2025 NFL Draft: Quinshon Judkins, Omarion Hampton, Kaleb Johnson

This past weekend, the Underwear Olympics (aka the NFL Scouting Combine) took place in Indianapolis, allowing some of the top college prospects from around the country to shine in front of NFL brass.

Casual fans may be dismissive of the event, thinking it doesn’t fully capture what the players have put on tape, but NFL executives use this time to conduct interviews and make subtle changes in their draft board, allowing movement from key performances (or duds).

Though some of the top talent passed on performing individual drills in favor of their collegiate Pro Days instead, several players took this opportunity to shine and perhaps bumped their stock up from a Day 3 selection to Day 2, or vice versa.

2025 NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2025 draft class is highlighted by outstanding depth along the defensive line and running back, but each position revealed a few gems (or lumps of coal) this past weekend. Here are my thoughts on some of the players that made the most of their spotlight, and others that failed to seize the moment.

Derek Brown and Andrew Erickson were live on location for the combine and shared their biggest draft risers and fallers at quarterback, running back wide receiver and tight end.

NFL Combine Winners: Running Backs

Quinshon Judkins (RB – Ohio State)

The Buckeyes’ one-two punch of Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson turned plenty of heads on Saturday, but Judkins did the most to improve his draft stock. The 6-foot-0, 220-pound bruiser ran a 4.48 40-yard dash, finished with the second-fastest 10-yard split at the position (1.51 seconds) and led all running backs with an 11’0″ broad jump.

Known primarily as the thunder to Henderson’s lightning, Judkins showed plenty of explosiveness during the drills and even caught the ball well when given the opportunity. He might not have quite the same upside as Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) or Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), but there is a solid chance Judkins will be selected early in the second round on Day 2 and will make an immediate impact for fantasy purposes.

Omarion Hampton (RB – North Carolina)

Speaking of Omarion Hampton, he shined in the spotlight on Saturday afternoon, especially with Ashton Jeanty opting not to run any drills. Jeanty is the poster boy of the running back class (and for good reason, given his insane collegiate production), but Hampton rose out of his shadow and solidified himself as a contender for the crown.

A 6-foot-0, 221-pound bruiser, Hampton is a chiseled specimen unafraid of running through defenders, but also possesses jump-cuts and quick feet to make people miss in space. His 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash was exceptional, and the comparisons he has drawn to Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet are well-earned. His burst and one-cut ability will make him a first-round selection.

NFL Combine Losers: Running Backs

Kaleb Johnson (RB – Iowa)

Johnson entered the Combine as my No. 3 prospect at the position, right behind Omarion Hampton and ahead of TreVeyon Henderson. During his time at Iowa, Johnson showed great ability for pressing holes and seams that his offensive line provided, and constantly falling forward for additional yardage, even after being met behind the line of scrimmage.

That didn’t translate during his testing, as Johnson posted a disappointing 4.57 40-yard dash time and a 1.62 10-yard split mark (the slowest recorded at the position). During the short-area agility drills, he was notably more sluggish than some of his competitors, and he didn’t participate in either the broad jump or long jump drills to offset some of his other numbers. I still anticipate teams will view him as a bell-cow back and Day 2 selection, but the gap between him and several others immediately behind him is notably closer now.