James Pearce Jr.'s sub-4.5 40 was one of the big moments from Day 1 in Indianapolis. Here's our experts on the best of the combine.
32 NFL teams, 32 players who could use a fresh start in a new city: Jaire Alexander, Tyler Lockett, moreshowcasing their skills in front of all 32 teams. Defensive backs and tight ends will take the field at 3 p.
m. ET on Friday, followed by quarterbacks, running backs and receivers at 1 p.m. ET Saturday. The workouts conclude Sunday with the offensive linemen at 1 p.m. ET. Who ran well in the 40-yard dash? Who dominated in the rest of the on-field work? Draft experts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates will recap all four days of the combine workouts, evaluating the top performances from every position, picking prospects who are rising and addressing notable under-the-radar showings.We've talked about the depth of the defensive line class in the leadup to the combine, and it showed up in workouts. Even without many of Round 1 prospects participating, there were some impressive workouts -- which you'll read about below -- from many Round 2 and Round 3 players, along with Day 3 guys who popped during drills and testing. I have 30 defensive tackles with draftable grades, the most in my 15 years of doing this, and that quality was apparent during drills. This defensive line class is truly remarkable.taking place on the field is as notable as what is taking place. To that end, there were several notable defensive linemen who did not participate in the on-field work . I would have liked to see Michigan defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams could have dominated. Marshall edge rusher Mike Green and Ole Miss tackle Walter Nolen also opted to skip the workouts. Of the first group of defensive lineman -- 40 players in total -- only 18 actually took part in the 40-yard dash.Field Yates explains why Abdul Carter will still be a very high draft pick despite his current foot injury., certainly lived up to the hype Thursday. He has aced every step of the process, building on a big Senior Bowl week. At nearly 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds, he ran a 4.96-second 40-yard dash and carried that explosiveness into positional drills. Alexander's strong hands were apparent in bag drills on the strike. He also showed a flexible lower half and positioned himself to be a top-40 pick. -- Collins has a well-put-together frame, measuring 6-foot-5, 332 pounds. He also has the matching physicality, which he showed during a breakout senior season. Scouts wanted to see how well he could move and if he could execute change-of-direction skills as a pass rusher. Collins answered those questions and more, moving quickly through drills and showing plenty of lower-body mobility. He is an NFL-ready run defender who is stout at the point of attack, and his wide frame makes it difficult for offenses to displace him out of gaps. Collins will primarily serve as an early-down defender but can also play sparingly on late downs. His ability to play immediately as a rookie makes Round 2 Collins' sweet spot. -- A noticeable buzz went through Lucas Oil Stadium when Jackson executed a 40.5-inch vertical jump. Doing that at 6-foot-6 and 264 pounds was one of the most impressive feats from Day 1. Jackson followed that up with a 10-foot-9 broad jump before running a smooth 4.69 in the 40. Jackson is a power player on tape, so showing this type of explosive ability and flexibility was key for his draft stock. He's a solid Round 2 player on my board, but Jackson's performance this week could get him picked inside the top 40. -- Oladejo wasn't an edge rusher to begin the 2024 season, starting the year at inside linebacker before eventually taking on a heavier pass rush role. He checked some of physical boxes at Indy, weighing in at 6-foot-3, 259 pounds with a 36.5-inch vertical jump before looking sharp in positional drills. Oladejo is an extremely smooth player who is still learning to use his physical traits as a rusher, but teams will have no trouble envisioning a developmental arc that will lead him to a successful NFL career. -- Robinson kick-started his day with a 4.83-second run in the 40-yard dash before a solid all-around performance in position drills. The 6-foot-5, 288-pound Robinson's strengths as a power rusher showed up in bag drills, where he had to chop and punch at simulated blockers. But he also displayed enough agility to easily navigate through and over bags during these drills. I was high on Robinson following the Senior Bowl, and his workout confirmed my Round 2 grade on him. -- Sometimes measurements are the most important aspect of the combine. That was the case for Schwesinger, who checked in at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds. He also jumped 39.5 inches in the vertical -- the second-best mark in the linebacker group -- before sitting out drills with a minor hamstring injury. The former walk-on is a fluid mover chasing ball-carriers but concerns about him weighing under 230 pounds in-season have been quieted. Schwesinger has a real shot at Round 1. -- West had a strong showing during Senior Bowl week and continued to ascend at the combine. His 4.95-second 40-yard dash was an excellent number at 6-foot-1, 316 pounds, as was his 33-inch vertical. West was the anchor of the Hoosiers defense as a stout and durable run defender with some pass-rush juice. He projects as a dependable depth player at the next level who could eventually turn into a starter. Teams that I have talked to view him as a top-100 prospect that could be picked as early as Round 3. --Campbell is an easy-moving, explosive football player on tape with the ability to play inside or outside linebacker. He checked all the boxes during testing on Thursday. Campbell weighed in at nearly 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds and clocked an impressive 4.52-second 40. His 1.53-second split in the first 10 yards highlights just how explosive his first step is. I think Campbell is ultimately a top-25 pick in Round 1. Ezeiruaku didn't run the 40, but he performed well in positional drills. He measured in at 6-foot-2, 248 pounds before leaping 35.5 inches in the vertical and 9-foot-9 in the broad jump, but his best performance came in the bag and wave drills. Ezeiruaku is a fluid mover with ideal balance and poise on the move and doesn't waste movement while navigating through drills. He's quick on tape, too, which is why I have him as a top-40 player.Harmon was one of Thursday's biggest winners, as running a 4.95-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 322 pounds was impressive. He also dominated the workout portion, with his movement skills and skills and fluidity during the wave drill standing out. This comes after Harmon had the best season of his career in 2024 following a transfer from Michigan State to Oregon. His showed a consistent ability to disrupt offenses by penetrating the first level. Harmon must learn to play with more control, as he sometimes misses tackles and overruns plays because of his initial aggression. He came into the combine as a late first-round pick, but he could realistically be picked as high as the Bengals at No. 17 overall. The most important event for Pearce entering Thursday was the weigh-in, and he checked in at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, a good number for the long, lean pass rusher. But his 40-yard dash might have been the most eye-opening occurrence, as he ran it in 4.47 seconds. Pearce's explosive ability on tape was confirmed with his burst and long speed during drills. He did struggle on the vertical jump , but scouts got an up-close look at Pearce's first-step quickness and his closing speed, as he had a 1.58-second 10-yard split in the 40. Scourton checked in at 6-foot-3, 257 pounds, considerably less than the 285 pounds that he was listed at this season, so scouts will be keeping a close eye on his pro day testing. He opted to only participate in position drills, which provided a glimpse of his skill set as a pass rusher. His hand power and strength were easy to see as he went through multiple drills, though he faced some challenges when he was asked to win by bending around tight corners. Scourton currently has a mixture of second- and third-round grades. Regarded as one of the most explosive athletes in the 2025 class, Stewart started his day by jumping 40 inches in the vertical leap and 10-foot-11 in the broad jump. He is a classic"potential over production" prospect, as he only recorded 4.5 sacks during his college career. That's led to mixed reviews from scouts. Some teams are comfortable trusting the traits and hoping the production eventually catches up to his physical ability, while others question why Stewart didn't finish more. Either way, his movement skills were on full display Thursday and it's easy to see why he's highly regarded by several teams. Stewart is a polarizing prospect but could be selected as high as the Jets at No. 7 overall.is one of my favorite pass rushers in the Day 2 area of this draft class, and the 6-foot-4, 244-pounder had a strong workout. Umanmielen posted a 1.62-second 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash -- a number that backs up the quickness and explosive first step seen on tape. He had strong numbers in the vertical and broad jump as well. He's a solid Round 2 prospect on my board.is another linebacker to watch. The former rodeo star blazed with a 4.46-second 40 and had a fluid, fast workout in the four-bag agility drill. He was marked as a late-rounder on my board but I'm going back to the tape to confirm that the athletic tools seen in Indy showed up in the fall.running a 4.52-second 40 was the biggest surprise of the linebacker session. He didn't consistently show that type of lateral range on tape, but he ran better Thursday than some of his counterparts who looked faster in game action. In a down linebacker group, Stutsman's workout helped his stock, as he received a mixture of late Day 2 and early Day 3 grades from scouts who I have talked to.didn't generate as many headlines coming into the combine as some of his positional counterparts, but he possesses some of the most unusual physical attributes that we've seen in Indy. Burch checked in at 6-foot-4, 279 pounds, then went on to run a 4.68 40, showing that he can really move. He needs to become more consistent to succeed at the NFL level, but Burch has the tools to make it work.
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