NFL Draft
4/9/25
7 min read
2025 NFL Draft: 5 Under-The-Radar Prospects Making Money at Pro Days
The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine was the biggest platform for the best athletes in the draft class to show off in front of evaluators and coaches. While what happened on the field in the fall is what led to the opportunity to do athletic testing at the combine, we can't say that the tape completely overrules everything we see in the offseason. Historically, great NFL players are also elite athletes relative to their peers.
Some fall stars fell short of impressing at the combine, while others were never offered the chance to be featured there. The spring brings pro day season, which is a local, program-centric event where scouts and teams gather to undergo the same athletic tests and positional drills that are performed at the Combine. There's sometimes some home cooking on the timed events, but largely, we've been able to trust results more often in recent years with technology upgrades.
We've identified five Day 3 under-the-radar prospects who took full advantage of their pro day opportunity. With the 2025 NFL Draft around the corner in three weeks, these five stars should hear their names called a little earlier than we thought a few months ago.
Under-The-Radar Pro Day Winners for 2025 NFL Draft
Ricky White, WR, UNLV
There may not have been a more disappointing combine performance than what Ricky White put up. A college football fan favorite after producing 2,524 yards, 19 touchdowns, and three punt blocks in the last two years, White looked like the quintessential Group of 5 mid-round sleeper. His smooth route-running, agility, and strong hands made it easy to enjoy his game.
The combine failed to show the positives everyone expected. White weighed in at 184 pounds but ran a 4.61 40 and 4.52 short shuttle. Both are miserable times for such a light playmaker who appeared to win with quickness, agility, and offering some deep explosiveness.
Despite his solid vertical and broad jumps, White's on-field production became easier to dismiss until his pro day. There, he showed a massive leap on his 40, reaching a blazing 4.41 time. This seemed much more in line with what we saw on film.
White's lean frame and his unwillingness to run the 3-cone drill at either event still raise concerns, but he's at least locked himself into the Day 3 discussion once again as a depth piece and core special teamer.
Fentrell Cypress II, CB, Florida State
Teams love length, quickness, playmaking, and competitiveness at cornerback. Fentrell Cypress offers three of the four of those, and his experience as a major contributor for more than three seasons at Virginia and Florida State bodes well for him. The 6-foot, 182-pounder bounced back from a tough 2023 season with an impressive 2024 season and continued that momentum into his pro day.
In fact, Cypress completely dominated his pro day in a way that, if he was coming off his 2022 season at Virginia, might've put him into the first-round mix. Fentrell ran a 4.43 40, then cranked out elite results with a 38-inch vertical, 10-foot-3 broad jump, and a 6.84 second 3-cone. His 2022 season included an NFL passer rating against of only 58.2 and a completion rate allowed of 45 percent, and he's been unable to replicate that performance since.
Still, there's a lot to like about Cypress' game. He's light but fast, tackles well, and effectively prevents big plays. He produced only one interception in more than 1,082 coverage snaps, so he's not going to be a turnover machine, but he'll find a role as a competitive and gifted athlete.
Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo
Linebackers are rarely valued highly anyway, but those with shorter bodies and questionable coverage value get even more devalued through the draft process. That hasn't stopped guys like Ivan Pace Jr. and many other middle linebackers from having long, productive NFL careers. Buffalo's Shaun Dolac hopes to continue the trend of being a late-round steal.
Being 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds hasn't stopped Dolac from leading the FBS with 168 tackles and 69 run stops in 2024. Adding five interceptions and a conference-leading 19 tackles for loss capped off an incredible senior season. It's not as if he exploded out of nowhere, either, as Dolac totaled 147 tackles in 2022.
We've seen some poor NFL athletes put zany individual numbers like this before, but instincts alone couldn't help them survive at the next level. However, Dolac was excellent at his pro day. Running a 4.55 50, 4.21 short shuttle, and 6.94 3-cone confirmed he's closer to being a prototypical WILL linebacker than someone who never makes a camp roster.
Jackson Meeks, WR, Syracuse
Formerly a Georgia Bulldog, Jackson Meeks finally put together the on-field production at Syracuse in 2024, which was expected of him as a recruit. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 205 pounds, Meeks possesses greater speed, a wider catch radius, and dependable hands than one might expect from a player who took four years to truly shine.
In 2024, he recorded 77 receptions on 115 targets, amassing 1,020 yards and seven touchdowns. Nearly 90 percent of his routes were run outside, with most of his impact occurring at the catch point rather than after. Despite being so productive and having a good recruiting profile, Meeks was not asked to attend the Combine.
Instead, Meeks logged some impressive numbers at the Syracuse pro day, including a 3-cone time of 6.79 seconds and a respectable 34.5-inch vertical.
Meeks excels in contested catches and demonstrates impressive hands. At the 2025 Shrine Game, he performed well when asked to execute a complete route tree beyond the basic concepts Syracuse utilized.
His footwork is quick and precise on underneath routes, and he creates better separation on vertical routes than anticipated. He possesses the physical attributes of a No. 2 NFL receiver and is more talented than he is often credited for.
Nate Carter, RB, Michigan State
It'll take a lot to be drafted as a running back in the 2025 class. There's unbelievable depth and high-end talent available. However, Nate Carter did his best to make his case to evaluators that he's the next supercharged dynamo who will be a deep sleeper to make an impact.
Standing only 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds and producing only 2,280 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 4.6 yards per carry average in four combined seasons at Connecticut and Michigan State, Carter's resume is otherwise uninspiring. He's smaller than ideal and wasn't notable on two offenses needing a jolt. His pro day suggests he was more of a victim of his circumstances, though.
Despite never breaking 800 rushing yards in one season, Carter stole the show in East Lansing. His 4.37 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical, and 10-foot-8-inch broad jump would've been top-three marks in each category for backs at the Combine. Then, he threw 23 reps of 225 on the bench press.
Those are the explosive numbers that are worth gambling a late pick on. It's clear he's a weight room star. Carving out a special teams and third down receiving role could result in some explosive plays for any offense.
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