Ohio State quarterback Will Howard stepped forward and took his place at the imaginary line of scrimmage toward the end of his NFL combine drills Saturday evening.
At first, the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd—dotted with Buckeyes fans—cheered Howard. But a chorus of boos quickly followed. As the spectators grew more engaged than they had in either of the previous two days at the combine, Howard missed both of his downfield passes to receivers Chimere Dike and Da’Quan Felton.
On a Saturday marked with fast 40-yard dash times, notable sit-outs and the week’s largest crowd, the 2025 draft class’s quarterbacks, running backs and receivers finished their job interviews in front of NFL evaluators.
The quarterbacks largely struggled—but several playmakers persevered to impress, sending their stock in the right direction as the combine nears its end.
Risers
Louisville QB Tyler Shough
When he finished his first 40-yard dash—a 4.69 effort—Shough interacted with the fans inside Lucas Oil Stadium, lifting his arms and urging them to cheer louder. Then, he walked back to the opposite end zone, rested for several minutes and ran again. He was the only quarterback in his group to run the 40, and he clocked a 4.64 on his second attempt. Shough not only competed, but he was the most accurate passer in either group and threw with adequate anticipation given he worked with a new crop of receivers. Shough is 25 years old and has battled injuries in the past, which will likely push him to Day 2, but he was impressive Saturday.
Colorado WR Jimmy Horn Jr.
Horn ran his 4.46 40-yard dash in highlighter green cleats with a matching headband before swapping both for black alternatives. He was flashy in green, but businesslike in black. Horn, who’s undersized at 5' 8" and 174 pounds, was one of the more explosive wideouts who tested Saturday, logging a 38-inch vertical jump and 10-foot, eight-inch broad jump. On the field, Horn decelerated quickly and was clean and effective navigating his breaks. He also showed good body control and reliable hands, and he was perhaps the cleanest route runner of his group.
Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson
He didn’t run the 40-yard dash due to the hamstring injury that kept him out of Tennessee’s College Football Playoff loss to Ohio State, but Sampson impressed during his field workout. He looked quick and clean during footwork drills, showed natural hands as a pass catcher and operated in a smooth, effortless manner. Sampson, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year who logged 1,491 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns, was middle-of-the-pack in his jumps, but he moves like an NFL running back.
Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten
Tuten was expected to test well, and he met, if not broke, the numbers most expected. He aced the 40-yard dash, timing 4.32 with a 1.49 10-yard split. Both marks led all participating running backs, as did his 40.5-inch vertical. His 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump ranked third best. In drills, Tuten showed quick feet and solid change of direction, and he made several quality hands catches. Tuten rushed for 1,159 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024, though in the past two seasons he’s fumbled nine times. Likely an early Day 3 pick entering the week, Tuten may have tested his way into late Day 2.
Florida WR Chimere Dike
An impressive athlete at 6' 1" and 196 pounds, Dike ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and logged a 38.5-inch vertical. His 32-inch arms create a wide catch radius, and he’s a technically sound pass catcher with strong, sticky hands. Dike, who was a team captain in his lone season at Florida after transferring from Wisconsin in the spring, ran routes with speed and urgency. He’s fast, fluid, lanky and a potent pass catcher. Not often discussed before the week, Dike’s performance opened eyes and may send scouts back to his tape.
Maryland WR Tai Felton
Felton started his combine with strong athletic tests, ranking inside the top three among receivers with a 4.38 40-yard dash, 39.5-inch vertical and 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump, and his field workout ended with a low one-handed catch on a back-shoulder throw. In between, Felton battled highs and lows, but his flexible lower half and smooth feet translated to quick routes. He largely handled the variety of quarterback velocities and spins well, and the Big Ten’s leader in catches and receiving yards ultimately departed Indianapolis with his arrow pointing upward.
Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel
What the 5' 10", 194-pound Noel lacks in size, he makes up for with explosiveness. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and recorded a 41.5-inch vertical jump. During his field workout, Noel emerged as a reliable target with soft hands and proper technique at the catch point. He has a loose lower body with good bend when he flattens his routes, and he has the upper body fluidity to adjust to passes thrown behind him. Noel shifts his weight and changes direction well, and he has the making of a quality slot receiver at the next level.
Fallers
Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai
A first-team All-Big Ten selection this past season, Monangai has a track record of productivity and reliability. He’s a physical, urgent runner with a strong résumé. But Monangai struggled in athletic testing—he ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, had the second-lowest vertical jump of his position at 34.5 inches and the fourth-lowest broad jump at nine feet, nine inches. Monangai, who has a small but dense build at 5' 8" and 211 pounds, also dropped three passes Saturday. He doesn’t win with athleticism or pass-catching, which limits his upside as a professional.
Oregon WR Tez Johnson
Johnson weighed in at a miniscule 154 pounds, the lowest weight among all combine participants and the lightest in at least a decade. To make matters worse, Johnson clocked only a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. At his weight, he needed to run faster. He also had multiple drops during the field portion, and his frame looked as small as the scale suggested. The 5' 10" Johnson was expected to be slight, but he’s in a lonely world of outliers at 154 pounds and running slower than a 4.50.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
The first group of quarterbacks, which also featured Howard, Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart and Texas’s Quinn Ewers, was far from impressive, but Gabriel had a particularly tough showing. Multiple deep passes wobbled in the air, and he overthrew or missed a handful of throws in the intermediate range. As a lefty passer who has a different spin than the six righties in his group, Gabriel’s throws were naturally more difficult to catch for receivers. But Gabriel held control over where his passes went, and too often, they weren’t on target.
UNLV WR Ricky White III
White has put together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but he had a difficult showing Saturday. At 6' 1", he weighs only 184 pounds, and he timed just 4.62 in the 40-yard dash and 1.61 in the 10-yard split. He didn’t show much more twitch during position drills and had a few drops early. White’s film, production and performance at the East-West Shrine Bowl creates a solid profile, but his lack of speed with a slender frame is concerning.
Sanders, Ward and Jeanty sit, but other first-round prospects impress
Neither of the draft’s top two quarterbacks—Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders—participated in athletic testing or combine drills. Neither did running back Ashton Jeanty or receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka.
But apart from those five, all the other healthy participants went to work in some capacity.
At running back, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson ran a 4.43 40-yard dash but didn’t do drills. North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton clocked a 4.46 40-yard dash at 221 pounds and was smooth as both a runner and pass catcher in his workout. Kaleb Johnson, the Big Ten Running Back of the Year at Iowa, ran just a 4.57 40-yard dash, but the 224-pounder looked faster in drills and impressed with his fluidity.
Henderson, Hampton and Johnson are each in the race to be the No. 2 running back behind Jeanty. Arizona State’s Cameron Skattebo didn’t run or work out in drills, but he did notch a 39.5-inch vertical jump.
Texas receiver Matthew Golden, who’s been a steady riser since the start of the College Football Playoff, ran a 4.29 40-yard dash but opted out of drills. Missouri wideout Luther Burden timed 4.42 in the 40-yard dash, and while the same route running concerns that are often associated with him appeared at times Saturday, his fluidity and ball skills stood out.
Aside from Shough, most quarterbacks struggled. Dart hit several deep throws but was late with several throws, and Howard and Ewers were inconsistent. Milroe’s throwing session matched his film from Alabama—several impressive throws with high velocity but a similarly high number of poorly placed or uncatchable passes that took away from his positives.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Combine Day 3 Risers and Fallers: Quarterbacks, Receivers and Running Backs.
