The National Football League’s 2025 Scouting Combine, known to some as the National Invitational Camp, took place between Feb. 27 and March 2 in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The NFL invited 329 top draft-eligible college players to be evaluated by scouts, coaches and general managers through physical, medical and mental examinations. 

“For the NFL, it’s about more than just building the next generation of great football players; it’s about building the next generation of great leaders — on and off the field,” the NFL Operations website explains. Beyond expressing their talent on the field, players showcase how they can transition between positions and oftentimes, that they can rebound from injuries. The Combine events include a 40-yard dash, a 10-yard split, a vertical jump, a broad jump, a three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle and a bench press.

The NFL Combine intelligence quotient names Cam Ward, Jalen Milroy, Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart and Dillon Gabriel the quarterbacks with the highest Next Gen Stats Draft Score. The draft score combines the players’ grades for all of the Combine events; their height, weight and arm length; as well as their athleticism and production scores. A player’s athleticism score measures if they meet specific thresholds specific to their positions and their production score measures how productive their prospects were in college. 

However, since not all of these players participated in the Combine’s workout events, NFL writer Nick Shook reported on March 3 that the rest of the quarterbacks “struggled to turn out a clear leader.” Out of the rest of the players, Brady Cook performed the most consistently. Cook was a top performer among the quarterbacks in the 40-yard dash at 4.59 seconds. His overall prospect grade is a 5.80 and his total score is a 69, predicting that he will be an “average backup or special teamer.” Cook’s best team fits are the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants.

The top running backs overall are Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo, TreVeyon Henderson, Omarion Hampton and Quinshon Judkins. Out of the running backs who participated in the Combine, Shook identified Judkins, Trevor Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten as the standouts. He wrote that Judkins is a “rebellious artist” with his running routes and a “natural as a pass catcher.” Judkins’ best team fits are the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. His prospect grade is 6.33, estimating that he will “eventually be a plus starter.” Shook also said that Etienne is a natural runner who moves “fluidly” and stressed his “elite” athleticism score of 90. Meanwhile, Tuten is nimble during drills and has the fastest 40-yard dash of the running backs at 4.32 seconds. Etienne’s prospect score is 6.15, meaning that he is likely to be a “good back up with the potential to develop into a starter,” while Tuten could be an average starter with a grade of 6.26.

Without the wide receivers with the top draft scores participating — Tetairoa McMillan, Emeka Egbuka and Travis Hunter — there was another lack of clear front runners. However, Luther Burden III, Isaac TeSlaa and Chimere Dike had noteworthy performances — Burden’s prospect grade, 6.47, indicates that he will “become a good starter within two years,”  TeSlaa has potential to develop into a starter with 6.13 and Dike scored a 6.00, giving him potential to be an “above average backup.” Shook stressed Dike and TeSlaa’s high scores throughout the events and Burden’s “clean” drill performances. Some of their suggested teams are the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and the Houston Texans.

Aside from top tight ends who did not participate in the Combine such as Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Mason Taylor and Elijah Taylor, Terrance Ferguson and Joshua Simon both had strong showings. Their overall prospect scores are 6.14 and 6.11. Ferguson accomplished a “testing trifecta,” receiving the highest score in the 40-yard dash out of the tight ends at 4.63 and was among the top performers in the broad and vertical jumps. He also excelled in the pass-catching drills. Shook estimates that Ferguson’s best teams would be the Cincinnati Bengals, the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. Simon’s jumps were also among the highest, and he showed “impressive burst, ball-tracking skills and the ability to catch the ball without breaking stride.” 

Armand Membou, the tackle with the third-highest draft score, 85, performed well, completing the 40-yard dash in 4.91 seconds. Shook emphasized Membou's speed as he managed to get the highest speed in the 40-yard dash and the broad jump. Josh Conerly Jr., the fifth-ranked tackle with a score of 81, had a stellar showing in terms of his “fluid movement and light feet” giving him the best score in the 10-yard split. Membou’s prospect score, 6.49, predicts that he will become a good starter in two years, and Conerly’s prospect score of 6.39 estimates that he will “eventually be a plus starter.” Grey Zabel and Will Campbell lead the tackles with draft scores of 87 and 85, but they did not participate in all of the events.

Out of the guards, Tate Ratledge had a considerable showing at the Combine. He has the highest draft score out of the players at 84, with a near-perfect athleticism score of 98. Shook reported that Ratledge “flew through every drill intended to test his agility and change-of-direction capability” and that his first two steps were so fast that they “appeared like a blurred shuffle.” He has the potential to become a lead blocker due to his speed, making him appealing to teams in need of guards who can move quickly, such as the Cleveland Browns, the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. Ratledge’s prospect score is 6.28, suggesting that he will eventually be an average starter. 

Jared Wilson had the best scores in the 10-yard split and the 40-yard dash out of the centers. He also has the highest draft score of 83, followed by Seth McLaughlin’s score of 73, Drew Kendall’s 72, Jonah Monheim’s 71 and Eli Cox’s 66. Wilson earned the highest score of athleticism possible, 99, because of his remarkable speed and high jumps. Wilson’s prospect score is 5.83, which estimates that he will be an average backup or a special-teamer.

The NFL Combine is a vital step for amateur players before the draft because it allows both fans and NFL officials to watch how they perform amongst their peers. After a successful performance, a player may find favorable prospects during the NFL Draft starting on April 24.