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Top 5 Prospects With the Most to Prove at the 2025 NFL Combine
As the 2025 NFL Combine Nears, We’re Ranking Five of the Top Prospects With the Most to Prove
The NFL Combine: Where Draft Stock Rises or Plummets
It’s been three days since Super Bowl LIX, but NFL news sites are already buzzing about what’s next on the schedule.
But what’s next if there aren’t more NFL games until early August when the Hall of Fame game happens?
Come on now. If you love football as much as I do, you know the NFL never sleeps, and there’s always something new waiting to happen. In this case, it’s the 2025 NFL Combine, which just happens to be 15 days away.
We are 15 days away from the NFL Combine. Which players stock are you expecting to raise? #NFL pic.twitter.com/lBRgl0HZLN
— Tony Packer (@tony_packer12) February 12, 2025
As every pro football fan knows, the NFL Combine is the premier pre-draft event in which the league invites between 300 to 335 of college football’s top prospects to show what they got in front of coaches and executives from all 32 teams in the league.
For some players, the combine helps solidify their already-stacked draft stock. For other under-the-radar prospects, it is where they can see their otherwise underlooked stock soar.
For another few who have gone from riding the NCAAF hype wave to being the target of NFL rumors regarding whether they can truly be immediate impact players in the pros, it’s their chance to show up and show off.
With the combine being one of the only genuine chances to prove their pro-ready worth to every team in the league besides their school’s pro days, I’m counting down the top five prospects with the most to prove at the 2025 combine.
QB Cam Ward
There’s been a lot of talk about Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, and Miami’s Cam Ward being pitted as the three best quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
While Shedeur comes from football royalty and has shown he has the chops to be a day-one starter, and Dart is slowly becoming a favorite among 2025 NFL mock draft specialists, Ward seems to be taking a backseat in these talks.
Cam Ward is the favorite to be the top QB selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
However, there is a growing sentiment that he isn’t a franchise caliber QB, and taking him wouldn’t be a franchise changing move.
Do you think Cam Ward is a franchise QB? pic.twitter.com/N0N0el0sie
— PlayerProfiler NOW+ (@Profiler_Now) February 11, 2025
So, is there something wrong with Miami’s star, or is somebody keeping some critical information secret?
His arm strength and mobility in and out of the pocket made him turn into a top-tier candidate to be taken by the Tennessee Titans with the first pick of this year’s draft, something I predicted in my first NFL mock draft of the season.
Cam Ward —
“Who you think closer to a ring outta Tennessee, Cleveland, and New York?”
Someone’s said —
“Tennessee”
Cam Ward —
“Whichever one draft Cam Ward.”
Elite mentality and confidence. pic.twitter.com/pOdDAgnczX
— CanesMuse (@canes_muse) February 5, 2025
So, what’s wrong with Ward?
If I had to pinpoint one flaw, it would be how he handles pass rushers when unprotected. But that’s something that can be ironed out in the preseason.
For now, if I had to buy into the idea of one QB who will surely be looking to make his presence felt at the Combine, it’s Ward.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
As far as running backs are concerned, don’t think for a second that the conversation starts and ends solemnly with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.
Thanks to players like Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Aaron Jones, Christian McCaffrey, and Breece Hall, the position is experiencing a renaissance in the league, which is why a player like Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson could become a steal in the draft if he posts strong NFL combine results.
TreVeyon Henderson is a playmaker. pic.twitter.com/6rn1GwQAWq
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) February 12, 2025
Even if lacking size when it comes to breaking tackles or being used as a pass-blocking option, when Henderson is in his zone, his mix of speed and pass-catching, he could easily fit into any team’s offense and special team units.
TreVeyon Henderson has MORE National Championships (1) than lost fumbles (0)..
What Matters Most:
➖Early Production (1,560 Yards as a Freshman)
➖Ball Security (0 Lost Fumbles, 667 Touches)
➖Efficiency (7.1 Yards Per Attempt in 2024)Eclipsing 1,000+ Rushing Yards while… pic.twitter.com/rQOCDxmJ5h
— Austin Abbott (@AustinAbbottFF) January 25, 2025
Also, it doesn’t hurt that he’ll be entering the league after winning the CFP National Title with the Buckeyes, one of the premier blue-blood programs in the NCAA.
WR Emeka Egbuka
Ever since the first time I saw Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka take the field with the Buckeyes, I said, “damn, whatever a star pro-WR needs to have, he has it.”
Having played alongside NFL talents like Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison at Ohio State, Egbuka is the latest WR phenom of arguably the best receiver-producing school in all of college football.
Emeka Egbuka is one of the BEST slot WR’s the NFL Draft has seen in recent years.
Multiple NFL scouts reportedly believe Egbuka’s game is a “copy” of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s (Lions) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s (Seahawks).
Many NFL Execs/GM’s believe Egbuka will become a captain of an… pic.twitter.com/eFI6F6GGO8
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) January 28, 2025
Combining his route-running smarts with a lockdown grip and talent to squeeze into any tight space between defenders, I would target Egbuka’s betting odds to quickly become the draft’s best receiver if he puts on a strong combine performance.
DT Kenneth Grant
Yes, we all know Michigan’s Mason Graham is expected to be this draft’s best defensive tackle prospect. He’s already touted as a player around whom you can build a defense. But hear me out here, and don’t forget the name of Graham’s Wolverines teammate and fellow DT Kenneth Grant.
Kenneth Grant (DT#78) moves very well for being 6’3, 339 lbs
Huge frame, athletic, and super disruptive. pic.twitter.com/YSqM08Jzpx
— Andy 🏈 (@CUandyy) February 12, 2025
If you want a huge frame that could make offensive linemen think twice about blocking, Grant is your man. At 6 ‘3, 339 lbs, he can dominate opposing linemen at the line of scrimmage like it’s a kid’s play.
Don’t be fooled by his size, though. While he fits perfectly as a run-stuffing juggernaut, his speed, and pass-rushing talents could make him a nightmare for quarterbacks inside the pocket.
CB Will Johnson
Let all the NFL picks and predictions savants debate where Travis Hunter, aka, the most intriguing prospect in this year’s draft, will play and which position, cornerback or receiver.
While they do that, if you haven’t, then start taking more notice of Michigan’s star cornerback, Will Johnson, and how a strong combine performance could make him shoot up all pre-draft boards.
Will Johnson (CB #Michigan) is everything you want at the position.
📌 Great size at 6’2 / 205lbs
📌 Very fluid and athletic
📌 Disciplined with great eyes/instinctsReminds me a ton of Pat Surtain II coming out.
— SCOUTD (@scoutdnfl) December 26, 2024
If you want a corner that’s smooth as silk but can cover and tackle like a man possessed, Johnson fits the bill perfectly.
The only problem with the Wolverines’ corner could be his previous health issues that caused a couple of dents in his three-year career with Michigan. However, when healthy and on the field, Johnson could easily be a CB 2 option for any team, moving to CB 1 later on.
