Mining prospects that didn’t get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine

Invitees to the 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Combine were announced this week and now the Los Angeles Rams player personnel staff turns its full attention to the February 24 through March 3 extravaganza. This year 329 prospects got the call to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana to ply their wares to NFL scouts.

NFL fan sites and legacy media are all out with “Who was Snubbed?” pieces. Generally speaking, the NFL does a good job of selecting prospects for the spotlight. The larger programs are always well (over?) represented, but this year, 86 schools sent prospective candidates to the workouts and meetings.

TST is not immune to providing “snub” content. Here’s a few players that didn’t rate an invite, but I found interesting just the same. It’s also a chance to mention names who don’t get much publicity otherwise.

Quarterback

While the NFL is trending towards mobile quarterbacks, the big, strong pocket passing gunslingers will always get long looks. These three candidates were all, at one time, considered to draft pick worthy. Each struggled in their final college season and dropped off the radar. Although longshots, they all have size/athleticism/arm traits.

Donovan Smith- Houston 6’ 4” 228 lb. @ Tropical Bowl

Two pundits mocked Smith in Round 1 last summer. Spent three years at Texas Tech, missed one to injury (shoulder) and was beaten out by Tyler Shough in others. Smith transferred to Houston and had a productive junior season. The Cougars hired a new coach, and Smith re-injured the shoulder missing spring and summer workouts. He struggled at the start in the new offense and the new coach switched in his own recruit.

DJ Uiagalelei- Florida State 6’ 4” 252 lb. @ DraftBuzz

Top recruit out of high school. Up-and-down college career with three seasons at Clemson, one at Oregon State and closing out at Florida State. Began to turn the corner at Clemson, but wanted to run less and throw deeper. Transfered to Oregon State and had a solid season in 2023. With the Pac-12 imploding, he jumped to Florida State and struggled before ending the season early with a hand injury.

KJ Jefferson- Central Florida 6’ 3” 247 lb. @ DraftBuzz

The least-heralded of the three, Jefferson nonetheless had three productive season’s with Arkansas. There, the offense was tailored to accentuate his strength’s and mask trouble areas. A one-read scheme where he could show off his arm and considerable running skills. He wanted to improve his draft grade (mid/late) and went to a more pro style offense. It was a disaster and by mid-season he bottomed out on the depth chart.

Running back

Very deep class for running backs, 29 were invited and I have a draftable grade on all of them. These two UDFA candidates could be a cheap option at RB#3.

Lan Larrison- UC Davis 5’ 11” 209 lb.

An all-around talent who can run, catch, block and play special teams. Good vision and patience with enough speed to get outside, Catches and runs routes like a receiver. Willing and aggressive blocker. What’s the catch? Projecting him athletically from the Big Sky Conference to the NFL.

Antario Brown- Northern Illinois 5’ 10” 219 lb. @ DraftBuzz

Similar in size and style to the current Rams backs. Patient, good vision, and quck footwork/cuts in traffic. Low center of gravity with good contact balance and adequate power. Nice hands, catches away from his body. Not a very good blocker. Good film vs. Notre Dame.

Wide receiver

This WR class doesn’t have a lot of star power, but there are quite a number of WR#2 and WR#3 grade players. A nice selection sizes and play styles. as well. Two sleeper prospects that I gave draftable grades, but didn’t rate a Combine berth.

Will Sheppard- Colorado 6’ 2” 198 lb. @ Shrine Bowl

Good size with long arms and big hands.. Topped out 19.72 mph at Shrine Bowl. Solid route runner, but doesn’t win physically (swipes and handwork), he wins with quick feet, feints and solid technique. Aggressively works over the middle and through contact on contested catches. Needs play strength and to solve some concentration drops.

Zakhari Franklin- Illinois 6’ 1” 185 lb. @ DraftBuzz

Lean and lanky, appears to have long arms. Uses big strong hand to catch away from his body. I liked his potential back in 2022 at UTSA, wanted to improve his draft grade and tried Ole Miss in 2023. That didn’t work out and got a final year at Illinois. Has really improved route running over the years, quick out of breaks and comes back to the ball. Not a dynamic runner, but strong at contested catches.

Tight end

As usual there’s 10-12 draftable tight ends with the rest looking to fight for bottom of the roster/special teams roles, Because the position is so physically demanding, many teams carry 4-5 between the active roster and practice squad.

Rivaldo Fairweather- Auburn 6’ 3” 246 lb. @ Shrine Bowl

Very athletic, but still technically raw. Started football late in high school. Fairweather is thickly-cut, has a huge catch radius with 34” arms and shows soft hands to snatch away from his body. SEC tough and aggressive after starting for two seasons. Plays mainly outside in spread offense. Adequate blocker who just needs to learn to use those long arms.

Offensive line

Not a huge amount of plug-and-play options in this class, but there are some interesting developmental projects. At the Senior Bowl, more than one report stated there were only a few “can’t miss” linemen and that scouts thought many of the tackles would be better served by playing guard. Some of the biggest line standouts of the week were players that moved inside.

Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan- Oregon State 6’ 8” 328 lb. @ Shrine Bowl

Possible developmental player for right tackle. Massive size with 36” arms and 10” hands. Standout at the Shrine Bowl and earned good Pro Football Focus grades at both Oregon State and Colorado. Moves well for being so tall. I have a draftable grade on this prospect and will have a deeper look in the future.

Cornerback

Another unit that appears to be deep, although only a few with star power. Lots of Day 2 and early Day 3 picks with real potential to become starters. Some very nice traits-based developmental projects in Rounds 5-7. I have a couple with late-round grades that would fit the Rams predominant zone schemes.

Fentrell Cypress- Florida State 6’ 182 lb. @ Hula Bowl

100 meter track star in high school. 38 ACC starts between Virginia and FSU. Natural ballhawk who wins with strong read/react skills, loose hips for change of direction, and anticipation. Fearless tackler, but needs more play strength as a pro and work on pursuit angles. Battled leg issues all 2024 before shutting down in October.

Aydan White- North Carolina State 6’ 183 lb. @ Hula Bowl

Another ballhawk with good coverage player in both man and zone. Played mostly outside, but shows the same traits early in his career on the slot. Doesn’t play physical in coverage, more of a finesse player who relies on technique and instincts. Willing tackler for his size and often called on to blitz. Is he strong enough to matchup vs. physical NFL receivers?

Safety

Like so many of the units in this draft class, the very top is thin. In the middle, there’s a variety of candidates with potential to play right away. Later on, there’s more that could get their start on special teams while they get accustomed to the pro game. At very good prices.

Akili Arnold- USC 6’ 200 lb. @ DraftBuzz

Versatile piece with ability to play coverage in the slot, roam deep, and up close to the line. Interesting to see his official measurements and testing at Pro Day, appears to have a smallish frame. Quickly reacts to play downhill , good pursuit angles, and a good wrap up tackler. On a couple of deep passes, it appeared he had trouble tracking the high, long throws.

Keondre Jackson- Illinois State 6’ 2” 211 lb. @ Senior Bowl

Size/speed prospect with long arms and aggressive play style. Enforcer-style hitter and also a productive tackler who has the versatility to play deep or up near the line. Stood out in the Hula Bowl and was rewarded with late call to the Senior Bowl, where he was named the top defensive back in workouts. Was timed at 20.45 mph during the event.

Off-ball linebacker

The average weight of an NFL linebacker is 241 lb. and only six of the 25 Combine invitees reach that standard. Is that a good or bad thing?

Chandler Martin- Memphis 6’ 233 lb. @ Shrine Bowl

Tackle machine in Memphis, with tons of accolades. Numerous pundits named him a standout in Shrine Bowl workouts. Strong read/react skills and triggers downhill in a flash. His range appears very good on film, but his best traits are his nose for the football and a thumper’s mentality.

Edge

Deep class, 15 by my count that could possibly go in the first two rounds. Very good variability on size and speed as well. However you slot it, edge, defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker, there’s something for all tastes and needs.

Jasheen Davis- Wake Forest 6’ 3” 270 lb.@ Hula Bowl

Former four-star recruit with a productive college career. Played with Kobie Turner back in 2022. Lined up all over the defensive front, mostly on the tackles or outside. Primarily in three and four point stance, seldom standing. Good size and length. Better pass rusher than run-stopper at this point, but shows a hot-motor in pursuit. High floor, low ceiling type player.

Johnny Walker- Mizzou 6’ 3” 246 lb. @ Shrine Bowl

Honed his game over five seasons. Still on the small side, originally came to Mizzou at 198 lb. Started in his final two and logged 22 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and forced six fumbles. Has improved his whole game, but where he really excels is get off, burst and bend rushing the passer. Impressive motor in pursuit and ball awareness.

Defensive tackle

Very deep class, with 40+ invited to the Combine. The Rams should be able to get themselves some run-stopping depth to support their young pass rushers. Both of these prospects do just that.

Simeon Barrow- Miami 6’ 3” 290 lb. @DraftBuzz

Experienced interior player with 42 starts and 1800+ snaps between Miami and Michigan State. Plays with a hot motor, powerful bottom half to stand his ground in the middle. Moves well in pursuit, but that athleticism has not yet been put to use as a strong pass rusher.

Thor Griffith- Louisville 6’ 2” 320 lb. @DraftBuzz

On Feldman’s Freaks list for athleticism/strength and has a degree in economics from Harvard. State champ wrestler in high school. Blockily-built nose tackle with an upside for more than clogging the middle. Stepped up in class for his final college year and showed get-off, short area quickness and good handwork.

My favorites in this group

The Rams currently have three selections in Round 6 and the only one in this group that will likely go earlier is my favorite Keondre Jackson, he’s been a mover up draft boards. Fourth round seems about right unless he tests off the charts.

I certainly like the two wideouts late, Sheppard and Franklin, don’t have enough yet to comment on their blocking, but they can catch and separate on their own, two important qualities. Christian-Lichtenhan could step in for AJ Arcuri at tackle, he has some very good technique for his height and solid film at two different schools. Finally, Cypress appears a very good fit into the Rams scheme.

Can’t quite pull the trigger on couple of others, Walker at edge and Barrow on the interior. Both have strong film, but their size holds me back. After Pro Days, maybe the pair could be re-visited if they put on some mass.

Any thought on these candidates or anyone else who was snubbed from the Combine?