2025 NFL Scouting Combine notes: Surprising discrepancy in Jalen Milroe’s hand size

The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine has officially come to a close.

This year, 329 prospects got the invite to compete in drills during the near-week-long event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

There were a handful of top prospects who opted not to partake in the drills, though. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders were among the notable names to sit out the drills and athletic testing. While Carter was out due to injury, he and others who didn’t participate in drills are expected to do so at their school’s pro day in the coming weeks. 

Still, there were many prospects who performed in the events over the weekend and likely helped their draft stock. The defensive linemen and linebackers performed on Thursday. The defensive backs and tight ends took their turn on Saturday. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs headlined the packed day on Saturday, before the offensive linemen closed out the week on Sunday. 

Let’s take a look at some of the top moments and headlines from the week in Indianapolis. 

The Alabama quarterback had a lot of eyes on his performance during the passing drills at the combine. However, the most noteworthy thing that might have occurred with him came in the measurement portion. His hand measured at 9 3/8 inches. That’s up from an 8 6/8-inch measurement at the Senior Bowl, with his hand size going above the 9-inch threshold that many believe is a requisite to play quarterback in the NFL. 

Helm’s testing didn’t grade out as well as some hoped it would, but there was a reason for that. The Texas tight end twisted his ankle on a false start during the 40-yard dash, according to NFL Media. Images shared on Sunday showed how swollen his ankle was. 

Helm ran the third-slowest 40 among tight ends (4.84) and he had the worst vertical at the position (30 inches). 

Will Campbell tests well after recording small arm length

Quite possibly one of the most anticipated parts of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine didn’t involve any of the drills. Rather, it was whether Campbell’s arms would be deemed long enough to play tackle at the next level. 

Well, Campbell didn’t receive good news on that end. His arm length was measured at 32 5/8 inches, adding to the concern about whether he can play tackle in the NFL. For reference, the majority of starting tackles in the NFL have an arm length of at least 33 inches.

But Campbell made up for his relative lack of arm length by testing incredibly well during Sunday’s drills. He ran a 4.98 in the 40, which was one of the quickest times for an offensive lineman on Sunday. He actually ran a 5.00 40 in his first run, but stumbled and nearly fell in the first 10 yards.

Campbell also recorded a 32-inch vertical and a 9-foot-5 broad jump, helping him earn an impressive 9.88 relative athletic score (RAS). 

The Missouri offensive tackle might have boosted his draft stock the most out of the offensive linemen who participated on Sunday. His 4.91 time in the 40 was the fastest among all offensive tackles. He also recorded the best broad jump (9-7) among offensive linemen and the fourth-best vertical (34 inches) among all offensive linemen.

Ohio State’s offensive stars perform 

A handful of Ohio State’s key contributors to its national championship team this season took their turn to take part in drills at the combine. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson posted two of the four best relative athletic scores (RAS) at the combine. The 6-foot, 221-pound Judkins posted the best broad jump (11 feet) among running backs and ran a 4.48 in the 40. Judkins’ 9.88 RAS was the third-best score among running backs. 

Henderson, measured at 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, ran a 4.43 in the 40. While that was tied for the seventh-best time among running backs, his top speed of 23.38 mph was the second-fastest at the position. Henderson’s 9.45 RAS was the fourth-best among running backs. 

Standout safety

Nick Emmanwori may have created a whole new archetype of athlete with his performance and measurables at the combine on Friday. The strong safety out of South Carolina graded out as “elite” in every category, including hand size and arm length, composite size, composite explosion and composite speed. 

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Emmanwori ran a 4.38 40-yard dash, which was the second-fastest time of any safety behind just Kansas State’s Marques Sigle. 

Shemar Stewart jumps out

Shemar Stewart put together a terrific overall performance. The Texas A&M edge rusher wowed with a 40-inch vertical, 4.59-second 40 time and a Relative Athletic Score of 10.00 (unofficially anyway). The 6-foot-5, 267-pound Stewart became just the fourth player in two decades to reach 40 inches in the vertical jump after weighing in at 260 or more pounds.

His best drill was in the broad jump, though. He led all participants Thursday with a 10-foot, 11-inch jump and showed off his perfect form.

The top 40-yard dash times

Golden is golden among the wide receivers

Before the wide receiver prospects took their turn to participate in drills on Saturday, Texas’ Isaiah Bond said he would break the record for the fastest recorded 40 in the history of the combine set by fellow Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy last year. No wide receiver broke the record on Saturday, but a Texas wide receiver ran the quickest 40 of the day.

But it wasn’t Bond. Rather, it was Texas’ Matthew Golden. He posted a 4.29 in the 40, making him the only wide receiver to post a sub-4.3 time on Saturday. Golden has been viewed as a riser in the draft process, with FOX Sports’ Jason McIntyre having the Baltimore Ravens taking him with the 28th overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

Florida’s Chimere Dike had the second-quickest 40 time among wide receivers, posting a 4.34. Maryland’s Tai Felton ran a 4.37 in the 40, which was the third-quickest time among wide receivers. Bond had the fourth-fastest time, running a 4.39. Worthy took multiple digs at Bond on social media after he failed to live up to his promise.

Running backs get to running

Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten had the best 40 time among running backs at the combine, posting a 4.32 in the event. The senior running back had a standout 2024 season at Blacksburg, rushing for 1,159 yards on 6.3 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns. He ranked 174th on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, with most mock drafts projecting him to be a mid-to-late round selection. So, his time on Saturday could boost his stock if he hopes to be taken in the top half of the draft, posting the fourth-quickest 40 time for a running back since 2003.

There was a decent amount of separation between Tuten and the rest of the running back group. Texas’ Jaydon Blue ran the second-quickest 40 among running backs at 4.38 seconds, while SMU’s Brashard Smith was right behind him at 4.39. There was a cluster of running backs who ran between 4.38 and 4.44, with nine of them finishing their best 40 somewhere in between that range. 

Dashing defensive backs

Maxwell Hairston ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. The defensive back out of the University of Kentucky posted a 4.3 on his first attempt and then broke that threshold on his second go. Hairston is coming off a junior season that was shortened due to a shoulder injury, meaning his 40-time could help boost his draft stock.

Big fellas running 

James Pearce Jr., an edge rusher from the University of Tennessee, posted the fastest 40-yard dash of any defensive lineman on Thursday, finishing it in 4.47 seconds. For edge rushers, anything sub-4.50 is impressive. Montez Sweat of the Washington Commanders ran a 4.41 in 2019, Odafe Oweh of the Baltimore Ravens ran 4.36 in 2021, as did Amare Barno of the Carolina Panthers in 2022. 

Pearce’s time is faster than Super Bowl LIX Champion skill players Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, as shown below.

Derrick Harmon, a 313-pound defensive tackle from Oregon, also impressed with a 4.95-second time — so much that he drew comparisons to Chiefs star Chris Jones.

The best fashion moment

South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight II didn’t just rock custom-made Adidas cleats during his 40-yard dash. He rocked custom-made Scrooge McDuck-themed cleats.

And with a time of 4.58 seconds, he finished in the top third at his position in the drill. Guess you could say (or sing): “Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes, he’s a duck blur!”

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