NFL Combine
2/24/25
6 min read
2025 NFL Draft: 5 Players With Most At Stake at NFL Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine has transformed into a TV event with the on-field drills, but it's still one of the most important parts of the pre-draft process for certain prospects.
Testing well isn't the only reason prospects want to be their best foot forward in Indianapolis. Some players with serious injuries are hoping to ease any concerns about their long-term health during medical evaluations, while others with character concerns must ace their interviews.
It's impossible to discuss character concerns without speculation from the outside, but besides players needing to do well in interviews, let's examine the handful of prospects with the most at stake during this year's combine.
5 Players With Most At Stake at NFL Combine
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame 
Benjamin Morrison will likely be the most asked medical evaluation at this year's event.
Originally considered a potential top-20 pick at the start of the season, Morrison suffered a season-ending hip injury that required surgery. While the details of the injury were kept vague, a severe hip injury is near the top of the list of most concerning places to get hurt for a cornerback, requiring hip fluidity to play the position.
If given a clean bill of health, Morrison could get back into the conversation as a first-round prospect. He's an instinctive prospect with good ball skills and the eyes to jump routes. However, he still hasn't reached his ceiling, and he is capable of being a disruptive press corner with better technique immediately after the snap.
Concerns about Morrison's hip could put his draft stock in free fall, but a clean bill of health would be one of the biggest positive updates from this year's combine.
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
In a draft class where there are so few top-tier quarterback prospects, there's a massive debate as to who should be QB3. Jaxson Dart has been the fastest riser, while prospects like Tyler Shough, Will Howard, and even Quinn Ewers have tried to make their own arguments.
However, with a head-turning combine, Jalen Milroe could firmly assert himself as a top quarterback prospect.
The athletic tools are what's keeping Milroe in this conversation. He was an outstanding runner in his final two seasons at Alabama, rushing for over 1,250 yards with 32 rushing touchdowns. He also has what might be the strongest arm in this draft class, generating huge plays by hitting his receivers in stride deep downfield.
Along with the testing, where Milroe could light up the drills compared to others, it would be wise for him to show off that arm in front of scouts by throwing to receivers. With enough buzz from the combine, Milroe could carry that momentum into the rest of the pre-draft process.
There are still many questions surrounding Milroe's game, but the combine is the best place for him to remind everyone about his elite physical tools.
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Tetairoa McMillan has been the consensus WR1 for some time, and while Luther Burden III has been right behind him at WR2 for most of the draft process, there are other prospects who are quickly climbing up draft boards who could cause the Missouri wideout to slide.
Prospects like Matthew Golden, Emeka Egbua, and even dark horses like Tre Harris and Jayden Higgins are steadily climbing up boards. While Burden has kept his WR2 status for so long, a disappointing performance at the combine, combined with the likelihood of him being a full-time slot at the NFL level, could cause him to fall behind some of the competition.
The good news is that Burden doesn't lack athletic ability. A former 5-star recruit out of high school, he caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns in three college seasons. He can separate as a route runner and is particularly difficult to bring down after the catch.
Burden has a chance to remind everyone what he's capable of with a strong combine, but he could also get passed by other prospects with strong athletic testing.
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
This year's EDGE class features some head-turning players based off of physical tools, but the questions about true measurements and athletic ability will help scouts properly rank the top of this class.
Players like Mykel Williams and Mike Green have the chance to tear up the combine, but no one needs a stronger week in Indianapolis than Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M, mostly due to a lack of production. Despite being a former 5-star recruit, Stewart had just 1.5 sacks in each of the last three seasons, and his career-high in pressures was 39 in 2024.
However, the physical tools will blow scouts away. He's a 6-foot-6, 281-pound EDGE prospect with over 34-inch arms, and his tape shows real bend and explosiveness to play out on the outside.
Still, Stewart will need to test well to justify a team taking him in the first round. He's a massive and long EDGE prospect, but the lack of college production will be a red flag for some teams, and he'll require some ridiculous athletic testing for some teams to be willing to take on the risk of taking him so early.
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Ashton Jeanty is clearly the RB1 in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, there's a tight race to determine who the second-best running back prospect is in this class.
Iowa's Kaleb Johnson and the two Ohio State running backs are in the running for RB2, but Omarion Hampton out of North Carolina has a good chance to remove any doubt about his skill set and athletic ability to establish himself as the first running back taken after Jeanty.
Hampton has an impressive frame to be a potential workhorse, coming in at 6-foot, 220 pounds before weighing in at the combine. He rushed for more than 3,100 yards and 30 touchdowns during the last two seasons, carrying the ball 334 times.
On top of the size and contact balance, Hampton displays legitimate explosiveness and lateral agility to be an all-around playmaker. If he can put up strong numbers in all of the on-field drills, he could easily establish himself as RB2, as well as a potential first-round pick.
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