In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by New Era:

To farmers, "combine" is a harvesting machine. To other folks, "combine" is a verb with the emphasis on the second syllable.

What The Combine Means to Us

But to us—the army of fantasy-focused, draft-obsessed degenerates—"combine" means one thing: A lot of young dudes gathering together to get their bodies poked and prodded, to answer all types of absurd questions, and to run around in their underwear.

To me, that sounds a bit like a fraternity initiation—and I'm not entirely wrong.

This week, the 2025 NFL Draft class takes its first collective step toward entering the NFL brotherhood.

I know it's the offseason—but what a time it is.

Given that every Saturday edition of the Fantasy Life Newsletter is now dedicated to the NFL Draft, here are some notes on what has stood out to me so far from the 2025 NFL Combine.

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Four Key Prospect Updates

1️⃣ Abdul Carter, Injured

In my most recent mock, I have EDGE Abdul Carter (Penn State) going No. 1 overall to the Titans, and I also have a bet on him to go No. 1 (+220, FanDuel).

But at the Combine, Carter got something of a scare when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Carter has a stress reaction in his right foot.

For a normal person, a stress reaction is something you get in your brain when your boss sends you an email at 4:30 p.m. on a Friday—but apparently elite athletes can get them elsewhere.

For a couple of days, this injury raised questions: Would he need surgery? Would the injury linger into the season? Would he be able to work out in advance of the draft? Would the injury impact his draft status?

But then Schefter put out the fire he started by saying that Carter will not have surgery and will work out at Penn State's pro day.

As of now, Carter's injury seems to be a nonissue … but sometimes foot-based nonissues turn into actual issues.

I still like Carter to go No. 1, but his injury status is something I'll be obsessively monitoring up to the draft.

For my lifetime, I'm 484-424 (+102.6 units) betting on the draft. As the NFL draft prop market heats up, I'll put all my bets in our free Fantasy Life Bet Tracker.

2️⃣ Cam Ward, No. 2 to the Browns?

In his most recent mock, Mel Kiper—the godfather of the NFL Draft—had QB Cam Ward (Miami) slated to the Browns at No. 2.

And throughout the week the growing boots-on-the-ground consensus at the combine has been that Ward will go to the Browns (per Hayden Winks and Brett Kollmann).

And for whatever this is worth: The Browns are pumping out all sorts of QB talk on their social channels.

It's not a lock that the Browns take a QB, specifically Ward, at No. 2.

But the eating utensils are on the table.

3️⃣ Jaxson Dart, No. 3 QB

After Ward and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado), Jaxson Dart (Mississippi) has become the consensus No. 3 QB in the class.

Right now, I think he's on the borderline of Rounds 1-2, but I've yet to include him in a mock draft.

We have two intriguing dynamics at play: There are a lot of teams that need QBs … and there aren't many QBs in this class with the true potential to be NFL starters.

Because of that, Dart might find himself pushed up into the bottom half of Round 1 on account of his upside. He's someone whose hype I'll be monitoring closely throughout the draft process.

Check out Thor's Jaxson Dart scouting report.

4️⃣ Shemar Stewart, (Athletic) Stud

In his final season, EDGE Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) had only 1.5 sacks—but he addressed that lack of production in his Combine interviews.

And then he REALLY addressed it with his athletic testing.

Based only on his athleticism, Stewart might be a legitimate generational prospect.

The comps to Myles Garrett are fair … except, of course, for Stewart's lack of production.

UPDATED ROUND 1 MOCK DRAFT

Your Guide To 40 (Not The Age …)

On Thursday, our resident Fantasy Life NFL Draft Expert Thor Nystrom broke down the 12 prospects who have the most to gain (or lose) at the combine.

And on the written front, he also published two articles you should check out.

Looking at Thor's picks, I like the following for guys who are running today (Saturday).

  • Jalen Milroe: More (slower) than 4.40 seconds
  • Quinshon Judkins: More (slower) than 4.47 seconds
  • Luther Burden: Less (faster) than 4.42 seconds

If Milroe hits 4.40 seconds, that would be a near-historic time for a QB—and I tend to doubt that any given prospect will approach history. Judkins is a great player, but his talent lies more with his vision and agility than his speed and explosiveness. Burden entered college as a five-star recruit … and it's almost impossible for a high-school player to have that kind of rating if he's not athletically freaky.

MORE 40-YARD DASH TIME PICKS

Live From The NFL Scouting Combine

Thor Nystrom has been at the NFL Scouting Combine, and during media availability compiled a great collection of interviews with some of the top prospects in attendance.

This compilation features interviews with Kaleb Johnson, Jaylin Noel, Matthew Golden, Quinshon Judkins, and so many others. These will provide insight into these future NFL players and how they are approaching one of the most important days of their careers as they prepare to test at the Combine. Follow along for the ride with Thor.

10 NFL DRAFT PROSPECT INTERVIEWS AT THE COMBINE

Our favorite content from the fantasy football and NFL Draft watercooler, from us to you …

💔 Break out or break up? 2025 breakout candidates, latest news, and more.

💪 Quinshon Judkins overcame a lot on the way to a national title and now the NFL Draft.

📊 150 updated dynasty rankings … is Ladd McConkey a sell-high candidate?

👀 Why does it seem like the Chiefs need so much?

🤔 Chaos during the Combine? Rumors of a DK Metcalf-Packers trade in the works, but there are conflicting reports.

🐏 Puka Nacua dynasty managers can breathe … Matthew Stafford is back!

📝 Today’s NFL Combine results could affect rookie ADPs. Some are already moving.

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