Gene Clemons broke down the 2025 NFL Draft prospects after the combine and which players saw their stock rise and fall.

When you are checking on investments it is normal to get a quarterly report. A chance to see if assets are appreciating or depreciating. It also gives you the opportunity to identify new potential investments based on how they are performing. The same can be said about the pre-draft season, there are various markers on the process that informs how players are being valued and where that value is increasing or decreasing. 

The first is the postseason evaluation bowls and the next is right now, after the NFL Scouting Combine. We assess and reassess to see which potential assets are holding strong, increasing their worth or plummeting their value. Let’s take a look at some of the players who performed to see who helped or hurt their cause. 

Stock Up

Isaac TeSlaa | WR | Arkansas

With a section full of people who seemingly were there to see him, TeSlaa performed. He came to the combine with a lot of confidence during his media availability and then backed it up when he hit the field for testing. 

His size checked out, measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds, with 31-inch arms and 10-inch hands.That is a big slot receiver bucking the traditions of the slot guy being the short guy. He started his performance showing his explosion with a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-9 broad jump. He ran a fast 4.43 40-yard dash with a 1.51 10-yard dash. 

During his on-field workout, there were several times where he received bad passes but was able to adjust and bring them in. He moved well and got in and out of breaks with smooth transitions. He also finished with the agility drills. He recorded a 6.85 three-cone drill and the best pro agility time, a 4.05 masterpiece. 

TeSlaa definitely took full advantage of his opportunity and he should hear his name earlier now that everyone can see his potential. 

Terrance Ferguson | TE | Oregon

The tight end group that performed at the combine was so lackluster that it made any performance stand out. Ferguson already has prototypical size for the position, as he’s 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds. At the combine he showed that he has good athleticism as well. His 4.63 40 was tops among the tight ends who participated and his 1.55 10-yard split was the best number as well. His 39-inch vertical jump was the best by any tight end who tested and his 10-foot-2 broad jump was the third-best mark of the group. 

As he navigated the on-field workouts he really comported himself well. He did a great job going through the gauntlet and during the various routes on the receiving portion, he caught everything thrown his way. His blocking on the one-man sled was impressive, as that was not always his strongest attribute but he clearly improved at it while at Oregon. He struck the sled with a strong punch and moved it with ease. He definitely saw his stock go up. 

Armand Membou | OT | Missouri

Membou is a massive man at 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds. How terrifying was it to watch as he screamed his way down the field and cashed in a 4.91 40-yard dash time. He showed speed and explosiveness. His 34-inch vertical jump was tied for fourth among all offensive linemen and his 9-foot-7 broad jump was the best mark in the group by two inches. 

He looked fluid with his feet as they danced through kick slides as well as change-of-direction drills during the on-field workouts. In addition to the primal scream while he ran the 40, he exhibited violent hands as he punched the bags. He nearly slapped the head off of one of the coaches holding the bag during his drills. There are some that think he may have worked his way into the OT1 conversation, and why not? No, he is not one of the really tall linemen who normally populate the tackle position, but there are always guys like Membou who enter the league and dominate. He could be the next. 

Shemar Stewart | DE | Texas A&M

Stewart started his combine by launching almost 11 feet on the broad jump. His 10-foot-11 jump was the best of the day among any participant. He followed that up with a 40-inch vertical jump, the second highest of the day behind only Arkansas’ Landon Jackson, who went a half inch higher. 

He then ran the 40-yard dash and was able to move his 6-foot-5 267-pound frame down the track in 4.59 seconds. That included a 1.58 10-yard split, which was the third best time of the day. Stewart performed well during the drills portion of the workout. He showed good bend and decent change of direction. He also showed violence in his hands. There is a line pointing straight up for Stewart’s draft stock. 

Caleb Ransaw | CB | Tulane

One word to describe Ransaw’s performance on Day 2 is smooth. Everything he did on the day was done with a level of fluidity that made you double take and ask if he was really going all out. His 4.33 40 was impressive, but more impressive was that on both attempts he never looked strained as if he was digging hard. The speed felt effortless. His 40-inch vertical jump, the best mark of the day for corners, looked like he just floated upward and slapped a few markers to the side. His 10-foot-9 broad jump looked equally as light. On the field he went through all of the drills with ease and fluidity. That ability to be smooth in the chaos is going to be a big plus for him at the next level.

Stock Down

Will Campbell | OT | LSU

Before the combine, Campbell was as hot as fish grease at a Southern family reunion. He seemed to be the unquestioned top offensive lineman in this draft. He ran a sub-five 40 and recorded good marks on the vertical and broad jumps. He performed well going through the on-field workouts. But the only thing on the tongues of reporters and evaluators at the combine was his arm length and hand size. 

Arms that are a little over 32 inches is short for a 6-foot-6 320-pound man. It made people start to think about him more as a guard than tackle. It could simply be a hasty generalization because his film is still great, but it may have changed the temperature and it definitely opened the door for other prospects. Like Membou.

Tez Johnson | WR | Oregon

It starts with the size for Johnson. At 5-foot-11 and 154 pounds, there is no way to avoid the questions about whether he can hold up to the rigors of an NFL season and its physical demands on the body. What many were expecting was to see him flying, but his 4.51 40 left many on-lookers unsatisfied. His other testing went well. A 37-inch vertical, nearly 11 feet on the broad jump, 6.65 in the three-cone and 4.15 pro agility would have made up for the mediocre time in the 40, but the on-field workouts were bad. He had several drops and his body language became worse with every misstep. It left a lot of evaluators scratching their heads. 

Gunner Helm | TE | Texas

Everything about Helm’s day at the combine felt strange. He came into the combine looking to establish himself as one of the best all-around tight ends in the draft. He needed to show off his athleticism. He started the workouts by jumping only 30 inches on the vertical jump, and not even participating in the broad jump. He then ran a 4.84 40-yard dash, which was one of the slowest times among all tight ends and his 1.69 10-yard split was further illustration of a lack of explosion. 

He came back with a good three-cone drill time and a decent time in the pro agility but nothing special. His entire on-field workout looked like it lacked energy after that. Afterward it was reported that he had rolled his ankle during the 40, which if it was true still had nothing to do with his vertical, which was done before the injury. If he goes to his pro day and runs slow as well, he will undoubtedly feel scrutiny from the outside. Many have cooled on him until they see what the pro day looks like. 

Tyler Batty | Edge | BYU

Batty had a great career at BYU and a standout game against Colorado, but for an edge rusher it is all about the fast-twitch muscles. At the combine he needed to show speed and explosiveness. At 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, a 4.78 is not for an edge, especially when there are offensive linemen running 4.8s. A 34-inch vertical is not bad, but it's not great and the same goes for a 10-foot broad jump. His change-of-direction testing was not great either. Evaluators look at him as if he could be a move lineman who finds value on the interior where his measurables give him a little more advantage, but these are not the numbers of a true edge rusher. 

Sebastian Castro | S | Iowa

Thanks to the success of Cooper DeJean and the many defensive backs who have come out of Iowa over the years. There was intrigue behind Castro, who was coming off consecutive quality seasons in Iowa where he was named a third-team All-American in 2023 and an all-conference selection in 2024. A good athletic performance at the combine could have propelled him up draft boards. Unfortunately he put on a rather pedestrian performance compared to all of the elite performances there. His 4.59 was one of the worst times by a DB at the combine. He failed to reach 10 feet in the broad jump or 31 inches in the vertical. Athleticism can't be a question mark in the secondary. NFL offensive weapons are just too good.