Noteworthy items to wrap up the Combine week...
-- Texas TE prospect Gunner Helm ran an abysmal 4.90 40-time at the Combine on Saturday, but we all found out Sunday that he sprained his ankle on the get off and that caused the bad/off time. He’ll get a chance at redemption at his Pro Day.
-- I saw a lot of notes from Saturday’s Combine about Will Howard being all over the place throwing the ball at the Combine...I didn’t see it. So, I went back and rewatched the Group-1 throwers (Howard’s group) and my notes from that are...
Howard wasn’t all over. He just didn’t look as graceful as most of the other QBs.
Honestly, you really couldn’t tell one QB from the next throwing downfield drills...between Brosmer-Cook-Dart-Ewers-Gabriel-Henigan-Howard...they all had the same arm strength and accuracy.
To put some summary/judgement to what I watched with this group of QBs throwing...
Best Pure Thrower (of this first group of QBs, not all of them): Between Quinn Evers and Seth Henigan, but really they all looked fine. Evers surprised me with his arm...but, again, this is with no defensive pressure...rendering the drill mostly useless for scouting.
I want to see more of now: Hadn’t done much with Brady Cook, but he looked pretty good throwing and did all the running drills well too.
Worst Pure Thrower: Jaxson Dart...he takes such a big wind-up/hitch, just like I saw on his game tape. He needs time/clean pocket to crank it up...and that is death in the NFL. You need guys that can throw darts without hardly moving their feet/legs/body/arm. To me, the whole Dart thing is a fraud. He may go #3 of the QBs, because the NFL is always off on QB scouting...but he doesn’t deserve it, Tyler Shough does.
Will Howard was probably runner up for worst thrower, in my box...as a ‘wine critic’ of watching people throw a football here.
I was struck by just how sound, arm strength and accuracy-wise, all these QBs were in group one throwing in these drills...they were like clones of each other...all 6’2” +/- and could throw it 50+ yards (in this environment) with accuracy.
OFFENSIVE LINE DAY:
-- Offensive Line ‘winners’, for me...
A ‘group’ winner for me...all of the 320+ pound OLs that ran a 5.01 or less (into the 4.9s) -- it’s stunning. All of them deserve praise.
Missouri’s Armand Membou is the chief among them...6’4”/332 pounds and ran a 4.91 with a 1.74 split, that’s ‘sick’. He made a case to be the #1 OL taken in the draft here. I have not studied him deeper yet.
Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinaea ran a 4.95/1.72 at 6’4”/324.
Credit Will Campbell...who I’m not a huge fan of...6’5”/319 and ran a 4.98/1.76.
Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery...6’6”/331 and ran a 5.01/1.75.
ALL stunning results.
The number of OL’s who were 315+ pounds and ran a 5.01 or faster 40-time, going back in history in 5-year increments...
2025 = 4
2020 = 1
2015 = 0
2010 = 2
2005 = 0
2024/last year...one.
It’s a freak show everywhere in 2025...athletic freaks.
-- Also ‘winning’, my boy...my favorite OL (we’ll see if he is THEE best OL prospect, when I fully scout/grade)...North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel. He didn’t run here, which made me mad (because I wanted to see his speed/agility)...but he did post the best vertical of all the OLs, and top five in broad jump.
Very short arms for Zabel (32”), which puts him as an OG or OC for the draft...but he can be a tackle because he is so quick, I think.
-- Biggest disappointment among the OLs, for me? Alabama guard Tyler Booker just destroyed his 1st-round hopes...6’4.5”/312 and ran a 5.28 40-time, which is not good in the era, but not doom...but his 1.96 10-yard split is in the ‘doom’ range/worst in class. Also, a 7’10” broad was bottom of the class. How did his agent let him run here?
Kelvin Banks was also a bit of a disappointment. He didn’t do anything bad, but with all the great times 310+ pounders ran...Banks ran a safe 5.16/1.79...with lower end broad jump and vertical and a ‘meh’ 7.81 three-cone. Not damning, but not great...hurts his case a tad on being the top OL taken in the draft. Armand Membou may shoot past Banks from here and then chugging toward passing Will Campbell as well.
-- Ross Jacobs’ Notes: Armand Membou checked every box he needed to lock in as a top 15 pick, 6'4”, 33” arms, a 4.91 40-time, a 34” vert, and a 9'7” broad jump. Of the lesser-known players, Iowa St's Jalen Travis recorded a 5.14 40-time to go along with a 35” vert and a 9'4” broad jump. Those numbers might sound pretty good other than the average 40 time, but when you consider that Travis did this at 6'8”/339 it's much, much more impressive.
The biggest OL loser had to be Tyler Booker who put up awful numbers across the board. I'll bet it doesn't affect his draft stock much because the NFL considers him a powerful road grading run locker anyways, but for our purposes Booker looks like a likely bust due to his lack of athleticism. Wyatt Milum also had a rough day as he ran a slow 40 time and checked in with 32” arms. He'll for sure need to move to guard.
Measurable Leaders:
Tallest: Ozzy Trapilo (6’8.1”)
Biggest Hands: Cameron Williams (11’0”)
Longest arms: Jalen Rivers, Jalen Travis (34 7/8”)
Longest Wingspan: Hollin Pierce (88.25”) *This is freaking unreal...can’t wait to scout him.
Fastest GPS Top Speed: Jared Wilson (21.04 mph)
40-yard dash: Jared Wilson (4.84)
10-yard split: Josh Conerly Jr (1.71)
Best Vertical: Grey Zabel (36.5”)
Best Broad Jump: Armand Membou (9’7”)
Fastest Shuttle: Caleb Rogers (4.49)
Fastest Three-Cone: Caleb Rogers (7.43)
-- One last OL note...Rutgers OT Hollin Pierce, check out these measurables:
6’8.3”/341
36” arms
88.28” wingspan...historically, it’s the 2nd-longest wingspan of any prospect in the past 23 years. Jaryd Jones-Smith had a 88.48” measurement...the all-time best (in the past 23 years) recorded OL wingspan.
That’s it for the 2025 NFL Combine. Now onto processing all this data and focus on free agency.
