5 NFL Draft prospects in 2025 who can rise up the board after the combine

The 2025 NFL Combine is this week, and starting Friday the NFL will begin the on-field drills that people really want to see. For guys whose draft stock is pretty much already set, the Combine doesn’t really mean much. If they run fast on tape, they’ll probably run fast in Indy. However, for guys who are further down in crowded positional groups like RB and DL, a good Combine week will put you on the map or remind people of your athletic talents.

Here are five guys who can improve their draft stock with a good performance in Indy at the NFL Combine.

Blue might be the fastest RB in the class, which is saying something considering the talent in this group. Blue ran a 10.7 100-meter dash as a junior in high school, which is pretty damn fast for a teenager. Blue’s second gear is evident as a runner so he’ll tear up the speed drills at the Combine, but where he really won at Texas was in the receiving game. During the on-field drills, he should be especially smooth as a pass catcher, which will catch the eye of teams needing explosiveness out the backfield. In a crowded RB class, Blue could test really well and put his name on the map.

The Ohio State edge defenders are both very interesting prospects in this draft class. Both can be reliable players against the run and pass, but have limited athletic potential. Sawyer doesn’t really have the bend or arm length to have this massive ceiling as a pass rusher, and Tuimoloau also doesn’t really bring much explosiveness to the table. While both guys are going to win in interviews (Sawyer might be the most clean sheet character guy in the class), I’m curious to see how they move in drills. What do their hips look like? Can they lower their center of gravity? How explosive are they? If they can put together some explosive movements, I think they’ll see their stock rise after the Combine.

Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. has a lot of fans. As a guy who’s only 20 years old, with the receiving production that he had in his last year at Bowling Green, his profile screams early pick. However, the biggest questions for him at the Combine come in the weight room. He was listed at 238 pounds at the Senior Bowl in January, where I think some of his movement skills left me asking a bit more questions about his explosiveness. I wonder how fast he runs, given that at his size the only real comparisons are to Jaguars’ TE Evan Engram (who ran a 4.4 40 yard dash) and Dolphins’ TE Jonnu Smith (who ran in the 4.6’s, but also was closer to 250 pounds). If Fannin can be more explosive at his size, I think that’ll do wonders for his stock.

Grant might come in as one of the lighter tackles in this class, but if you look at his frame and what he could potentially do in the explosiveness drills, he’s got a chance to make waves. Each year we get a small school tackle that everyone falls in love with, and I think Grant is going to be that guy. His ability to cut off the backside of zone runs and move to the second level showcases a lot of foot quickness and agility, two things I think will be on display in Indy. If he’s fully healthy, he could have a great week.