Gene Clemons presents the players who are seeing their stock rise and fall going into the 2025 NFL Draft.

When the 2025 NFL Combine released its official list of invitees, there was a lot of conjecture about some of the names on the list and the names left off it. The truth is that we don't really know what went into the selection of the 329 prospects who were invited to what has become the premier offseason evaluation event of the NFL. What we do know is that the draft stocks for those who were selected ascended immediately and for those not invited it dipped. The rise and fall are simply based on the ability to go and provide more information in a neutral environment with every eyeball on you. Yes, there are pro days but they will never be a spectacle that rivals the combine. Let’s take a look at a few names who are looking up before the combine and some who are trending down. 

Stock Up

Tyler Shough | QB | Louisville

After seven years in college—yes, I said seven—Shough is starting to catch some traction among draft analysts and personnel people in the media. The most prominent name is Louis Riddick, who thinks that Shough is “legit” and his comments about the soon-to-be 26-year-old QB might lead you to believe that he looks at Shough on the same level as Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Shough will be using the combine to hopefully put more positive video out there for decision makers to evaluate. He will want to show that he has the ability to really throw the football wherever he wants and even after so much time, the best is yet to come from him. He could have a Kurt Warner-like career. A top performance at the combine can make even more believers out of the skeptics.

Bhayshul Tuten | RB | Virginia Tech

If you want another example of how ridiculously stacked this running back class is, check out Bhayshul Tuten. The 5-foot-11, 209-pound senior started his career at North Carolina A&T. He had a monster sophomore season, where he rushed for 1,363 yards, averaged 6.6 yards per carry, and ran in 13 touchdowns. He added another 342 yards and 4 touchdowns in the receiving game. He transferred to VT, where he showed his skills as a return man and a lead back. He rushed for over 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in two seasons for the Hokies. He is an explosive back with home run-hitting speed, so an invitation to the combine will give him a chance to showcase his speed amongst all of the backs expected to produce blistering times. 

Luke Lachey | TE | Iowa

It’s interesting that these Iowa tight ends see their draft stock rise the moment they leave Iowa. Watching Iowa tight ends removed from the moribund offenses of the Hawkeyes is like watching Lazarus rise from the dead. He is already a well-thought-of prospect, but he is battling prospects who are primarily pass receivers. Receiving an invite to the combine gives him a chance to show evaluators how athletic he really is and how well he can operate in that world. Can his athleticism move him behind Tyler Warren as the next-best balanced tight end in this draft? 

Savion Williams | WR | TCU

The combine was made for prospects like Savion Williams, so the invite is the glow up he needs to put all of the casual fans onto what he can do. He is a tall, big-bodied weapon. I am reluctant to simply refer to him as a receiver—he can be so much more. This past season he finished with over 600 yards receiving and 300 yards rushing. His 12 touchdowns were split down the middle between rushing and receiving scores. Is he Deebo Samuel, or is he Cordarrelle Patterson? Who really knows? His combine invite gives him a chance to see what his physical measurables really are. He has been reported anywhere between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-5. Evaluators will find out his weight and if he tests off the charts he could possibly sneak into what will be an ultra-competitive back of the first round.

Caleb Ransaw | DB | Tulane

The versatile defensive back started his career at Troy before transferring to Tulane for his final season. He has the ability to play in man and zone coverage as well as be a force as a tackler at the second and even first level. The reason the invite was surprising and needed for Ransaw is that he did not show the ability to take the ball away. Is it a matter of ball skills or the lack of closing speed needed to pick a pass off. These are the questions that Ransaw will be answering at the combine. If he knocks it out the park he could solidify himself as an early Day 3 selection. 

Josaiah Stewart | Edge | Michigan

While the world marvels at the two monsters inside, Stewart has been able to ride the wave of their hype to a combine invite where he will be able to break out from their shadow and show that he is a prospect worth watching. He started his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina with 12.5 sacks in his freshman season and ended his career with 8.5 sacks in his senior year at Michigan. He has elite explosiveness and a motor to match, but the questions about his size are real. Size is not a skill but it can be a crutch that scouts use to devalue a prospect. The combine will give him a chance to show why he plays so much bigger than his size. 

Stock Down

Will Sheppard | WR | Colorado

It was shocking to not see Sheppard’s name on the list of receivers heading to the combine. Sheppard is a true X receiver and has been productive everywhere he has performed and against almost every defender put in front of him. He deserved an invite, but not receiving it definitely hurts his stock. He will now only get one more chance to impress publicly and that will be at Colorado’s pro day, where he will not have as many eyes on him.

Marcus Wehr | OL | Montana State

There were so few prospects from the FCS invited to the combine that it felt like Wehr would be an easy choice to invite. He really performed well at the Shrine Bowl. With a North Dakota State player being invited it would have been symmetry to invite a representative from the other team in the FCS championship. Montana is not an easy place to get to so it is difficult to assess how many people will get to the pro day to see him. 

Willie Lampkin | C | North Carolina

Maybe it was his height that made the decision makers overlook Lampkin when it was time to choose who would be selected, but they missed a great opportunity to see him come in and perform. What it says is that the NFL may not be looking to get creative and find a way to utilize a talent like Lampkin. They could have brought him in and asked him to work out with the backs or tight ends to assess his athleticism and movement for a possible switch to H-back or fullback. 

Mohamoud Diabate | LB | Utah

Diabate might be one of the most athletic linebackers in college football. He also showed the versatility to play inside linebacker or as an edge rusher. That value normally gets you a ticket to the combine to perform for the masses. There was a chance that he could have run a time that put him immediately on everybody’s radar and now he has to hope for that performance at his pro day where the numbers can be scrutinized.