NFL Combine
2/28/25
10 min read
Key Weekend Performances to Watch at 2025 NFL Combine
The 2025 Scouting Combine has already gifted fans with the unique chance to hear candid thoughts from front offices preparing for next week's free agency period and April's draft. The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before we know it, and this weekend's on-field workouts will directly affect how it shakes out. Even the most arduous old-school film evaluators must admit there's value in combining results.
While defensive linemen and linebackers kicked off the action Thursday, money will be made for everyone else starting Friday afternoon through Sunday. The 40-yard dash, 3-cone, and jumping drills highlight the pure explosiveness and power each star athlete can unleash at the next level. Not all elite athletes are great players, but almost every top player is a top-tier athlete.
With that in mind, here are the players we're closely watching and the drill they need to ace to help their 2025 NFL Draft stock. Each collegiate star is jockeying to hear their name rise amongst their positional ranks. Winning in these drills will accomplish just that.
Key NFL Combine Performances This Weekend
Each of our choices is based on a key study that revealed the strongest correlation between combine performance and NFL success for every offensive position.
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina: 3-Cone Drill
For the first time in years, the 2025 NFL Draft will bring running backs to the forefront of how to build a successful offense again. Quarterbacks will always matter more, but having a star ball carrier has more value now than in years. Teams have seen the value of a creator who goes beyond the scheme and have recognized defenses are tightening on quick passing games.
We know Ashton Jeanty will be the top back selected, but the race for the No. 2 back is on. Strong arguments can be made for TreVeyon Henderson and Kaleb Johnson, but Omarion Hampton has the easiest pathway to being the second first-round back. He has the best combination of resume, size, and explosiveness.
Omarion Hampton Ranked in the 97th Percentile in Yards After Contact Per Attempt (4.3)
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 29, 2025
➖Age: 21 (Early Declare)
➖Size: 6’0, 220 lbs
Hampton’s Averages over the last 2 Seasons:
➖24 Touches Per Game
➖150.4 Yards Per Game
➖1.32 TD’s Per Game
Future Workhorse RB1 in the NFL pic.twitter.com/Dfd8kA8zIi
Producing 3,110 yards and 30 touchdowns on the ground in the last two years, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Hampton has one of the most balanced and dominant profiles imaginable. Experienced in a blended run scheme that exposed him to zone and gap schemes, Hampton forced a ridiculous 140 missed tackles and averaged 4.3 yards after contact per carry in 2023 and 2024.
Clearly explosive when given a downhill runway, Hampton's stock can be solidified if he shows off quick feet and fluid hips in the 3-cone drill. This normally favors smaller, shiftier backs, but Hampton's film features snippets where he moves like a slender-bodied athlete. Historically, the average running back 3-cone time is 7.05 seconds, so Hampton's goal should be to beat that mark.
Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss: 40-Yard Dash
40-yard dash times not only boost where receivers get drafted more than any other test, but they also help project career success enough to say we should still value them. There will be plenty of speed on display in Indianapolis, but Tre Harris is the one recent faller who can help himself the most. The Ole Miss star has an incredible profile but has major skeptics.
Ole Miss' Mickey Mouse offense inflated some of his advanced numbers beyond belief. His efficiency is impossible to replicate in the NFL, but Harris is gifted beyond belief. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder threatens defenses with his power, high-end acceleration, and field vision post-catch.
Tre Harris Vs. LSU is why GM’s will be ALL over him in the 2025 NFL Draft:
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) February 17, 2025
➖7 Receptions
➖102 Yards
➖1 TD
He CLEARED 1,000+ Yards this season while essentially missing 6 games..
His healthy 13 Game Pace?
➖110 Receptions
➖1,833 Yards
➖11 TD’s
Tre Harris is 6’3, 210 lbs pic.twitter.com/A9JGqTFYET
With a versatility resume from the slot, outside alignments, and jaw-dropping yards-after-catch numbers, Harris has to show he's not too good to be true. Winning 48 percent of contested catches and dropping only 6.4% of targets, Harris' biggest critics want to see if he's really as fast as he seemed or if he's more of a product of Lane Kiffin's schematic genius.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green: 20-Yard Shuttle
Tight ends have some of the muddiest combine data goals of any position because of the unique nature of the role. Some teams want a quasi-offensive lineman in a backup spot, and others are happy to take a converted receiver and rarely demand blocking assignments. Because of this, the position has produced successful players weighing as low as 230 and as high as 275.
Harold Fannin Jr. should theoretically be an incredible prospect. He set the FBS record for tight end production in a single season last year, totaling 117 receptions for 1,555 yards, and he's only 20 years old. Being incredibly productive at an abnormally young age bodes incredibly well for him.
There Goes That MAN!!!
— BGSU Football (@BG_Football) September 28, 2024
Harold Fannin Jr. goes 59 yards on the record-breaking touchdown. The junior now holds the BGSU record for receiving TDs by a tight end with 11 😤
BGSU leads, 21-17.
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/D8nkVocCZk
Despite this, Fannin's 6-foot-3 and 230-pound frame are a source of angst for evaluators. Fannin also doesn't move with the explosive first step of Tyler Warren or Elijah Arroyo or have the power of Colston Loveland. It's possible Fannin ends up in the right place, and his size isn't a factor, or he has the perfect chemistry with his quarterback, so those things don't matter.
Being more explosive than his film shows would be meaningful. Creating separation will be huge for Fannin, who often dominated on contested catches and played as if defenders couldn't shake his concentration. While that skill is incredibly helpful, high-end acceleration would quell a lot of concerns.
Nick Emmanwori, SAF, South Carolina: 3-Cone Drill
There aren't as many clearcut studies on what defensive backs must do to win the Combine, but it's not hard to imagine what questions Nick Emmanwori will face. On tape, he's one of the unicorn athletes in the class. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound safety looks every bit the part and is coming off a tremendous season with elite ball production.
Despite this, Emmanwori is rarely mocked in the first round. His profile screams a top-10 investment, just like Kyle Hamilton's did. Are teams concerned with Emmanwori's ability to win in short areas because of his tall frame?
Nick Emmanwori is a safety with infinite upside.
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 19, 2025
He‘s an ATHLETE at 6’3, 227lbs and posted 4 picks, 3 PBUs, and 0 TDs allowed in 2024 to go with 73 tackles.
He’s capable of playing in the nickel, box, and single/double high. Unicorn alignment.
I have a 1st round grade on him. pic.twitter.com/zc9gfIaD6s
Although Emmanwori allowed a quarterback rating of only 37.1 when targeted in 2024 and missed 7% of tackles over the last two years, all eyes will be on his testing results. He'll run fast and jump well, but will he change directions cleanly and quickly?
If he does, Emmanwori can put a vice grip on the top safety spot and should start to make his way into the 20s of every mock draft moving forward. Being an elite tackler, competent man-coverage option, and actual ballhawk is a tremendously valuable skill set.
DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State: 20-Yard Shuttle
Following Deuce Vaughn's footsteps at Kansas State was easier said than done, but DJ Giddens was remarkable as his replacement. Like Hampton, Giddens was a graceful but explosive ball-carrier whose game defied his build. With 2,569 yards and 17 scores over 2023 and 2024, Giddens earned the respect of opponents and NFL evaluators alike.
Despite a solid resume as a gap runner with good power and receiving chops, the 6-foot-1, 212-pounder is rarely mentioned in this class. Some of that is because of the depth of options, but Giddens' best plays simply look like they'll translate to the next level better. Though he's an upright runner, Giddens is a silky-smooth athlete.
Kansas State's DJ Giddens is one of my favorite RB prospects.
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) February 5, 2025
Not the fastest or strongest, but he just has UNREAL elusiveness to his game. pic.twitter.com/v4sNgPCHa1
How that translates to the Combine will be fascinating. Either Giddens will prove to be a better football player than an athlete, or his athleticism will surprise folks and confirm suspicions that he makes it look easier because of how he moves. Alvin Kamara was once the same way in college, and running backs are unique because they can overcome mediocre Combine performances to be great.
The 20-yard shuttle is more important for backs than the 40-yard dash, and that burst is what we'll be looking to see. If Giddens can win in short areas and post a time under 4.27, he can climb into the late Day 2 range.
Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford: 3-Cone Drill
It's hard to think of a prospect living off one single game in recent years as much as Elic Ayomanor's stock is. His historic 13-catch, 294-yard, and three-touchdown performance against Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffaloes was spectacular. There's no question Ayomanor has NFL skills and athleticism, but flashes of that upside have evaded him since that game in 2023.
Some of that is because Stanford's passing game was anemic, and Ayomanor couldn't overcome the awful quarterback play he dealt with. A vertical threat with a silky-smooth 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame, most of his usage came on back-shoulder throws, go routes, and high-leverage plays that forced a tough finish at the catch point. Was that because Ayomanor can't generate separation on sharp-cutting routes consistently?
If there’s one WR I’m drafting in the middle rounds of rookie drafts it’s Elic Ayomanor pic.twitter.com/9Tr3MgNhNL
— Rob (@Quintorris_) February 13, 2025
The 3-cone drill will sufficiently address this concern. While the 3-cone doesn't have a strong history of being predictive in success, Ayomanor's low yards after the catch mark (4.5), low forced missed tackle rate (17), and low usage in the slot (13.7 percent) over his career are red flags that he'll be too one-dimensional in the NFL.
Make sure to check out our new home for all of our NFL Draft content.
