• South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori puts up an all-time performance: His 4.38-second 40-yard dash, 43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot-6 broad jump were all above the 90th percentile for the position, let alone his weight-adjusted scores.
• Darien Porter earns lofty NFL comparisons after his workout: He ran an official 4.30-second 40-yard dash with a 36.5 inch vert and 10-foot-11 broad. Those numbers at that size are close to Zyon McCollum and Tariq Woolen.
• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

It was defensive back and tight end day for on-field workouts on Friday at the 2025 Scouting Combine. With athleticism being such a strong indicator of success for defensive backs, we watched their drills even closer.

As for the tight ends, it is a crowded and talented tight end class, and the question was who was going to see their stock go up or down within the group? 

Here are our top takeaways from Friday’s workout warriors. 

NICK EMMANWORI PUTS UP AN ALL-TIME COMBINE PERFORMANCE

Emmanwori was part of one of the top defenses in college football this past season in Columbia, South Carolina. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior defensive back really came into his own with a career-best 79.6 overall defensive grade thanks to a 73.3 run-defense grade and 86.8 coverage grade.

As if his size and grades alone weren’t impressive enough, he tested like one of the best athletes we’ve ever seen at the safety position. His 4.38-second 40-yard dash, 43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot-6 broad jump were all above the 90th percentile for the position, let alone his weight-adjusted scores.

The NFL Network broadcast talked about whether or not teams viewed him as a linebacker, and that didn’t seem to be the case, but that could be the best position for him, as it would allow him to use that incredible athletic ability downhill and toward the ball on a more regular basis. It would mitigate some change-of-direction concerns. Regardless, his testing and uniqueness likely put him in the first round. 

MALAKI STARKS WINS IN HIS OWN WAY

Emmanwori was certainly the talk of the town from the safety position, which naturally made it somewhat of a down day for Georgia’s Malaki Starks, who is still fighting to be the first safety off the board himself.

His 4.50-second 40-yard dash (73rd percentile) and 33-inch vertical (19th percentile) didn’t help him stand out, but according to Next Gern Stats, Starks had the fastest on-field speed during the W drill, guantlet drill, line drill and the Teryl Austin drill. Combine testing should translate that speed, explosiveness and agility to the field. Starks already does that like a natural. He was still an impressive winner on the day.

MAXWELL HAIRSTON WILL BE A TOP-TIER NFL ATHLETE

We already knew Hairston was fast, but a 4.28-second 40-yard dash is something we need to appreciate every time we see it. Hairston also had fantastic scores in his jumps with a 39.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-9 broad.

He missed some time this past season due to a shoulder injury, but he put together high-quality film in 2024. Pair his athleticism with his willingness and feistiness as a tackler, and I think we’ll start to hear him talked about in the same vein as Terrion Arnold in last year’s class, who went No. 24 overall to the Detroit Lions.

DARIEN PORTER MAKES HIS ZYON McCOLLUM/TARIQ WOOLEN CASE

Porter entered combine week with quite the resume for a potentially impressive week. He wasn’t a full-time starter until 2024, his fifth season of college ball. Most of his time before that was spent as a special teams stud, where he blocked four punts and one field goal over the years.

Beyond that, this 6-foot-3, 195-pound defensive back had quite the track background. He was a two-time state champion in the 400-meter dash, and he also won a state title in the 200 meters and was part of the 800-meter medley championship team. His background did not disappoint us, as he ran an official 4.30-second 40-yard dash with a 36.5 inch vert and 10-foot-11 broad. Those numbers at that size are close to Zyon McCollum and Tariq Woolen.

DAY 3 SAFETIES STANDOUT

Sometimes, there are defensive backs who we expect to test very well — we either see it on tape or get a tip from someone who has followed their training. However, we also get some pleasant surprises.

There were a handful of those this year, starting with Tulane‘s Caleb Ransaw. The 197-pound slot corner/safety ran an official 4.33-second 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-9 broad. Those put him in the top percentile among defensive backs over the last few years. When he’s in the slot, his feet look slow out of press on tape, but clearly, that is more of an anticipation and confidence thing rather than a lack of ability.

Marques Sigle was one of two Kansas State defensive backs (Jacob Parrish was the other) who really stood out athletically. His 4.37-second 40-yard dash, 38-inch vertical and 10-foot-10 broad gave some evidence to his claim that he wants to be a four-spot versatile defensive back (meaning free safety, strong safety, wide corner and slot corner).

Kitan Crawford, who was a four-year guy at Texas before transferring to Nevada this offseason in search of more playing time, flashed an impressive 4.41-second 40-yard dash with a 41.5-inch vertical, showcasing the kind of explosiveness needed for single high coverage responsibilities in Cover 1 and 3.

Finally, Craig Woodson had a very nice all-around day in the drills and on the field with a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, 37.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-7 broad jump. He’s a more well-rounded strong safety who gives you some extra juice.

All four of these players gave their Day 3 status a little bump this weekend.

It’s a strong tight end class, but the consensus top two, Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland, were not working out in Indy. That gave way for some of the other tight ends to stand out in the testing and on-field drills.

One player who did so was Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson. The 6-foot-5, 247-pound tight end had a good week at the Senior Bowl after a somewhat underwhelming year in production. His 4.63-second 40-yard dash and 39-inch vertical were first among tight ends this year, and his 10-foot-2 broad was third best. He was certainly a riser due to standing out as an athlete.

GUNNAR HELM DISAPPOINTS

Helm was a breakout player in college football this year. The Texas tight end shattered previous career highs in 2024, recording over 700 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. He became known for his receiving abilities, specifically with his yards after the catch – 420 of his 786 yards this season came after the catch. With that said, we expected to see him test well, but that was not the case. His 4.84-second 40-yard dash ranked in the 33rd percentile for the position, and his 30-inch vertical was 17th percentile. Those are not the numbers you want to see from a guy who wins due to athleticism.