- Matthew Golden is having a meteoric rise: The Texas wide receiver has gone from a Day 3 prospect to a projected top-20 pick in just a few months.
- Shemar Stewart turned in one of the greatest Combines ever: The Texas A&M edge defender might not have the production of a top-15 pick, but he certainly has the traits of one.
- PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft Guide is LIVE: This year’s guide is loaded with three-page draft profiles on hundreds of NFL draft prospects in the 2025 class.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
While tape is king when it comes to evaluating prospects for the NFL draft, prospects also see their stocks rise and fall every year when games aren’t even being played.
Here are five prospects who have moved up boards the most due to their freakish athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine and their respective pro days.
Click here for more draft tools:
NFL Draft Big Board | Mock Draft Simulator | NCAA Premium Stats
2025 PFF Draft Guide | Mock Draft Hub | Prospect Data Profiles
Draft Position Rankings
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
Golden turned heads at the Combine, running a 4.29-second 40-yard dash to lead all receivers and placing second among all prospects in this year’s class.
The last three months have been incredibly kind to the Houston transfer, as he’s gone from a consensus fourth-round prospect in January to a projected top-20 pick now. Golden's 96th percentile receiving grade (75.6) in 2024 underscores someone who probably should have been ranked higher all along.
EDGE Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
Stewart turned in one of the greatest combine performances we’ve ever seen from an edge defender. He has well-above average size at 6-foot-5, 267 pounds to go with 34 ⅛-inch arms. Even with his bigger build, Stewart placed in the 98th percentile for his broad jump (10-foot-11), 96th percentile for his vertical jump (40 inches), 91st percentile for his 10-yard split (1.58 seconds) and 90th percentile for his 40-yard dash (4.59 seconds).
His 67.2 pass-rushing grade in 2024 isn’t that of a top-15 pick, but Stewart may still go that high due to his freakish tools and dominant performance at the Senior Bowl.
S Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina
Like Stewart, Emmanwori turned in a historic performance in Indianapolis that made him a projected first-round pick. He first has excellent size for a safety at 6-foot-3 (97th percentile) and 220 pounds (92nd percentile).
That size doesn’t preclude him from having elite explosiveness, though, as both his vertical (43 inches) and broad jumps (11-foot-6) finished in the 98th percentile for his position. He also ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, which was in the 96th percentile.
CB Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky
Hairston was the fastest player in attendance at this year’s combine, running a blazing 4.28-second 40-yard dash. Both his broad jump (10-foot-9) and vertical jump (39.5 inches) were above the 85th percentile for cornerbacks as well.
Hairston is an excellent fit for zone-heavy defenses (100th percentile coverage grade in zone) and may even go in the first round to a team like the Green Bay Packers or Los Angeles Rams after being seen as a consensus Day 2 prospect just a couple of months ago.
Porter has freakish length and speed for the cornerback position, measuring in at 6-foot-3 with 33 ⅛ inch arms while running a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. His broad jump (10-foot-11), three-cone drill (6.71 seconds) and short shuttle (4.04 seconds) were each in the 80th percentile or higher as well.
Porter’s 4.7 passer rating allowed led all FBS cornerbacks this past season, and his tools will likely have him hear his name called somewhere in the second round.
© 2025 PFF - all rights reserved.