NFL Combine
3/3/25
7 min read
2025 NFL Combine: 5 Prospects Who Made The Most Money At This Year's Event
There were a lot of prospects who helped their draft stock at the 2025 NFL Combine.
The week-long event in Indianapolis featured some head-turning athletic testing results from players at multiple positions. From first-round locks to unexpected Day 3 sleepers, a significant number of prospects improved their draft stock in Indianapolis.
However, when it comes to players who made themselves the most money, it's important to contextualize what that means. A Day 3 prospect can light it up at the combine, but going from a seventh-round pick for a fourth-round pick doesn't have the same kind of financial impact that a player can have going from a fringe top-50 guy to a certified first-round lock.
Let's examine the players who, thanks to their awesome performances at the combine, vaulted themselves into big paydays on their rookie deals.
Prospects Who Made The Most Money at NFL Combine
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M 
One of the most divisive prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft has been Shemar Stewart. Despite impressive flashes for his size at Texas A&M, the lack of production (4.5 sacks in three seasons) had many concerned about his ability to get after the quarterback at the NFL level.
A lot of those critics quieted down after Stewart's combine performance.
Listed at 290 pounds at Texas A&M, Stewart cut down to 267 pounds for the combine and lit it up. Along with a 4.59 time in the 40-yard dash, Stewart also posted a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-11 broad jump for a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score.
Stewart's unique blend of size and athletic ability is extremely rare at the EDGE position, but the closest comparison as a prospect was future Hall of Famer Myles Garret.
Stewart was still considered a first-round prospect before the combine. Still, his performance this past week could have him seeing a Travon Walker-like ascension up draft boards, even if he doesn't ultimately end up being the No. 1 overall pick.
Nick Emmanwori, SAF, South Carolina
Malaki Starks has been considered the consensus top safety for almost the entire 2025 draft cycle. However, Nick Emmanwori's show in Indianapolis, combined with his thrilling on-field tape, suddenly made it a real conversation about who the top-ranked safety should be.
A former high school linebacker, Emmanwori is still built like one despite playing the safety position at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. Bigger safeties are typically stuck in the box, but Emmanwori's elite athletic ability gives him unparalleled versatility compared to other prospects in this year's class at the position.
On top of a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 seconds, Emmanwori jumped out of the gym with a 43-inch vertical and 11-foot-6 broad jump. He was one-hundredth of a second off of his 40 time to lead all safeties at this year's combine in all three drills.
While he was widely considered a top-50 prospect before Indianapolis, Emmanwori's elite testing numbers are so impressive that the latest he'll now go is likely 32nd overall to the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing him to secure a potential fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
Teams are typically hesitant to draft pure off-ball linebackers in the first round based on positional value. However, with the limited glimpses we saw from Jihaad Campbell at this year's combine, at least one team is going to convince themselves to take him near the end of the first round or early in the second at the latest.
Campbell only tested in the 40-yard dash and broad jump. But that was all scouts needed to see to come away sold on his athletic ability. Listed at nearly 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, he ran a 40-yard dash of just 4.52 seconds with a 10-foot-7 broad jump, putting him near the top in both drills at the linebacker position.
It wasn't just the testing that was impressive, however. Campbell moved exceptionally well for his size during on-field drills, including this drill, in which he showcased his ability to move laterally.
Really smooth from Alabama LB Jihaad Campbell. pic.twitter.com/mn9I1WeW3V
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 28, 2025
Jalon Walker is considered an EDGE by most draft scouts, and with the way Campbell moved this past week, he's firmly establishing himself as LB1 in this year's draft.
Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
The top of the offensive line class has featured a handful of names for a while, including prospects like Will Campbell, Kelvin Banks Jr., Josh Conerly Jr., and Josh Simmons. Armand Membou had been another name to keep an eye on, but with such a dominant showing on Sunday, he might have leapfrogged multiple players at the top of this year's OL class.
Membou doesn't have the traditional frame for a tackle. He's just over 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds, and his just under the ideal arm length at 33.5 inches. However, the tape still showed a dominant right tackle for Missouri this past season, and the athletic testing from the Combine will make him an even more appealing option.
Despite his 332-pound frame, Membou posted the second-best 40-yard dash time among offensive linemen, running the drill in just 4.91 seconds. That's absurd speed for a player of his size. He also lit up the jumps with a 34-inch vertical and 9-foot-7 broad jump.
None of these testing results should be possible for a player of Membou's size, but it looked almost effortless from him. That speed and explosiveness at his size should allow him to stay at tackle, increasing his draft value.
It's not just how well Membou tested but also the fact that very few linemen in this year's class met the ideal arm-length thresholds for traditional tackles that helped boost his draft stock this weekend. While he was quickly generating first-round buzz before the combine, this kind of performance on Sunday could have him in the conversation for a top-10 selection.
Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
Of all the prospects who likely won't be first-round picks, Jaylin Noel's dominant Combine performance likely made him more money than the rest of the draft class.
Noel's smaller frame is what will likely keep him out of the first round, measuring in at 5-foot-10 and 194 pounds. However, every part of his workout stood toe-to-toe with the rest of the wide receiver class and showcased elite levels of athletic ability.
Despite not having the longer strides of some of the big-bodied receivers, Noel still posted a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, making him one of the fastest wideouts in this class.
Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel adds to his impressive day with a 4.39u!
— NFL (@NFL) March 1, 2025
📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/KGcnVfKaly
Noel wasn't done there, however. He also posted a 41.5-inch vertical, tied for the best among receivers, and beat all players at his position with an 11-foot-2 broad jump. His agility scores were also good, but the cherry on top was beating out all other receivers in the bench press, hitting 23 reps of 225 pounds despite his sub-200-pound frame.
The Iowa State receiver checked every box on the athletic testing, and the tape shows the kind of athleticism he brings onto the field as a vertical slot threat. He may still not be considered a first-round pick, but this kind of weekend brought him from a likely Day 2 pick to a certified top-50 lock.
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