Gene Clemons highlights seven small schools College Football players who will be participating in the 2025 NFL Combine.

The 2025 NFL Combine is upon us and everyone is excited to watch many of the best prospects in College Football descend on Indianapolis to showcase their athletic talents for front office personnel, media members, and fans. One of the best things about the week is getting to watch the lesser-known prospects from the lower levels get a chance to compete on the same platform as every player from the more prominent programs. 

This year there was so much talent at power four schools and Group of Five programs that we did not see many small school prospects get a chance to compete with the big university prospects. The 2025 Combine will only have seven representatives from small schools. They all come from the FCS level. There were none from DII, DIII, or NAIA programs. That makes the opportunity they have even more special because they are carrying the weight of several divisions of players who know that they are just as talented and just need the opportunity to perform. Let’s take a closer look at all seven prospects from small schools who will perform at the Combine. 

Marcus Yarns | RB | Delaware

In such a deep year for running backs, it is surprising for any back to get an invite. But for an FCS back to get the invite must mean he brings something to the table that people need to see more of. At first glance you will not see anything impressive looking about Yarns. He is listed at 5-foot-10 and 189 pounds. When you dig a little deeper you find that he is one of the most versatile backs in this draft. First, he has “right now” speed and it is home run hitting. He gets through an open hole so quickly that it catches the defense off guard. He also has natural pass-catching ability. The Combine will present Yarns with the chance to face all of the backs who are considered elite at the position. 

Charles Grant | OL | William and Mary

Over the past three seasons, Grant has emerged as one of the best tackles in the FCS. Whether it was opening holes for their top-5 rushing attack or stonewalling defenders in pass pro, he has proven he can do it all as a lineman and the accolades back it up. He is a multiple-time All American, and over the past two seasons he has become one of the best pass blockers in all of College Football regardless of level. He combines lateral quickness, great leverage and heavy hands to overwhelm his opponent. His size could be looked upon as an issue at the next level. At the Combine part of the job will be showing off his actual size. His listed height of 6-foot-3 and just over  300 pounds will be met with skepticism, as people wonder aloud if he will be able to hold up against NFL competition. 

Jackson Slater | OL | Sacramento State

Slater is a prototypical guard; he is ultra-aggressive and brings a certain level of nastiness that you like from an interior offensive lineman. He has a quick first step which allows him to quickly get on the edge of a defender and seal them off. One of Slater's best qualities is his movement. As a pulling guard he was a devastating blocker who could locate, track and destroy opponents at the second level. He wins with great knee bend, leverage and a high football IQ. It is what makes him so good in pass protection. He is consistently able to find the angles to cut pass rushers off from the QB. At the Combine he will need to show his athleticism to prove that his skillset is backed up by those athletic traits. 

Carson Vinson | OL | Alabama A&M

Vinson is the only representative from an HBCU to receive a Combine invite this year. He will be inspiring as he carries the weight of all HBCU on his back. Luckily his nearly 6-foot-7 and 315-pound frame is equipped to handle it. At his size he has been able to cover up opponents extremely well. He has a good ability to pattern match pass rushers when they try to change directions. His quick feet allow him to keep pass rushers off his shoulder. He proved that he could handle elite pass rushers at the Senior Bowl. Now at the Combine he will try to solidify himself as a quality early Day 3 prospect by showing off his power and explosiveness. 

Grey Zabel | OL | NDSU

Zabel has really emerged as the darling small school prospect during this offseason. He has really impressed evaluators throughout the process so far. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman proved throughout his collegiate career at North Dakota State that he is a versatile prospect, playing multiple positions on the offensive line for the national champions. At the Senior Bowl, he continued to show his versatility against some of the best defensive linemen in the country. He is a powerful blocker who wins with leverage and a strong punch. He has worked his way into a borderline first-round prospect. With a great performance at the Combine he could solidify himself as a Day 1 selection. 

David Walker | DL | Central Arkansas

Walker will not be the tallest prospect when he checks in for the Combine, but he should walk in with the respect of every player he lines up with. On the field, what he lacked in size, he made up with athleticism. At only 6-foot and 260 pounds, Walker relied on his speed and agility to get to the quarterback. He collected 184 tackles and 30 sacks in three seasons. That's a fantastic amount of consistency and production. At the Senior Bowl, he was able to transfer the skills and production against FCS competition and apply it to his battles against the best linemen in college. Everyone will be playing attention to Walker's testing numbers at the Combine to see if Walker runs a fast time and posts explosive numbers in the broad and vertical jumps. 

Isas Waxter | DB | Villanova

The former ’Nova defensive back is long and athletic and really stingy in pass coverage. He is doing his best work when he has a chance to play close to the line of scrimmage where he can press and be a run support. He is very good in zone coverage and uses superior football IQ to diagnose plays. Waxter is listed at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds. He offers position flexibility and might be asked to look at playing safety. Do not be surprised if he gets extra work at the Combine. It will be interesting to see what his recorded size is and how that will correlate with his athletic testing numbers. He could surprise some people if he is able to post impressive numbers.