Combine Talk 2025

[Moriarty]

Invites are out

https://www.nfl.com/news/full-list-of-p ... er_nfl_cfb

[Moriarty]

No Caden Prieskorn is the first surprise I see

[Moriarty]

Wow.
Jalen Catalon went back for his 7th year.

[thunderspirit]

This seems like a pretty solid list. I didn't see any "oh, wow" omissions on my end – a few mild surprises.

[thunderspirit]

Digging a little deeper, some thoughts on guys the Combine might have missed...

QB: don't see anyone they missed here.
RB: maybe Josh Williams (LSU), maybe Marquez Cooper (San Diego St/Ball St/Kent St).
TE: maybe FCS guy Runyon, though he looked like JAG at the Shrine. I can see being surprised by omitting Prieskorn (Mississippi), but he turns 26 as a rookie.
WR: maybe Will Sheppard (Colo/Vandy), maybe Jordan Moore (Duke). I like Moore a lot, but his speed probably kept him from Indy.
OL: Jacob Bayer (Ark St/Lamar), Gus Hartwig (Purdue), and Timothy McKay (North Carolina St) all have draftable grades from me; clearly the NFL disagrees.
DT: don't see anyone they missed here.
ED: a little surprised by Johnny Walker Jr (Missouri) and Jasheen Davis (Wake Forest) being skipped; both turn 24 as rookies, so I guess I get it, but hard to ignore their flashes.
LB: maybe Chandler Martin (Memphis/ETSU), maybe Greg Penn III (LSU), though I suspect the issue with both is speed.
CB: Glendon Miller (Maryland) probably has the most reason to complain here.
S: a bit surprised by them omitting Jailin Walker (Indiana/JMU) and Tysheem Johnson (Oregon/Mississippi); size is an issue with Johnson, while Walker was more of a LB than a S.

[wab]

Digging a little deeper, some thoughts on guys the Combine might have missed...

QB: don't see anyone they missed here.
RB: maybe Josh Williams (LSU), maybe Marquez Cooper (San Diego St/Ball St/Kent St).
TE: maybe FCS guy Runyon, though he looked like JAG at the Shrine. I can see being surprised by omitting Prieskorn (Mississippi), but he turns 26 as a rookie.
WR: maybe Will Sheppard (Colo/Vandy), maybe Jordan Moore (Duke). I like Moore a lot, but his speed probably kept him from Indy.
OL: Jacob Bayer (Ark St/Lamar), Gus Hartwig (Purdue), and Timothy McKay (North Carolina St) all have draftable grades from me; clearly the NFL disagrees.
DT: don't see anyone they missed here.
ED: a little surprised by Johnny Walker Jr (Missouri) and Jasheen Davis (Wake Forest) being skipped; both turn 24 as rookies, so I guess I get it, but hard to ignore their flashes.
LB: maybe Chandler Martin (Memphis/ETSU), maybe Greg Penn III (LSU), though I suspect the issue with both is speed.
CB: Glendon Miller (Maryland) probably has the most reason to complain here.
S: a bit surprised by them omitting Jailin Walker (Indiana/JMU) and Tysheem Johnson (Oregon/Mississippi); size is an issue with Johnson, while Walker was more of a LB than a S.

Gus Hartwig being left off was definitely a shock to me. No one else really surprised me though.

[Moriarty]

Jasheen Davis isn't shocking, but at 329 invites, I think I would have found room for him

[Moriarty]

every year, there are some surprises as to who isn’t invited and this is no exception. Indeed, players who will not be in Indianapolis, at least as full combine participants, when the combine gets underway in just over a week include QBs Will Rogers, KJ Jeffereson and DJ Uiagalelei; RB Quinton Cooley; WRs Will Sheppard, Efton Chism, Zahkari Franklin and Kris Mitchell; TEs Ben Yurosek and Caden Prieskorn; OTs Drew Shelton, Trey Wedig, and Reuben Fatheree; OGs Jaedan Roberts and Marcus Wehr; Cs Willie Lampkin, Thomas Perry and Jacob Bayer; DEs Johnny Walker, RJ Oben and Jack Kelly; DTs Darrell Jackson and Nash Hutmacher; LBs Landon Barton and Jestin Jacobs: CBs Fentrell Cypress and Jordan Clark; and safeties Shilo Sanders and Major Burns.

Yurosek doesn't 'surprise' me, but I think he deserves it.

Lander Barton ?????

RJ Oben, EDGE, Notre Dame

Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington

Willie Lampkin, OL, North Carolina

Marcus Wehr, OL, Montana State

Johnny Walker Jr., EDGE, Missouri

Totally out on Lampkin, but good cases for the other 4

[thunderspirit]

every year, there are some surprises as to who isn’t invited and this is no exception. Indeed, players who will not be in Indianapolis, at least as full combine participants, when the combine gets underway in just over a week include QBs Will Rogers, KJ Jeffereson and DJ Uiagalelei; RB Quinton Cooley; WRs Will Sheppard, Efton Chism, Zahkari Franklin and Kris Mitchell; TEs Ben Yurosek and Caden Prieskorn; OTs Drew Shelton, Trey Wedig, and Reuben Fatheree; OGs Jaedan Roberts and Marcus Wehr; Cs Willie Lampkin, Thomas Perry and Jacob Bayer; DEs Johnny Walker, RJ Oben and Jack Kelly; DTs Darrell Jackson and Nash Hutmacher; LBs Landon Barton and Jestin Jacobs: CBs Fentrell Cypress and Jordan Clark; and safeties Shilo Sanders and Major Burns.

Yurosek doesn't 'surprise' me, but I think he deserves it.

Lander Barton ?????

RJ Oben, EDGE, Notre Dame

Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington

Willie Lampkin, OL, North Carolina

Marcus Wehr, OL, Montana State

Johnny Walker Jr., EDGE, Missouri

Totally out on Lampkin, but good cases for the other 4

Barton went back to Utah.
https://247sports.com/college/utah/arti ... 244876814/

EDIT: Lampkin is a great story and I'd consider bringing him in as a UDFA, but no way I'm spending a draft pick on him.

EDIT #2: GNB has a handful of players on that list who went back to college besides Barton. Drew Shelton, Reiben Fatheree, Darrell Jackson Jr...

[Moriarty]

Lander Barton ?????

Barton went back to Utah.
https://247sports.com/college/utah/arti ... 244876814/

EDIT #2: GNB has a handful of players on that list who went back to college besides Barton. Drew Shelton, Reiben Fatheree, Darrell Jackson Jr...

Ah, that makes a lot more sense.

Also odd - I don't recall them being sloppy on factual stuff like that.

[Grizzled]

Poles along with Miami and Dallas will be the only GMs to not talk to the press the day prior to the Combine. No explanation has been provided. Ben Johnson is scheduled to address the media.

[Z Bear]

I did not realize the teams are actually the ones who decided who gets to go to Indy. Jim Miller stated on the Bears weekly with Thayer that teams send in a list of players they want to see at the combine, if half the league wants to see a guy he gets an invite. So anyone left off the list did not warrant interest from more than 15 teams.

[Moriarty]

I did not realize the teams are actually the ones who decided who gets to go to Indy. Jim Miller stated on the Bears weekly with Thayer that teams send in a list of players they want to see at the combine, if half the league wants to see a guy he gets an invite. So anyone left off the list did not warrant interest from more than 15 teams.

Yes, although I think there's a limit. I don't think teams can request 500 guys.


Also, I suspect every once in a while teams play games and don't submit a name they'd like to see fly under the radar. I don't have any insider confirmation, just a suspicion.

[dplank]

Amazing how deep you guys are at this stuff, I end up tracking like 5 guys as the draft approached that have been linked to us and that’s about it

[RichH55]

Yurosek doesn't 'surprise' me, but I think he deserves it.

Lander Barton ?????




Totally out on Lampkin, but good cases for the other 4

Barton went back to Utah.
https://247sports.com/college/utah/arti ... 244876814/

EDIT: Lampkin is a great story and I'd consider bringing him in as a UDFA, but no way I'm spending a draft pick on him.

EDIT #2: GNB has a handful of players on that list who went back to college besides Barton. Drew Shelton, Reiben Fatheree, Darrell Jackson Jr...

He's super interesting! They list him at 5'11 290 (at least ESPN does) but he's probably under that on both accounts?

I was expecting a try hard guy at Senior Bowl.....and he was....but literally no one got lower than him (duh) and you didn't have the steam rolled back snaps (even on 1 on 1s) you'd expect of just a general undersized Center(let alone THAT undersized)

I think they noted it during the practices but when they brought that to Mack Brown( IIRC) to get him to sign off on the scholarship.....they basically said "Look when you hear the size you aren't going to want to offer......Just watch the tape first and then we can talk"

I can't spend a high pick on him mind you.....but a 6th or a 7th? Sure

[RichH55]

every year, there are some surprises as to who isn’t invited and this is no exception. Indeed, players who will not be in Indianapolis, at least as full combine participants, when the combine gets underway in just over a week include QBs Will Rogers, KJ Jeffereson and DJ Uiagalelei; RB Quinton Cooley; WRs Will Sheppard, Efton Chism, Zahkari Franklin and Kris Mitchell; TEs Ben Yurosek and Caden Prieskorn; OTs Drew Shelton, Trey Wedig, and Reuben Fatheree; OGs Jaedan Roberts and Marcus Wehr; Cs Willie Lampkin, Thomas Perry and Jacob Bayer; DEs Johnny Walker, RJ Oben and Jack Kelly; DTs Darrell Jackson and Nash Hutmacher; LBs Landon Barton and Jestin Jacobs: CBs Fentrell Cypress and Jordan Clark; and safeties Shilo Sanders and Major Burns.

Yurosek doesn't 'surprise' me, but I think he deserves it.

Lander Barton ?????

RJ Oben, EDGE, Notre Dame

Efton Chism III, WR, Eastern Washington

Willie Lampkin, OL, North Carolina

Marcus Wehr, OL, Montana State

Johnny Walker Jr., EDGE, Missouri

Totally out on Lampkin, but good cases for the other 4

I don't think Oben is any good.

[thunderspirit]

Nah, not spending a draft pick on a guy that's this kind of an outlier.

[Bearfacts]

Amazing how deep you guys are at this stuff, I end up tracking like 5 guys as the draft approached that have been linked to us and that’s about it

Same here although it's a few more than five. I'm most interested in prospects who will be drafted Day One and Day Two since those are typically players who will be looked at as starters or front line reserves. By Day Three teams become less predictable to me as far as who they may spend picks on. They're often ST types or guys they want to develop like Booker.

[Grizzled]

Liked this article, one guy drafted for each Bears coach:

https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-b ... will-want/

Save and excepting Membou, these are guys who will be available in round 2 and later.

[RichH55]

Nah, not spending a draft pick on a guy that's this kind of an outlier.

Whats the success rate on 6th/7ths (especially in this early period of NIL + extra years)(*)

(*) This will ultimately even out as there will be an end to guys having elegibility but currently (especially with the super recent JUCO tweek) we are in an era where guys who might be 5th-7th (to priority UDFA) can make solid money in college so they are sticking

EVENTUALLY I think this will actually boost the later rounds stronger....but not yet

I was honestly pretty shocked by his Senior Bowl week......I watched his stone big ass DT (he owned the Florida kid who is like 6'6 340)

So I don't know what to think - if they even lief on his listed and said he was 6'0 300 - (Which is deciededly isnt) I think evaluators would watch the tape and be thinking about him 3rd to 5th

[thunderspirit]

Nah, not spending a draft pick on a guy that's this kind of an outlier.

Whats the success rate on 6th/7ths (especially in this early period of NIL + extra years)(*)

(*) This will ultimately even out as there will be an end to guys having elegibility but currently (especially with the super recent JUCO tweek) we are in an era where guys who might be 5th-7th (to priority UDFA) can make solid money in college so they are sticking

EVENTUALLY I think this will actually boost the later rounds stronger....but not yet

I was honestly pretty shocked by his Senior Bowl week......I watched his stone big ass DT (he owned the Florida kid who is like 6'6 340)

So I don't know what to think - if they even lief on his listed and said he was 6'0 300 - (Which is deciededly isnt) I think evaluators would watch the tape and be thinking about him 3rd to 5th

I'd frame this differently myself.

There are a limited number of guy with NFL-level size, NFL-level athleticism, and NFL-level skill as a football player. Guys with all three belong on your draft board. Guys with two out of three are the ones you chase as undrafted free agents, because the odds are against them already – they're lacking in one key area. Sometimes they work out, but most of the time they don't – and you don't want to have invested finite resources beyond money and time.

Draft choices are finite, precious resources. Money and time (in this case, time equates to researching and identifying players, then coaching them) are also finite, but to a much lesser extent – they are still precious, but less so.

Spend money and time on long shots, not draft picks.

[Grizzled]

Abdul Carter, who is already not working out because of shoulder issues, now it's being reported that he has a stress fracture in his right foot. It might require surgery and a screw placed, with an expected 8 week recovery.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Shemar Stewart's RAS has been updated to a perfect 10.0 That athleticism got his team 1.5 sacks in each of the last 3 seasons for a total of 4.5 sacks in his college career. That's under 3 different DCs and 2 different head coaches.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Here is the "Stock Up/Down" article from the first day of the Combine.

https://www.nfl.com/news/2025-nfl-combi ... down-day-1

[Magilla_Gorilla]

A couple of 2nd round options I was disappointed in:

Princely U. not nearly as athletic as I expected - that 7.33 in the 3 cone, woof. A good/great pass rusher should be sub 7 seconds, especially one as light as 244. Conversely, Landon Jackson looked like a beast out there. Those two have been my second round pass rush options - and it looks like another film vs. measurables discussion when comparing those two.

Alfred Collins - he weighed in at 334 which is a bit shocking. Its about where he played at this season, but I would have expected him to slim down considerably for the combine. He was a 290 pound freshman and looked like a freak playing all along the DL the field in 2021. I know he bulked up to play a more traditional DT, but his athleticism went way down. 8' broad jump and 26" vertical are sub-par even for someone his size. I'm hoping he can improve on those numbers significantly at his pro-day and can chalk up the combine numbers to a bad day/food poisoning. His tape has always been a bit hot & cold, consistency was an issue - but holy crap did he have some flashes over his first three seasons. He seemed to put it all together this season and was a leader on the Texas DL that lost Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat to the NFL last season. I think he can do better.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

It's happening.



Seriously though - CHGO has had a couple of analysts on who expect Jeanty to go before the Bears pick.

[thunderspirit]

A couple of 2nd round options I was disappointed in:

Princely U. not nearly as athletic as I expected - that 7.33 in the 3 cone, woof. A good/great pass rusher should be sub 7 seconds, especially one as light as 244. Conversely, Landon Jackson looked like a beast out there. Those two have been my second round pass rush options - and it looks like another film vs. measurables discussion when comparing those two.

Alfred Collins - he weighed in at 334 which is a bit shocking. Its about where he played at this season, but I would have expected him to slim down considerably for the combine. He was a 290 pound freshman and looked like a freak playing all along the DL the field in 2021. I know he bulked up to play a more traditional DT, but his athleticism went way down. 8' broad jump and 26" vertical are sub-par even for someone his size. I'm hoping he can improve on those numbers significantly at his pro-day and can chalk up the combine numbers to a bad day/food poisoning. His tape has always been a bit hot & cold, consistency was an issue - but holy crap did he have some flashes over his first three seasons. He seemed to put it all together this season and was a leader on the Texas DL that lost Byron Murphy and T'Vondre Sweat to the NFL last season. I think he can do better.

Umanmielen was a bit of a surprise, yeah. I've read some people who claimed his 2024 season was due in part to his teammates, but you still gotta make the play, and he did that a lot.

Jackson has always looked good in a straight line; not doing the agility drills is probably wise on his part. He'll be a fine strong-side DE, especially with the lower body power he has, and might make a good living exploiting the inside shoulder of opposing tackles like he did at the Senior Bowl.

I wasn't all that high on Collins pre-Combine, but he looks like a 5-technique to me, especially after weigh-in.

[Grizzled]

Guys who the Bears have met with or want to meet with (article doesn't specify) at the Combine:

https://www.sportsmockery.com/chicago-b ... s-tracker/

[Bearfacts]

Shemar Stewart's RAS has been updated to a perfect 10.0 That athleticism got his team 1.5 sacks in each of the last 3 seasons for a total of 4.5 sacks in his college career. That's under 3 different DCs and 2 different head coaches.

If this kid had better college production he'd be the first pick off the board. But what he is right now is an enigma. Is he another Myles Garrett or is another of a long list of great athletes who just aren't great football players when the cleats and pads come on? Someone will accept the risk and either come out a winner or a loser.

[Grizzled]

Shemar Stewart's RAS has been updated to a perfect 10.0 That athleticism got his team 1.5 sacks in each of the last 3 seasons for a total of 4.5 sacks in his college career. That's under 3 different DCs and 2 different head coaches.

If this kid had better college production he'd be the first pick off the board. But what he is right now is an enigma. Is he another Myles Garrett or is another of a long list of great athletes who just aren't great football players when the cleats and pads come on? Someone will accept the risk and either come out a winner or a loser.

The Mike Mamula conundrum once again. Great physical, combine stats off the chart, not backed up by onfield performance. Can he be coached up? Definitely 10 is too high. James Pearce had better college production but his motor is questioned. Princely in the 2nd?