Fast guys are fast. Slow guys are slow. What about the ones in-between? That’s what is most interesting about the upcoming 2025 NFL Combine. While overreactions are easy and we’re all guilty of them, present company included, the testing still offers some value. There’s a reason why guys are still running the 40, leaping in the broad jump, and showing off their agility in the cone drills. Indy is a place for prospects to be on an even playing field. Numbers are relative and often, sets of data can be predictive.
Here’s the schedule for on-field workouts running from Thursday through Sunday. With that said, here’s five Combine prospects I’m most interesting to see how they test. For better or worse.
Omarion Hampton/RB North Carolina
Hampton is considered the second-best back in a deep class, only trailing Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. With Jeanty not working out, Hampton could steal the show. With impressive film, he ha size, power, contact balance, and production for days.
But watching his tape, I couldn’t get a clear perception of his athleticism. Is he a 4.4 or a 4.5 guy? That might not seem like a big difference but in the NFL, everything matters and it could be what decides between a 15 or 50-yard run. At 220 pounds, expectations can’t be for Hampton to run the fastest 40 but his overall athletic profile could weigh heavily in remaining the consensus No. 2 back exiting Indy.
Omarion Hampton Scouting Report
Emeka Egbuka/WR Ohio State
Egbuka is an early Steelers’ fan favorite to land in Pittsburgh. The Buckeyes all-time leading receptions leader, he’s smooth with good hands and a strong football IQ. The biggest concern with him is ceiling. Is he a No. 1, defined as someone offenses build their passing game around and runs through? Or is he a solid No. 2, a complementary piece taking advantage of 1-on-1 coverage while the top dog gets doubled?
A 40-time is just one data point but will go a long way in either proving he’s more athletic than credited or that his profile is merely above-average. Reportedly, he’s run fast 40s in high school and college, but can he be the talk of the Combine with a blazing fast 40 and equally impressive jumps to match? His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) is one figure I’ll be interesting in seeing.
Malachi Moore/S-DB Alabama
One of my draft favorites and a prospect I’m higher on than most, the two biggest knocks I profiled on Moore were glued eyes that allowed big plays and questionable athleticism. Nagging injuries may have played a role in him not looking his most spry and springy during the season and his tape was still impressive overall.
If Moore can blow away expectations at Indy, pushing into the 4.4’s with solid vertical and broad jumps, that could put him more in-line with my second-round grade than the early Day Three slotting most others are giving him.
Deone Walker/NT Kentucky
Walker is one of the draft’s most unique prospects. A mountain of a man weighing in at 6072, 340 pounds at the Senior Bowl, he flashes on tape. Consistency and pad level are concerns but I want to see how he tests in comparison to Michigan NT Kenneth Grant. Pound-for-pound, Grant is expected to have one of the freakiest Combines and his 40-time should tick under 5-seconds. His ten-split could be even more eye-popping.
How does Walker stack up? They’re two similar prospects and the Combine should create a good 1v1 comparison not just in testing but the d-line drills, too. Who shows more bend, flexibility, and fluidity?
Jay Higgins/ILB Iowa
I’ll throw in a later-round prospect instead of another top name. Higgins was a tackling machine at Iowa, carrying the baton once Jack Campbell graduated to the NFL. In 2023, he racked up 171 tackles for the Hawkeyes and finished with 124 in his senior season en route to being named All-American. He’s instinctual on tape but lacks size and didn’t pop athletically.
In fairness, it’s been proven time and time again being a great athlete doesn’t always equate to being a good linebacker. Still, Higgins has to overcome size and athleticism concerns by at least testing in at least respectable fashion. Running in the low-4.6’s would be a fantastic time for him.
Bonus – Darien Porter/CB Iowa State
I’ll throw one bonus name into the pool. Porter is the ‘Avatar’ corner Pittsburgh has been gobbling up under GM Omar Khan. Towering in over 6’2 with 33 1/4-inch arms, he’s a former receiver who made the transition to cornerback who picked off three passes in 2024 for the Cyclones.
Straight-line speed isn’t a concern. As our Tom Mead profiled, he could run one of the Combine’s fastest 40-times. The question will be his agility and fluidity. Is Porter a straight-line track guy or does he test like a corner needs to, able to change directions to match routes all over the field? That’ll be reflected in his shuttle drills should he do them (fewer players are participating at the Combine to focus on the 40, opting to wait until their Pro Day) but it’ll also be revealed in his testing. His backpedal and ‘W’ drills during positional work will highlight it positively or negatively.
He’s high-cut and there’s a legitimate worry so a good day here would diminish those questions.
