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Every year, NFL Draft prospects make a name for themselves during the NFL Scouting Combine. Great testing numbers and impressive performances in drill work can lead to a prospect shooting up draft boards. However, for every excellent combine performance, there is a combine failure. A player without great athletic traits can fall down draft boards if they struggle at the NFL Combine, even if they proved themselves as a good player during their collegiate careers. That was the case for some players during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, so in this article, we are going to look at the most disastrous showings this year.
Will Howard, Ohio State, QB
Will Howard won the national championship as Ohio State's quarterback. However, fans are now wondering how reliant he was on having superstar talent around him, as he had a horrendous NFL Combine performance. In fact, some are calling it one of the worst performances ever.
One viral video showed Howard missing throw after throw to receivers that were going against air. Struggling without a defense trying to sack/intercept you is a tough look. The quarterback didn't test well, either, as Howard had the worst measurements for quarterbacks in the broad jump (9'4”) and the vertical jump (31.50”). Howard was already viewed as a mid-to-late-round draft pick in this weak quarterback class, but now he is at risk of going undrafted.
Tez Johnson, Oregon, WR
Tez Johnson's Scouting Combine was up and down, but there isn't much margin for error when you only weigh 154 pounds like the Oregon receiver does. He is one of the smallest draft prospects ever, yet he only ran a 4.51 40-yard dash. Scouts really wanted that number to be in the 4.3s or early 4.4s.
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Johnson made up for his lack of straight-line speed with impressive short-area quickness. His 10'11” broad jump and 4.15-second 20-yard shuttle numbers were impressive, and he led all receivers in the 3-cone drill (6.65 seconds). Still, scouts wanted to see Johnson prove himself as a deep threat, as it might be tough to make a 154-pounder work in the middle of the field against NFL defenders. Johnson is currently projected to go in the third or fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but his size and lack of elite speed might cause him to slide on draft day.
Malaki Starks, Georgia, S
Coming into the 2025 NFL Combine, Malaki Starks was widely regarded as the top safety prospect, with Nick Emmanwori ranking second at the position on most people's draft boards. The two had very different NFL Combine showcases, though, and now Emmanwori is expected to be the first safety selected.
Emmanwori was not only the best performer at this year's combine, but he has one of the best combine showcases ever. The safety from South Carolina had the best marks out of all positions in the vertical leap (43 inches), the 10-yard split (1.49 seconds), and the broad jump (11'6”). His 4.38 40-yard dash time was also the second fastest among safeties.
Starks, meanwhile, only ran a 4.50 40-yard dash (fifth-worst among safeties), and he only jumped 33 inches on his vertical, which was the third-worst mark in his position group. Starks is still a really good prospect, but the NFL Scouting Combine made it clear that he isn't near the athlete that his biggest competition in the draft is.
