2025 NFL Scouting Combine: Ohio State’s running backs show out

The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine officially began Thursday, which means draft season is here!

The 329 NFL prospects who were invited to the combine take center stage this week in Indianapolis as they aim to raise their draft stock. The players started trickling into Lucas Oil Stadium earlier in the week, but the drills — that is, what most fans look forward to every year — started Thursday. 

Here’s a quick look at the schedule for each position as they participate in workouts that include the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump and 3-cone drill:

• Thursday, Feb. 27: Defensive line and linebackers
• Friday, Feb. 28: Defensive backs and tight ends
• Saturday, March 1: Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers
• Sunday, March 2: Offensive line

Not every future draft pick will be active in these exercises, however. Most notably, Colorado product Shedeur Sanders will follow the latest quarterback trend and wait to throw at his pro day. His college teammate, Heisman Trophy winner and two-way star Travis Hunter, revealed earlier Thursday that he won’t work out at the combine.

Perhaps the question on everyone’s mind, though, is this: Will any records be broken this year? Last year, Xavier Worthy, now a receiver with the Kansas City Chiefs, ran the combine’s fastest 40-yard dash with a 4.21-second time. 

If that happens, we’ll be here. Follow along with us as we track all the top performers and best moments from now until March 2.

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 5-10 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. 

Standouts Safety

Nick Emmanwori may have created a whole new archetype of athlete with his performance and measurables at the NFL scout 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. 

The best fashion moments

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!”

The top 40-yard dash times

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 posted the fastest 40-yard dash time of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine so far. 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, so 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 longest broad jumps

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.

Stay tuned for updates.

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