Standout Defensive Prospects at the 2025 NFL Combine
By Ha Kung Wong
Didn’t have time to watch four days of the NFL Combine? We get it, it’s tough to find time.
Don’t worry, though, we got you covered, because we did watch it all and we’ve pulled out a couple performers that may have improved (or at least confirmed) their draft stock over the Combine. We’ll start with the defense first. Got questions, fire away!
Defense
Derrick Harmon – DT – Oregon
40 Yard Dash: 4.95s (5th best among DT)
Derrick Harmon has the most pressures by a DT (55), 2nd in pressure rate by a DT (10.7%), and 10.5 Tackles for loss in college. At the Combine, he ran the 5th fastest 40 Yard Dash as well as showed out for his on-field drills. Harmon is currently 31 on the consensus NFL Draft Big Board and the 4th DL on the Board. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sneak up into the 20s.
Feels a little like Jamaree Caldwell is a name that got lost a in the process with the attention thrust upon Oregon teammate Derrick Harmon (who is exceptional) but he’s going to make an NFL team very happy 🦆
— Oliver Hodgkinson (@ojhodgkinson) February 27, 2025
Kain Medrano – LB – UCLA
40 Yard Dash: 4.46s (fastest among LB)
Vertical Jump: 38.0″ (5th highest among LB)
Broad Jump: 10’05” (4th longest among LB)
Kain Medrano had 72 tackles and 11 TFL in 2024 but had until now been seen as more of a special teams contributor because of his size and some of his tackling fundamentals. That being said, getting the fastest 40 Yard Dash among LBs at the Combine, as well as performing well in other drills, certainly will help his positioning. Medrano is currently 359 on the consensus NFL Draft Big Board. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Medrano sneak up into the draftable range around the 5th or 6th Round.
Kain Medrano with a 4.46 on his 40-yard dash ?
Tune-in: #nflcombine Feb 27-March 2 on @nflnetwork #DRE #DoMore pic.twitter.com/ov8klTGsVG
— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) February 28, 2025
Nick Emmanwori – S – South Carolina
40 Yard Dash: 4.38s (2nd fastest among S)
Vertical Jump: 43.0″ (best among S)
Broad Jump: 11’06” (best among S, and among all prospects on Day 2)
We’re big fans of Nick Emmanwori, as Darrin discussed on the podcast. And his showing at the Combine only cemented his draft stock essentially decimating the competition on Day 2. In fact, he had the highest vertical ever for a player over 200 pounds. Emmanwori is currently 32 on the consensus NFL Draft Big Board and the 2nd S on the Board. With this performance, I’d think Emmanwori might have put himself in the discussion as the first S off the board. Either way, he’s cemented his place in the 1st round.
| Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Tack | Def | Def | Def | Def | Fumb | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | G | Solo | Ast | Comb | TFL | Sk | Int | Yds | IntTD | PD | FR |
| 2022* | South Carolina | 13 | 62 | 23 | 85 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | South Carolina | 11 | 47 | 24 | 71 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 2024* | South Carolina | 13 | 57 | 31 | 88 | 3 | 0.0 | 4 | 107 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Care | Care | 37 | 166 | 78 | 244 | 4 | 0.0 | 6 | 107 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
Safety Nick Emmanwori CRUSHED at The Combine today… what you see here? That’s the highest vertical IN HISTORY for a player over 200 pounds – absolute freak of nature
pic.twitter.com/sVat2AFJrP— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) March 1, 2025
Maxwell Hairston – CB – Kentucky
40 Yard Dash: 4.28s (fastest among all prospects at the Draft)
Vertical Jump: 39.5″
Broad Jump: 10’09”
Maxwell Hairston was already one of the top CBs in the draft, being known for his spatial awareness and his closing speed on thrown balls, but there were concerns about durability coming off a shoulder injury that cost him 5 games in 2024. That being said, Hairston’s performance at the Combine, in particular having the fastest 40 Yard Dash of any player in the Combine, is sure to raise his Draft stock. Hairston is currently 58 on the consensus NFL Draft Big Board and the 8th CB on the Board. The fastest guy at the Combine always gets some extra attention, particularly at a position like CB where it might matter. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move up to the end of the 1st and beginning of the 2nd round.
Maxwell Hairston runs a 4.29u on his second attempt ??
Speed demon.pic.twitter.com/ndK4YDxFi7
— PFF (@PFF) February 28, 2025
Darien Porter – CB – Iowa State
40 Yard Dash: 4.30s (2nd fastest among CB)
Vertical Jump: 36.5″
Broad Jump: 10’11”
SS: 4.04s
Cone: 6.71
There was some thought that Darien Porter might excel most at where he played the most during his college career, special teams, which honestly does make a little send with his 5 career blocked kicks. But his switch to CB in his final year was impactful with 3 interceptions and noticable ability to take wide receivers off their route with his frame and positioning, not to mention his speed. Well, he proved up the speed at the Combine with the 2nd fastest 40 Yard Dash among the CBs this year. Porter is currently 81 on the consensus NFL Draft Big Board and the 9th CB on the Board. Although he might not make it all the way up to the 1st round, I think he makes it solidly into the 2nd round now with this performance along with his versatility playing on special teams and defense.
Darien Porter 4.30 unofficial 40 pic.twitter.com/f7Zs6bdED1
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 28, 2025