INDIANAPOLIS -- Friday marks the second day of on-field events and the third day of prospect press conferences at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Defensive backs and tight ends will work out, while quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs stepped up to the podiums. Here are the biggest things we learned from the day's events.
Programming note: Tune in to NFL Network and NFL+ for live coverage of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Friday and 1 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.
ON THE FIELD
1) CBs show off spotlight-worthy speed. The cornerbacks, always among the fastest runners at the NFL Scouting Combine, didn't disappoint in their 40-yard dash attempts on Friday.
Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston and Iowa State's Darien Porter hit the lowest marks of the event so far, with Hairston logging a time of 4.28 seconds and Porter putting up a 4.30.
The 5-foot-11 1/4, 183-pound Hairston deserves kudos for that elite number, which followed an unofficial 4.30 in his first attempt. According to Next Gen Stats, he reached a top speed of 24.25 mph on his second 40 run, which was the fifth-fastest speed reached at the combine over the past three years -- and the second-fastest by a CB.
While Porter couldn't top Hairston, we should recognize that Porter turned in his excellent mark while measuring 6-2 7/8 and 195 pounds -- a notable size jump over Hairston.
Porter had the best 10-yard split at 1.49 seconds. Following close behind were Hairston, Rutgers' Robert Longerbeam, Ohio State's Denzel Burke and Texas' Jahdae Barron, who each clocked 1.50-second splits. (Longerbeam and Barron finished with 40 times of 4.39 seconds, while Burke put up a 4.48.)
Other corners to finish faster than 4.40 seconds included UTSA's Zah Frazier (4.37), Kansas State's Jacob Parrish (4.36) and Tulane's Caleb Ransaw (4.33).
The corners also shined in the jumping drills. Longerbeam managed to top the group in the broad jump at 11-foot-2, followed by Porter at 10-11 and three others, including Hairston, at 10-9. The 5-11 3/8, 197-pound Ransaw was one of those three, and he earned the high-water mark in the vertical jump (40 inches).
-- Eric Edholm
OFF THE FIELD
1) Sanders exudes confidence at the podium. With dual diamond necklaces hanging around his neck, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders confidently discussed his future on Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Sanders, who is not planning to throw at the combine, made it clear he's out to transform whichever NFL club selects him, pointing to the success he enjoyed at Jackson State and Colorado as proof it can be done. And if any prospective employer doubts Sanders -- NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks' top-rated QB in this year’s draft -- he suggested they should pass on him.
"If you ain't trying to change the franchise or the culture -- don't get me," Sanders said. "So, you should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I've done it over and over and over, so it should be no question why a franchise should pick me."
Instead of touting his arm or athleticism, Sanders backed up his bold statement by noting his greatest strengths were his intellect and leadership, traits tested by his collegiate journey that he believes will carry him in the NFL.
"Because everything is mental," Sanders said. "So, if I play my game from the neck up, I got to be able to adjust to my players, to have them have relatability for them to get to know me first to make everything smooth. I came from an HBCU to a Power 5. Those two types of different players are very diverse in getting to know people, talk to people and making everything genuine."
Sanders, the son of Colorado head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, said he knows he'll attract critics because of his lineage, but it doesn't bother him.
"Without people hating it's not normal for us," he said. "We like the adversity. We like everything that comes with the name. That's why we are who we are."
-- Nick Shook
2) Ward waiting for pro day. Miami's Cam Ward -- NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's top-rated QB in this year's class -- said he won’t throw at the combine, falling back on the 57 college game tapes he produced over the past five seasons.
"I just think five years of film says everything I can do," Ward said on Friday.
Ward will throw at Miami's pro day on March 24. He believes his work at Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami should speak louder.
"Me throwing here isn't going to move me in no type of way," he said.
Ward also pushed back on a common knock against him: that he holds onto the ball too long.
"That's something someone said who really doesn't know football that much," he said. "End of the day, you got time in the pocket, why would you not hold onto the ball to let your receivers get open? If you're able to make plays out of structure, you're going to hold onto the ball to try to make a play and get your receivers open."
Ward spoke about fitting in with several teams sitting near the top of the draft. Asked what he would bring to the Titans, owners of the No. 1 overall pick and needing quarterback competition, Ward described himself as a "plug and play" prospect.
-- Eric Edholm
3) Dart, Milroe to throw on Saturday. With Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders -- the consensus top two quarterbacks in this year's draft -- not planning to participate in Saturday's QB workout, the door is wide open for someone from the next tier of passers to use the showcase to their advantage.
Could Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart or Alabama's Jalen Milroe put on a show? Both players confirmed on Friday that they plan to throw on Saturday. Milroe -- who has blazing speed -- indicated he has not made a final decision on whether to run the 40-yard dash at the combine.
As for Dart, he passed on an opportunity to declare himself the draft's top QB on Friday, but he did tell reporters his intangibles -- something the on-field workout at the combine can't truly capture -- could be his greatest strength.
"I'm very confident with the player that I am and I feel like I can do whatever it takes for a team to win," Dart said. "I feel like I'm somebody who is a culture and organization changer by the way that I go out there. I've had success at every level I've been. I've been able to win at a rate that hadn't been done before at the school that I was just at. Like I said, I think there's a lot of great quarterbacks out here. We all have different skill sets and things that separate us, but for me, I feel like the intangibles are what I bring to an organization that kinda set me apart."
-- Dan Parr
4) New 40 king to be crowned? Will Xavier Worthy's NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash record fall after only one year?
That is certainly part of Texas WR Isaiah Bond's plan. He boldly predicted on Friday that he'll best Worthy's mark of 4.21 seconds on Saturday, when the receivers take the field at the combine.
"I'm going to break the record tomorrow for sure," Bond told reporters. "I anticipate running 4.20 or possibly, if I'm feeling great, I might run a 4.1."
Seeing one Longhorn's record fall to another former Texas star would be quite a moment, and not a complete shock -- Bond is one of the fastest prospects at the combine and posted "4.20 next year" to Instagram not long after Worthy broke the record a year ago.
We'll find out on Saturday if Bond called his shot.
-- Dan Parr
5) Jeanty planning to attend draft. There are a wide range of potential 2025 NFL Draft destinations for Ashton Jeanty, which makes him one of the most interesting prospects to watch leading up to the start of Round 1 on April 24.
The Boise State running back is clearly one of the top talents available this year, ranking third in NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospects. He came within 28 yards of breaking Barry Sanders' NCAA record for single-season rushing yards in 2024 (2,601). No running back has been selected in the top five since Saquon Barkley went second overall in 2018, though, and Jeremiah had Jeanty falling to the Steelers at No. 21 in his most recent mock draft.
Despite the uncertainty about how long he'll have to wait before he's picked, Jeanty told reporters on Friday that he plans to attend the draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
"You only get drafted one time, to be there, to be in the green room, get your name called and walk across the stage with all your family there, it's a special opportunity," he said.
Jeanty said the Bears, Bengals, Broncos and Raiders are among the teams he has met with here at the combine. Asked about the possibility of playing for Denver -- which holds the 20th pick -- Jeanty sounded like a player willing to embrace any Round 1 outcome.
"I would hope I don't fall that far, but if that happens, I wouldn't have no problem playing for the Denver Broncos," he said.
-- Dan Parr
6) RB Hampton doesn't resent all the Jeanty hype; he loves it. In the 2025 running back class, Ashton Jeanty is clearly the belle of the ball. The unanimous first-team All-American posted video game numbers throughout the 2024 campaign, ultimately finishing as a close runner-up to Travis Hunter in Heisman Trophy voting. With all the attention paid to the Boise State star, it would be understandable if other backs in this draft felt resentment. But that's not the case for North Carolina's Omarion Hampton.
"Naw, naw -- I love it," Hampton said at his podium session in Indianapolis on Friday. "Just how the running backs are coming together overall, like Saquon (Barkley), Derrick Henry. I mean, I been talking to Ashton -- yeah, yeah, he's real good. That's my guy."
Ranked as the No. 2 RB in this prospect crop by both Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, Hampton is delighted to see his position returning to prominence in the NFL.
"Most of the teams in the playoffs had a good running back, so I feel like most of the teams now see that and stuff and value the position more," Hampton said. "I'm just excited for it, and we just gotta add onto that."
A big, bruising, downhill back who ran for 1,500-plus yards and 15 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons for the Tar Heels, Hampton piled up a whopping 1,222 rushing yards after contact in 2024, per Pro Football Focus, ranking second behind Jeanty.
"It's really just a mindset," Hampton said of his tackle-breaking ability. "Fourth-and-1, you know you gotta get it. When you're one-on-one with a defender, you know you gotta make him miss."
But the aspiring three-down back also offers value in the passing game, both as a receiver and blocker. And he models himself after one of the league's more well-rounded RBs, Joe Mixon.
"I like his game a lot, just the way that he plays and stuff like that," Hampton said of the Texans Pro Bowler. "He loves contact, he can make 'em miss. He can really do everything."
Speaking of doing everything, Hampton plans to fully participate in Saturday's field workout at Lucas Oil Stadium, expressing a straightforward goal for the 40-yard dash: "Run fast."
-- Gennaro Filice
7) WR to rise in Indy? Missouri WR Luther Burden III said he plans to run the 40-yard dash on Saturday, and he didn't come to the combine to run slowly.
His target time?
"Yeah, I'm running the 40," Burden told the media on Friday, "and I'm trying to run fast."
Burden, Daniel Jeremiah's No. 33 prospect in the draft, indicated he was ready to conduct a full workout at the combine. Following a season in which his production dipped from his breakout season in 2023, Burden sees the opportunity to change the narrative about his stock.
"A lot of doubters are here, so I just want to prove everybody wrong," he said.
Burden caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards (14.1 average) and nine TDs in 13 starts in 2023. But his production tailed off dramatically last season, with QB Brady Cook's injury hurting the operation. Burden was limited to 61 catches for 676 yards (11.1 average) and six TDs in 12 starts in 2024, although he did showcase his skills as a runner (115 rush yards, two TDs).
Still, Burden feels he has a lot more to show, pointing to Mizzou's offense as one reason why his numbers fell.
"I mean, the system I was in, you know, I wasn't able to show ... all the routes you guys want to see," he said. "But you know, I can definitely run routes."
Burden also wants to reprise his punt-return glory from high school, when he ran back eight -- eight! -- for touchdowns as a senior. He wasn't given many chances to run back many punts the past two years. Asked what might have held him back most on punts, Burden pointed to "the protection."
Often compared to the 49ers' Deebo Samuel, Burden hopes this week can help remind scouts of just how dangerous he can be on the field.
"I just want to show, you know, that I'm the best at all times," Burden said. "I'm just coming here, I've got my head down, chip on my shoulder and just ready to work."
-- Eric Edholm
8) QB Ewers opens up about injuries. Quinn Ewers earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2024, tying for sixth in the FBS with 31 touchdown passes while leading Texas to the College Football Playoff for the second straight season. Pretty impressive stuff, especially considering the quarterback was far from healthy.
In the second week of the season, Ewers shredded defending national champion Michigan in a blowout win at the Big House, but he developed an oblique issue in the days that followed. Aggravating the injury one week later, he was ultimately sidelined for two games. In late November, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the Longhorns' home-finale win over Kentucky but didn't miss any time.
"I'd probably say I played two games, maybe three games, healthy, counting the first two and then maybe one in between the ankle and the oblique," Ewers said at his podium session on Friday, before expanding on the oblique injury: "They labeled it as a sprain, but it didn't feel like just a sprain."
Ewers has an extensive injury history going back to high school. And given that he missed multiple starts in each of his three seasons as Texas' quarterback, Ewers has unsurprisingly faced questions about his health this week from NFL teams.
"Yeah, it's been some conversations in some rooms, for sure," Ewers said. "... And I'm an open book about it because I think it makes me who I am at the end of the day. I wouldn't have the character that I have, the mental toughness, the resiliency that I have if I didn't go through some of these things."
Ewers has been through a lot -- beyond just injuries -- in his circuitous route to the NFL Scouting Combine. One of the highest-rated recruits in memory, the Southlake, Texas, product actually skipped his senior season of high school to enroll at Ohio State and cash in on his burgeoning NIL value. But Ewers' tenure with the Buckeyes only lasted a few months before he returned to his home state by transferring to Texas. In his last couple years as a Longhorn, Ewers shared the quarterback room with Arch Manning, the ballyhooed nephew of Peyton and Eli.
"It says in the Bible, 'Iron sharpens iron.' So it was good for me and him to kind of get to work together. And, you know, we both are competing for the same job, but us being pals off the field was good for us, as well," Ewers said. "I wouldn't trade any of that because it's the reality of the position. There's always going to be a big name in the room or around the room, so I'm glad that he was a part of our team and I'm glad that I had to hear about it."
Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the clear headliners of this quarterback class, but both plan to skip Saturday's field work, opening up the spotlight for other prospects at the position. Ewers can't wait for the opportunity.
"I'm not anxious at all because, at the end of the day, we're going out there and throwing routes on air. And as a quarterback, that's what we do, right? That's the easy part to this week, or it's what it should be," Ewers said. "I'm excited to get out there and just show everybody my arm."
-- Gennaro Filice
