NFL Draft
3/28/25
8 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Which Players Made Money At Their Pro Days?
Pro Days are becoming more important than ever, with a higher rate of players opting out of the testing drills at the NFL Combine. Teams rely on Pro Days to gather more information, and it also gives them a chance to meet and talk with players in an environment they are comfortable in.
One disadvantage of Pro Days is that it’s hard to get verified numbers from these events, especially with agents and other sources leaking out inflated numbers. We’ve already seen that be the case with a few high-profile players, such as Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Milroe.
However, there have been a few clear winners from this Pro Day cycle that will result in players being drafted higher in April. So, without further ado, here are the four players who made the most money at their Pro Days this year:
Which Players Made Money At Their Pro Days?
Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
There might not have been a bigger “faller” from the NFL Combine than Mike Green, a dynamic edge rusher from Marshall. Green spoke at the podium about his off-field issues, which certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. He then decided to pass up the testing drills, which was a very curious decision for a small-school EDGE rusher trying to get drafted inside the top 20 picks.
During the last month, he has seen his average mock draft fall to No. 22, which was much lower than it was coming out of the Senior Bowl. There was some thought that he might be a top-10 selection after a great week in Mobile. But by not participating in the NFL Combine, it sure seemed like the league had soured on him.
But that’s why his Pro Day performance was so important for his draft stock. According to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, Green posted a 6.85 3-cone with a 4.25 short shuttle. The 3-cone time puts him in the 95th percentile among EDGE rushers since 1999, per Mockdraftable.
Green is incredibly explosive and productive, which is exactly what is needed for an EDGE rusher to be a top-20 pick. And while teams will certainly need to vet his character, the big Pro Day performance is what Green needed to get his stock trending back in the right direction. Expect to see him inside the top 20 in most mock drafts moving forward.
Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
There appears to be a big gap in talent after the first five running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. After Quinshon Judkins and Kaleb Johnson, the next tier of running backs features Cam Skattebo, D.J. Giddens, and Dylan Sampson. All three backs are fighting to earn the No. 6 spot and potentially even crack the top five.
Sampson is the most talented of the three but decided not to work out at the NFL Combine. He did participate in the on-field drills and did the jumps in Indianapolis, but he opted out of the 40-yard dash and the agility drills.
Clemson’s Pro Day was on March 11, which was just 10 days after the running backs worked out at the NFL Combine. It’s at least understandable why Sampson decided to wait and run on his home field.
That proved to be a good decision as Sampson ran a 4.46 40-yard dash with a 1.58 10-yard split. The 10-yard number isn’t quite as explosive as you would hope, but he has long speed, and his jump numbers show off how explosive he can be once he gets into the open field.
Sampson isn’t a true burner like Jaylen Wright from a year ago. But he is the much more well-rounded running back and should be selected somewhere in the top 75 picks. It took a while to get the official numbers, and we had to wait for the Pro Day times, but it was all worth it for someone who now has a chance to be one of the first five running backs drafted in a loaded class.
Ricky White, WR, UNLV
Gone are the days when players participated in the on-field testing drills at both the NFL Combine and their Pro Day. That used to be the standard, and it was pretty rare for a player to opt out of running at their Pro Day. Now, we are seeing dozens of players opt out of both events, which makes it harder for evaluators.
However, Ricky White is one of the few who participated in both, and he showed why there are still benefits in running at both Indianapolis and Pro Day.
White ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was the second-worst time among all receivers. There are plenty of receivers in the NFL who run in the 4.6s, but not many under 190 pounds like White (6-1, 184 pounds).
But White was able to improve on that time at his Pro Day, running a verified 4.44 40-yard dash on March 24th. Even if you add the standard .06 seconds for a Pro Day number, which is common in NFL circles, that is a major upgrade for White at 4.50.
White is expected to be drafted early on Day 3, but there was a chance that his 4.61 40-yard dash would cause him to go undrafted. His improved time is much more in line with how he plays, and it was nice to see him confirm that during his Pro Day.
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
The 2023 tight end class was one of the best in recent memory, with Sam Laporta, Dalton Kincaid, Michael Mayer, and Tucker Kraft. But the 2025 class blows that one out of the water. Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are expected to be top-20 selections. Elijah Arroyo could make his way into the top 40, and Harold Fannin/Gunner Helm are likely to be selected in the top 100.
However, one tight end who shouldn’t be ignored is Mason Taylor, the son of Hall of Fame EDGE rusher Jason Taylor. Mason didn’t post big numbers at LSU (129 receptions for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons), but he was one of the most well-rounded tight ends at the Senior Bowl and certainly improved his stock there.
But Taylor did not work out at the NFL Combine, and that was a curious decision considering how “hot” his stock was coming out of Mobile. With most of the other top tight ends not testing, it sure seemed like a great opportunity for him to stand out compared to the rest of the Day 2 and Day 3 tight ends. Instead, Taylor opted to wait until his Pro Day to workout, and in hindsight, it’s hard to blame him.
Taylor put on a show at LSU’s Pro Day on Wednesday, running somewhere between 4.64 and 4.66 in the 40-yard dash. Those numbers are courtesy of Jordan Reid, a well-respected draft analyst from ESPN:
A 4.66 40-yard dash, the slower of the two times, still ranks in the 74th percentile among all tight end prospects to enter the NFL since 1999, according to Mockdraftable. It’s even better when you factor in the size at 6052, 246 pounds. He is a bigger tight end who has well-above-average speed and the frame to put on even more weight.
The 40-time is excellent for Taylor, but the 7.07 three-cone time is just as impressive. The three-cone time is really important for tight ends as it shows how well a player can bend and quickly change direction. This was another well-above-average score for Taylor, and he improved it further with 28 reps on the bench press (225 pounds).
Taylor is one of the most well-rounded tight ends in this class, and he backed that up on his Pro Day. He’s checked every box this postseason, and at this point, it would be a big shock if he escaped Round 2. Taylor projects as a high-end starter in the NFL, and teams will be thrilled to land him at any point inside the top 50 picks in April.
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