Tue Mar 11th 2025

Ten Post-Combine Rookie Risers

The NFL Combine is the second pivot point in my rookie running process. It's less about how the players performed athletically, though the Combine plays a minor factor in my rankings. It's more about what I have learned about the players from scouts and NFL teams since posting my early rookie rankings on Super Bowl Sunday. My early rankings are 100% my own thoughts and opinions. My second set of rankings are posted after factoring Combine performances, all that I have learned from professional scouts about the rookies, and all that I have learned from countless mock drafts. The Combine serves as the mile marker for my 2.0 rookie rankings. Over the last month of continued study and after the 2025 Combine, here are the ten players who have moved five or more spots up my rankings since Super Bowl Sunday.

Colston Loveland

• Loveland moved up from my 17th-ranked rookie to my 12th-ranked rookie.
• Loveland was already my second-ranked tight end in this class, but he moved closer to Tyler Warren over the last month. He didn't test at the Combine, so that's not why he's moved up five spots in my rankings. It's because I learned that several scouts and general managers like Loveland more than Warren, and a few have said that they think Loveland could be the first tight end to get drafted in this year's draft. No one doubts that he'll get drafted early in the first round. Additionally, after a few years in a row of rookie tight ends breaking out immediately, I am more willing to draft tight ends earlier than in years past. They've become less risky, and hitting on rookie tight ends radically changes the future of dynasty teams and how they can draft in future rookie drafts.

Jayden Higgins

• Higgins moved up from my 24th-ranked rookie to my 17th-ranked rookie.
• He's moved steadily up my rankings over the last month as almost every mock draft has him drafted at the back of the second round. He's one of the few prototypical-sized X receivers in this class, making him more valuable for teams needing an X receiver only.  I think a team will select him earlier than the mock drafts suggest. His Combine performance helped him a lot, too. His 4.47 forty-yard dash was plenty fast for a player his size. His 39-inch vertical and 10' 8" broad jump proved he's powerful. He had an excellent Combine and improved his stock tremendously. As a result, I've moved him up seven spots in my rankings.

Mason Taylor

• Taylor moved up from my 29th-ranked rookie to my 23rd-ranked rookie.
• His move up my rankings over the last month has much to do with the perceived certainty that he will be the third tight end drafted in this class. He's also the best all-around tight end in the class, given his size and blocking ability. Once he cracks a starting lineup in the NFL, he will not come off the field. He'll play in every offensive package, no matter the down and distance. It's a small thing, but learning that he was Jason Taylor's son also gives him a slight bump. A son raised and trained by a former NFL superstar will likely be the kind of player who works hard and takes his craft seriously. I'd draft him at the back of the second round instead of the third.

Jaylin Noel

• Noel moved up from my 44th-ranked rookie to my 27th-ranked rookie.
• He was already slowly rising up my rankings over the last month as I heard many scouts list him as one of the wide receiver sleepers in this class. But his Combine performance shot him up my rankings significantly more. He ran a 4.39 forty and a 6.82 three-cone, proving his speed and quickness. On top of that, he tied for first place with the highest vertical jump of 41.5" and placed first in the broad jump with an 11' 2" jump. Previously, I knocked him a bit in my rankings because of his size (5' 10" and 185 lbs), but his athleticism convinced me that I needed to rank him much higher. His 17-spot jump in my rankings is well-deserved.

Bhayshul Tuten

• Tuten moved up from my 41st-ranked rookie to my 30th-ranked rookie.
• Like Noel, Tuten was already rising up my rankings as I heard various scouts speak well of him and name him the favorite day-three running back they liked in the daft. Then, at the Combine, he ran the fasted forty among the running backs with a blazing 4.32 time. He ran the same time as Devon Achane did, but he's twenty pounds heavier. His speed will undoubtedly cause an NFL team to draft him earlier than I first expected, which means he has to rise in my dynasty rankings. That said, I place far less value on speed than other dynasty managers and analysts, especially at running back. I have not compared my post-Combine rankings with others, but I am sure others have him ranked many spots ahead of me.  

Jaydon Blue

• Blue moved up my 49th-ranked rookie to my 35th-ranked rookie.
• My fellow Longhorn has moved up my rankings after running the second fastest forty among the running backs at 4.38. It's the only event he participated in, but he did well enough to leave his mark for NFL teams to consider. One scout I follow considers Blue the best late-round running back in this class. If he lands with a team that will use him consistently as a third-down back, he could be very effective. His hands and explosive plays in the Texas passing game are where he's at his best. His final rookie ranking, more than most running backs in this class, will highly depend on which team drafts him.

Terrance Ferguson

• Ferguson moved up from my 59th-ranked rookie to my 36th-ranked rookie.
• He's moved up my rankings based solely on his Combine performance, where he tested far and away as the most athletic tight end. He had the fastest 40 (4.63), the highest vertical jump (39"), and the third longest broad jump (10' 2"). NFL teams take chances on athletic tight ends. Scouts say athletic testing at the Combine matters more for the tight end position than any other. I don't believe that as much as others do. I think that's become repeated and believed in beyond what it needs to be, but it's a factor in why I moved him up. He's now predicted to be the 7th tight end drafted in this class and drafted on day two.

DJ Giddens

• Giddens moved up from my 51st-ranked rookie to my 38th-ranked rookie.
• In recent weeks, I heard a few analysts I trust name Giddens as their favorite sleeper running back. Their thoughts and convictions on Giddens made me look at him again. I remembered that he hit one of the thresholds I care about in running backs by averaging more than 6 yards per carry. He averaged 6.6 in his final season. I also liked that he had 50 receptions in his last two seasons at Kansas State.  I came to see him as a back who was better than average at everything, so I moved him up. He had an excellent Combine, which made me move him up just a little more. He did most of the drills and finished with the fourth-best shuttle time (4.33), second-best broad jump (10' 10"), second-best vertical jump (39.5"), and seventh-best forty (4.43). His Combine performance will force me to look at him further as we near the NFL draft.

Trevor Etienne

• Etienne moved up from my 52nd-ranked rookie to my 39th-ranked rookie.
• I had Etienne ranked so low because I did not like his production profile or film. His best season was when he had just 753 yards rushing.  He transferred from Florida to Georgia, and his only season at Georgia was his least productive. Those facts still concern me, but several scouts I trust have a favorable view of Etienne despite his lack of production. I've considered their opinions and his solid showing at the Combine and decided not to punish him as much as before. Among the running backs, he had the sixth-fastest forty (4.42) and seventh-best broad jump (10' 4"), while his vertical jump was below average at 35".  I'd consider taking a flyer on him in the fourth round of rookie drafts now instead of waiting until the fifth.

Woody Marks

• Marks moved up from my 53rd-ranked rookie to my 45th-ranked rookie.
• He had a very bad Combine, testing below average in every drill except for the shuttle where he finished with the second fasted time (4.24). So why would I move him up? A couple of weeks ago, I realized that I did not factor in his performance in the passing game enough. In my first pass studying him, I missed how prolific of a receiver he was out of the backfield. He has 261 catches out of the backfield during his five years at college, four at Mississippi State and one at Southern California.  He's arguably the best pass-catching back in this draft and is the most productive back in the passing game. That alone merits a move up in my rankings. That said, he played five years in college and did not (or maybe could not) enter the NFL draft until he had to. Therefore, I still have many concerns and doubt that I will raise him much more than I have. It's not a ringing endorsement of Marks, but I have moved him up my rankings.

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