NO TIME TO REST!
The confetti has barely fallen to the ground after Super Bowl LIX was won by the Philadelphia Eagles, but the race to build a contender for the 2025 season begins this week with the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. For general managers, scouts and coaches, this vital offseason event marks the starting point of the next campaign.
WHAT IS THE NFL COMBINE?
Part track meet and part job fair, the NFL Combine offers and in-depth opportunity for NFL scouts to run the rule over the leading 329 players coming out of college football who will be available for selection in April's NFL Draft in Green Bay.
Players will go through a series of interviews with teams. These will focus on tactical elements of the game but will also attempt to paint a psychological picture of the player. For example, a QB might be asked a question centred around his leadership skills… "You're on a bus travelling 100 miles per hour on a mountain road in Alaska. Where are you sitting?"
Once players have been measured, given a full health check that includes heart and organ functions, they spend four days in the gym and on the field working through tests of strength (bench press 225 pounds as many times as they can), speed (the 40-yard sprint) and athleticism (shuttle runs and vertical and horizontal leaps). There will also be football drills related to their positions.
The NFL Combine is not the lone opportunity for the leading prospects to show off their skills. In fact, some players will only attend for the interviews and save their on-field work for what is known as their Pro Day, which is often held at their university in March.
NEIL'S FAVOURITE COMBINE MOMENTS
JOHNSON BLAZES A TRAIL
In 2008, Chris Johnson was an explosive running back who was creating some buzz coming out of East Carolina. And he created even more hype at the NFL Combine by running the 40-yard dash in a record 4.24 seconds. Johnson went on to become a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. He was a three-time all-star and the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, achieving that feat in 2009.
THE BIG MAN SHINES
In 2010, Trent Williams went from being a borderline first round pick to a top five prospect. Now, one of the greatest offensive tackles in the game, Williams announced himself onto the big stage by running 40 yards in 4.81 seconds – at 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds. He also produced a wide receiver-like vertical leap of 34 ½ inches. A star was born with Washington snapping him up in the Draft.
POE DEFIES LOGIC
In 2012, Dontari Poe turned in a Combine performance so stunning that it came as no surprise when the Kansas City Chiefs chose the defensive tackle out of Memphis with the 11th overall pick. At 346 pounds, Poe ran the 40-yard dash in 4.89 seconds, reaching almost 17 miles per hour. And he bench-pressed 44 times when a good mark for a DT is in the mid-to-high 30s.
DEION KEPT ON RUNNING!
Never short on confidence, all of Deion Sanders' legendary swagger was on display the NFL Combine in 1989. The flashy cornerback and special teams star was hand-timed running the 40-yard dash in 4.2 seconds. What would have been a record at the time. He kept on running straight out of the stadium and into a waiting limousine. He went on to be one of the greatest players in NFL history.
SAQUON STARS
In 2018, Saquon Barkley showed that he was destined for superstardom at the NFL level. Across a series of tests in Indianapolis, the running back who was later selected by the New York Giants in the first round proved to be faster than Hall of Famer Devin Hester, quicker than Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson, stronger than Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas and more eplosive than all-star Julio Jones.
10 PROSPECTS TO WATCH
ABDUL CARTER – EDGE RUSHER – PENN STATE
An electric edge rusher who can take over and dominate games like a Micah Parsons in Dallas, Abdul Carter is widely considered to be the best prospect heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Carter recorded 12 sacks in 2024 and led all of college football with 23 ½ tackles for loss.
TRAVIS HUNTER – CORNERBACK/WIDE RECEIVER – COLORADO
This two-way star could turn back the NFL clock and play two positions at the game's highest level. Something his college coach – Deion Sanders – did during his Hall of Fame career in the 1990s. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy in 2024 – the prize given to college football's best player.
ASHTON JEANTY – RUNNING BACK – BOISE STATE
Jeanty was one of the stars of the 2024 college football season, scoring 30 touchdowns and rushing for 2,601 yards. That saw him finish second in the Heisman Trophy voting. Capable of breaking through tackles or running away from defenders, Jeanty is destined to be an NFL star of the future.
MASON GRAHAM – DEFENSIVE TACKLE – MICHIGAN
Graham is a high-effort player who can do the dirty work against the run but who can also club his way past offensive linemen to make life very difficult for opposing quarterbacks. This former wrestler never gives up and will continue to be a tone-setter for whichever NFL team picks him high in April.
TYLER WARREN – TIGHT END – PENN STATE
While he will not blow scouts away with his pure speed, Warren is a massive tight end at 6-foot-6 and 261 pounds. And that huge frame means he can wall off defenders and can catch anything in his area, drawing early comparisons to the great Rob Gronkowski.
CAM WARD – QUARTERBACK – MIAMI
After spending his first four college seasons at the University of Incarnate Word and Washington State, Cam Ward exploded with 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdowns in his one season at Miami. He is a strong-armed and athletic playmaker likely to shine at the next level.
SHEDEUR SANDERS – QUARTERBACK – COLORADO
Son of Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur is expected to be a star at the next level. Tough and filled with that classic Sanders swagger, the Colorado prospect also boasts great accuracy and touch on his passes. And he is filled with football smarts, as you would expect having grown up around the game.
JALON WALKER – EDGE RUSHER – GEORGIA
Walker is another defensive tone-setter who can factor in both the running and passing games. During his college career, Walker displayed his versatility by playing 420 snaps at inside linebacker and 441 as an edge rusher. He led the Bulldogs with 6 ½ sacks and 10 ½ tackles for loss in 2024.
WILL CAMPBELL – OFFENSIVE TACKLE – LSU
At 6-foot-6 and 323 pounds, Campbell boasts prototypical size for an offensive tackle and has the skills to be a high-level NFL starter for the next decade. His best season came in 2023 when he did not allow a single sack on 470 pass snapping blocks. Campbell is just scratching the surface of his potential and will hear his name called early in round one.
WILL JOHNSON – CORNERBACK – MICHIGAN
Matching up against the bigger wide receivers in the NFL will be no problem for Johnson, who boasts impressive size at 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. Johnson can play outside or in the slot and he can find the football. During his three years in college, Johnson recorded nine interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns. If he can show off top-end speed at the Combine, Johnson should be a high first-round pick.
