The 2025 NFL Combine weekend wrapped up without as much excitement as last year's version. No one broke the 40-yard dash record that Xavier Worthy broke himself last year, but a lot of prospects made a name for themselves and/or further solidified their cases to be early-round draft picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. We know that early NFL draft capital (players who teams invest early draft picks in) often lead to playing time and volume leads to early Fantasy success. Today, we're going to look to identify key prospects who should be on your Fantasy radar following the Combine. Last year, in a similar peek, we identified Ladd McConkey as a sleeper and Brian Thomas Jr. as a lock first-round pick in all rookie Fantasy drafts. Now let's find the next breakouts:
Luther Burden III looks smooth
The best moment for Burden came during the gauntlet drill. Though this drill doesn't often catch buzz at the Combine, it shows a receiver's ability to get in and out of his breaks and the rest of his athletic profile during the event profiled a lot like Commanders No. 1 Terry McLaurin.
Burden ran a 4.41 with borderline elite testing in the 10 and 20-yard splits, showing off his short-area burst and quickness. Burden is a former 5-star recruit and there has been some prospect fatigue around him after he turned in a down 2024 season, but he still forced 30+ missed tackles on just 80 targets. Burden can create missed tackles in space, is elusive as a route runner and could immediately make an impact in Fantasy leagues this season if he's drafed into the right situation. He'll be a first-round pick in rookie drafts.
Hampton is the real deal
Omarion Hampton is a personal favorite of mine having watched three of his games at UNC last season. His combination of size and speed was a bit unknown to many who thought of him as just a bruiser prior to the Combine. Hampton ran an absurd 4.47 40-yard dash at 221 pounds. He showcased his straight-line burst and breakaway speed on tape many times throughout his 2024 season and his profile reminds me a lot of Jonathan Taylor when he joined the Colts from Wisconsin. It wasn't just the 40 time where Hampton impressed. He ranked 14th out of 1909 RBs from 1987 to 2025 in "Relative Athletic Score" -- a measurement created by Kent Lee Platte that factors in all of the important Combine testing measurements.
Omarion Hampton is a RB prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.93 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 14 out of 1909 RB from 1987 to 2025.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2025
Splits projected, times unofficial. https://t.co/BvtORFYopS pic.twitter.com/8Q7SRqnAgv
Hampton is a lock first-round draft pick in rookie drafts and likely to be a top-five pick. In the right situation, he could rise all the way into the second round of redraft leagues (or higher).
Johnson's 40 leaves a lot to be desired
Ok this one doesn't fit the headline as Kaleb Johnson might fall down rookie draft boards after turning in a disappointing 4.58 40-yard dash at 6-1 and 224 pounds. Now there will be question marks about Johnson's speed translating to the NFL game, but he entered the Combine as the consensus RB2 or RB3 overall. However, the 40-yard dash can be an overrated metric and Arian Foster, who had excellent game tape at college, went undrafted because he ran a 4.68. He was plenty fast for the NFL game. Johnson could ultimately end up a value pick in rookie drafts and still belong at the back-end of Round 1.
Golden is this year's 40-yard darling
Last year it was Worthy catching the Combine by storm with his record-breaking 40-yard dash and in the 2025 NFL Combine it was Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden who ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at 5-11 and 191 pounds. The craziest part about this is that Golden could top this 40 time at the Texas pro day -- he suffered a high ankle sprain in January and may not be fully recovered until then. His skill set wasn't always utilized at Texas due to inconsistent quarterback play, but like Worthy in 2024, Golden could make a late-season Fantasy impact in redraft as he gets acclimated with an NFL offense due to his speed alone.
Harris continues his late rise
Tre Harris is a wide receiver prospect out of Ole Miss who has caught a lot of buzz leading up to the Combine due to his fantastic tape in his fifth and final season with the Rebels. At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Harris' 40-yard dash (4.54) didn't blow anyone away, but he turned in elite testing with the explosives (vertical and broad jump). When you watch his tape, it's easy to see how he can impact a game at the next level above the rim. In the right offense, he can be a touchdown maker as a rookie. He'll be a borderline first-round pick in rookie drafts.
