2025 NFL Combine preview: defensive line and linebackers

The New York Giants and the rest of the NFL are in draft season! Aspiring NFL athletes will perform at Lucas Oil Stadium in their underwear, testing their movement skills and being measured to their exact size. The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off Thursday, Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. for the defensive line and linebackers.

Star edge defender out of Penn State, Abdul Carter, will not work out on Thursday. He will work out at his pro day, and he is reportedly forgoing the combine workout due to a shoulder injury. Here are several players to monitor.

Defensive linemen

There are SO many talented defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft. A strong performance by one player could be the nudge needed to jump over other players in the position group.

DT Deone Walker, Kentucky

Deone Walker’s sheer size + athletic ability is incredibly rare, even in today’s NFL. George Young’s prototype! Walker moves well with good agility and feet on the line of scrimmage and his ability to play nose through 5-technique should appeal to every defensive coordinator in the league. The thought of Walker next to Dexter Lawrence — with Andre Patterson’s coaching — is appetizing, but he’s not a perfect prospect. However, The 6-foot-6, 350-pound defensive linemen could SHOOT up the boards with a good day in Indianapolis.

[Prospect Profile]

DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan

Bruce Feldman ranked Grant as his third-overall Freak in his famous Athletic article, and it’s easy to see why. Grant moves well for a 6-3, 342-pound defensive lineman, and he reportedly is a fantastic tester in the drills. Here’s a brief snippet of what Feldman had to say about Grant:

The 6-3, 350-pound Grant is the biggest of all of them. As a sophomore, he helped anchor the nation’s No. 1 defense for the national champion Wolverines, making 29 tackles, 5.0 for loss, with 3.5 sacks; six quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery. When Grant arrived in Ann Arbor as a three-star recruit from Indiana, Jim Harbaugh raved about the then-360-pounder running a sub-5.0 40.

Anyone doubting Grant’s speed (a max of 18.75 mph on the GPS) only needed to see him run downPenn State running back Kaytron Allen in the open field last year. His ability to fly up Michigan’s reactive plyo stairs test, a series of seven 26-inch-high stairs that players attempt to jump up as fast as possible, is truly freakish. This offseason, Grant pressed a 115-pound dumbbell 34 times on his right and 27 times on his left. He vertical-jumped 29 inches and did a Turkish get-up with a 150-pound dumbbell.

Obviously, Grant’s teammate Mason Graham is another name to watch on Thursday. Graham is a rumored top-five pick, and he’ll be discussed often throughout combine weekend.

DT Walter Nolen, Ole Miss

Nolen is a quick penetrator at 6-3, 293 pounds, with the suddenness to challenge interior offensive linemen’s angles while being a disruptive force against both the run and pass. Nolen would be an excellent complement to Dexter Lawrence on the New York Giants. He’s coming off a great six-sack, 35-pressure campaign in his lone season in Oxford, Mississippi; he transferred from Texas A&M, where he played two respectable seasons, albeit they weren’t close to his 2024 year. If a team is looking for a twitchy defensive penetrator, Nolen is their guy, and the testing and drills should substantiate that fact. However, rumored character concerns must be reviewed during the interview portion of the combine.

DT Jordan Burch, Oregon

The 6-6, 295-pound fifth-year season put on 13 pounds of muscle from 2023 to 2024, according to head coach Dan Lanning. Burch earned double-digit sacks and 32 pressures in his fifth season after the change in body type. He transferred to Oregon from South Carolina after the 2022 season. According to Feldman’s reporting, Burch jumped 35 inches in the vertical and hit 20.75 miles per hour on the GPS while squatting just under 700 pounds. He could be a big winner on Thursday.

Burch’s teammate Derrick Harmon [Prospect Profile]

DT Darius Alexander, Toledo

The sixth-year senior had 46 pressures in 2023 and 37 last season while securing 12 sacks over the last two years. He displays twitch, explosiveness, and bend on tape, and two of his best games came against Power-5 schools (Miss State, Pittsburgh). Alexander could have a quick ten-yard split with a fast forty that may move him from a fringe Day two pick to a secured selection at the tail end of round two into round three.

Edge

EDGE/DL Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M

The Aggies have plenty of talented defensive players entering the draft, and Stewart is one with a lot of upside. He is 6’5, 281 pounds, and may test like a 6’3, 250-pound EDGE rusher. This will help Stewart overcome the lack of statistical production, and a team may view him similarly to Travon Walker in the 2022 NFL Draft, whom Jacksonville selected first overall. Stewart is very explosive, long, and is just a unique player for his position.

Mike Green, Marshall

I love seeing a Marshall Thundering Herd member considered a top-15 prospect, and Green continues to trend in that direction. He was one of the big winners from the Senior Bowl and is looking to keep the steady drumbeat going. Green recorded 59 pressures and 17 sacks in 2024, with some of the highest Pro Football Focus grades in the database. Green had a 20.2% pass rush win rate and his lower-body flexion suggests he should look smooth in the hoop drill (figure eight) at the combine. He may have a very good day testing with a quick ten-yard split, which could nudge him higher on the board than he’s already climbed.

Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss

Umanmielen spent the 2024 season in Oxford but was a Florida Gator for four seasons prior to his transfer. He is a finesse edge rusher with a large 6-4, 264-pound frame and enough twitch to suggest he could test very well at the combine. Umanmielen recorded 18 sacks and 100 pressures over the last two seasons. He could be a surprise tester on Thursday.

James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

James Pearce Jr. had two consecutive phenomenal seasons to conclude his college career. He recorded 21 sacks and 107 pressures over those two seasons, and he was one of the most sudden EDGE rushers in college football — he fired off the football with sensational burst. Here is what Bruce Feldman said in his famous Freaks article on the Athletic’s website about Pearce Jr., who he ranked 17th heading into the 2024 season:

The SEC’s top returning pass rusher wasn’t listed as one of the 10 fastest Vols in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game, but we would put him there after his dazzling display In the Citrus Bowl. Pearce clocked 23 mph on a pick six against Iowa, turning in one of the fastest GPS measurements of any FBS play all season.

One of his coaches told me that the 6-5, 245 pound junior is a legitimate 4.4 40 threat. According to PFF, Pearce was the SEC’s highest graded defensive end last year at 90.9. He tied for the SEC lead in sacks (10) and was second in tackles for loss (14.5); he’s the SEC’s returning statistical leader in both of those. He had 16 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

His combination of first-step explosiveness and bend is rare, but some reported character concerns and overall issues with play strength have prevented him from being discussed in the top 10. All it takes is one team, but positive testing and good interviews could help this extreme talent move up.

Mykel Williams, Georgia

The 20-year-old might measure this world at the combine, which could nudge him even higher in the first round. Williams is a traits type of player who didn’t stuff the stat sheet at Georgia but possesses immense talent. He should have a sound testing week in Indianapolis.

Linebacker

Edge/LB Jalon Walker, Georgia

The Atheltic’s Dane Bruglar had Walker as his third-ranked player in the class on his last top-100. Walker is a hybrid defender at 6-1, 245-pounds. He’ll likely not occupy a traditional linebacker role; rather, he’ll be used creatively throughout a defensive front, similar to what the Dallas Cowboys do with Micah Parsons. Walker had 34 pressures and seven sacks for the Bulldogs last season, and he’s an athletically gifted individual. He should perform well on Thursday and coaching staffs will be eager to ask him to perform several tasks, which is the life of a tweener. His athletic testing could be the difference in millions of dollars for him.

Jihaad Campbell, Alabama

Campbell has the prototypical blend of height, weight, and athletic ability to thrive as a modern-day linebacker who can easily play on early downs while also being a difference-maker in sub-packages. Campbell is a smooth mover with sideline-to-sideline speed. He earned 117 tackles, 11.5 for a loss, with five sacks on his way to a First-Team All-SEC bid while starting all 13 games for the Crimson Tide.

Carson Schwesinger, UCLA

The former UCLA Bear may steal the combine with his testing, which would be — yet another — reason to love his game. Schwesinger walked on at UCLA and is widely considered one of the top LB prospects in the draft. His quick trigger, ability to cover ground, and his overall athletic profile should shine at the event.

Jackson Woodard, UNLV

The Arkansas transfer played just two seasons at UNLV and set their school’s record for total tackles — the guy is always around the football. Woodard earned the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and was a production machine. His stock could still rise with an excellent combine if he tests well and if he can excel in the bag and weave drills.

Demetrius Knight Jr. South Carolina

An excellent pursue WILL linebacker with a three-down upside and a quick trigger to wreak havoc. Knight Jr. is 6-1, 246 pounds with a good frame/build and a natural ability to evade blockers and penetrate. Teams may pay close attention to his overall movement drills and the short-area quickness tests to see his overall athletic ability. He could move up the boards more if he could test better than average.

[Prospect Profile]