• Dont’e Thornton could become a fan favorite: He’ll look the part at around 6-foot-5, but he could stand out in the jumps and the 40-yard dash. He was a versatile track and field guy in high school, participating in the 100-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump. That size and speed combination could make him a fan-favorite
• Bhayshul Tuten looking to impress: Tuten reportedly can hit almost 40 inches in the vertical, was clocked at over 23 MPH in a game and has hit 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is an elite athlete of the backfield who can stand out among a crowded running back class.
• 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’s one of our favorite weeks of the football calendar: NFL Scouting Combine week, where we learn so many things about players — whether that’s measurables, athletic testing or even some great quotes to describe who they are as people. It’s also a big week for shake-ups on the big board and in the mock draft simulator. 

Here are five sleepers who could see their stock rise at the combine.

LB EUGENE ASANTE, AUBURN

It has been a long road for Asante to earn an NFL combine invite. He was a four-star recruit who committed to North Carolina out of high school. During his three seasons at UNC, he was primarily a special teamer. He then transferred to Auburn, where it was much of the same his first year there. Then, he got his chance to start and even become a team captain. The constant through all those years of college ball was his athleticism. He’s been clocked in the high 4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash with some impressive weightlifting numbers on Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks’ List. He could have a monster week in Indianapolis from an athletic testing perspective. 

WR DONT’E THORNTON, TENNESSEE

Thornton felt underutilized in Tennessee’s offense this past season with just 26 receptions. However, those receptions went for 661 yards thanks to a 25.4 yards-per-reception average. His 80.6 receiving grade was the highest of any Volunteer this past season. He’ll look the part at around 6-foot-5, but he could stand out in the jumps and the 40-yard dash. He was a versatile track and field guy in high school, participating in the 100-meter dash, high jump, long jump and triple jump. That size and speed combination could make him a fan-favorite when it comes to the mock draft simulator. He could also be a front-office favorite as well for certain NFL teams. He scored a game athleticism score above 90.0 in each of the last three years.

The Hokkies had a couple of speed demons on offense this year, one of which was Felton, who measured in at over 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds. Now, combine that with some of the numbers Bruce Feldman reported this offseason — Felton jumped over 36 inches in the vertical, nearly 11 feet in the broad and was clocked at 4.42 seconds 40-yard dash. He never earned more than 650 receiving yards in a single season, but if he puts up those athletic numbers at the combine, he’ll have people believing his most productive football is ahead of him.

Tuten started his college career at North Carolina A&T, where he rushed for over 1,300 yards as a sophomore before making the jump to the ACC at Virginia Tech. Feldman reported that Tuten can hit almost 40 inches in the vertical, was clocked at over 23 MPH in a game and has hit 4.32 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He is an elite athlete of the backfield who can stand out among a crowded running back class. His 0.33 missed tackles forced rate would rank in the 95th percentile compared to recently drafted backs.

Grant was a two-time FCS All-American in 2023 and 2024 as a lean and explosive offensive tackle. At 6-foot-4 and around 300 pounds, Grant has a lot of position versatility (perhaps even as a center in the NFL). His reported arm length is around 35 inches, the 80th percentile. Feldman also has reported that he ran a very impressive 10-yard split at 1.44 seconds. He earned a 91.0 overall blocking grade this past season with just a 2.4% pressure percentage.