity and flexibility.

As long as each of those traits check out, Stewart will continue his upward trajectory that was helped tremendously by showing some real pass-rush presence in Mobile, Alabama, a month earlier.

Stewart could leave Indianapolis as a legitimate top 10-15 prospect based on his massive upside and athletic profile.

DL Kenneth Grant, Michigan

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Mason Graham is a much higher-rated prospect than former Michigan teammate Kenneth Grant, but the latter can close the gap based on how he performs in Indianapolis.

Grant is fighting an uphill battle, because nose tackles don't necessarily generate a ton of value. However, rare exceptions do occur, such as Dexter Lawrence and Vita Vea.

The reason those exceptions exist is because a select few have the size, strength and athleticism to be true every-down defenders capable of doing more than occupying space.

Grant didn't affect the game in the same way that Graham did. But the near-340-pound Grant is widely known as an exceptional athlete for his size who may be capable of more than what everyone has seen so far. According to Tracking Football, Grant has the highest player athletic index of anyone in the class.

It's far more impressive to see a large athlete in the trenches piece together a huge workout than it is to see another sub-200-pounder run under 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. If Grant tests as well as expected, the potential Day 2 prospect could work his way into first-round consideration.

S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina

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South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori could break the mold when it comes to a safety prospect.

The league's best safeties are capable of playing as a single-high defender, working down in the box, covering the slot and serving as a physical presence. But they're rarely the size of Emmanwori.

Derwin James is the prototype. He measured in under 6'2" and weighed 215 pounds at the 2018 NFL combine. South Carolina listed Emmanwori at 6'3" and 227 pounds. That's Kam Chancellor territory, though the incoming prospect is a far better athlete than Chancellor was when he redefined the strong safety position in the Seattle Seahawks' famed "Legion of Boom" secondary.

"Emmanwori broad-jumped 11-4, vertical-jumped 42 inches, did 24 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and squatted 565 pounds," Bruce Feldman reported last summer. "And he is still only 20 years old."

For comparison, no defensive back has ever been that heavy and posted better numbers in either of those jumps.

With an expected stellar workout during the events, the on-field portion of Emmanwori's performance will be important to show enough fluidity, particularly in his backpedal, that he won't be exposed in coverage.

A standout performance could easily move this safety prospect inside the top-15 range.

CB Quincy Riley, Louisville

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As mentioned earlier, the cornerback class is fascinating because three of the top five prospects—depending on how a team views Colorado's Travis Hunter—have injury question marks entering NFL combine week.

Granted, Louisville's Quincy Riley dealt with a minor injury that forced him to miss some time this past season. But his extensive playing experience coupled with a strong Senior Bowl week puts those concerns to bed.

Riley, a sixth-year senior, appeared in nearly 50 games during his collegiate career and did so at two different institutions after transferring from Middle Tennessee State.

What's interesting about Riley is that he wasn't considered a high-end recruit in the state of South Carolina, even though he has some legitimate athletic traits. Expect the cornerback prospect to run well in Indianapolis, especially since he tied for the second-fastest 100-meter-dash time among all of the prospects in this class, per Tracking Football.

Strong numbers will help build on Riley's time in Mobile, where he was arguably the best all-around cover corner for the entire week.

Yes, Riley is an older prospect (he turns 24 in May). But his experience, coverage skills and athletic profile may be a surer bet for some team in desperate need of secondary help rather than taking a leap of faith on other first- or second-day options, thus pushing Riley up the draft board.