The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is officially in the books, with official team meetings having been conducted, podium sessions complete and athletic testing a wrap for the week. Here’s a look at some of the biggest NFL combine winners and losers and how their performances could impact the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft board in 2025.
2025 NFL Scouting Combine winners
Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
From the moment Texas CB Jahdae Barron took the podium, the buzz was flowing, and for good reason — the mentality he expressed felt mature beyond his years and, anecdotally, felt very Steelers-esque.
Extremely impressed by Texas DB Jahdae Barron’s podium session. Talked about the mentality of playing corner and accepting the failures that come with it:
“Can I be committed to the process without being emotionally attached to the result”
Teams will love this dude pic.twitter.com/aCY6glolnJ
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 27, 2025
Barron entered the combine with questions about his top-end speed, but at 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds, Barron posted a 4.39-second 40-yard dash that tied for the sixth-fastest among cornerbacks, including a 1.5-second 10-yard split that ranks in the 82nd percentile for the position.
Barron had a formal meeting with the Steelers at the combine and fits the mold of a player with versatility — a quality Mike Tomlin & Co. can often find themselves enamored with. The 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner, given to the top defensive back in college, led the SEC with five interceptions this year while allowing a 34.2 NFL passer rating as the closest defender in coverage per PFF. He’s got experience playing all over the formation, can play outside or in the slot — if the Steelers elect to draft a cornerback in Round 1, Barron absolutely fits the mold for the type of player they’re looking for and the needs they have in the secondary… if he even makes it to pick 21.
GM Omar Khan has already indicated that cornerback would be a priority this offseason, especially as veteran Donte Jackson is set to hit free agency at the start of the new league year.
Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
This year’s defensive line class is, by all appearances, a deep one, which is great news for the Pittsburgh Steelers given the significant need to replenish the line. Oregon DL Derrick Harmon solidified his case as the Steelers’ potential first-round pick with his combine performance. At 313 pounds (71st percentile), Harmon ran a 4.95 40-yard dash (82nd) with a 1.74 10-yard split (56th), but what was even more impressive was his display of movement in the on-field workouts, showcasing his unique movement for a man his size.
Harmon earned an 86.5 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024, credited with 55 total pressures to lead all NCAA defensive tackles, a 16.7% pressure rate (2nd among DTs, min. 100 pass-rush snaps) and 17.6% pass-rush win rate (4th). Harmon ranked 26th on Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 prospect board ahead of the NFL combine.
Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas
UT defensive lineman Shemar Stewart had an absolutely ideal NFL combine in terms of testing. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Stewart clocked the fourth-highest top speed at the combine among edge rushers at 21.89 MPH, posting a 4.59 40-yard dash (90th percentile), 1.58-second 10-yard split (91st), a 40” vertical (96th) and a 10-foot-11-inch broad jump (98th).
Stewart’s combine performance may have been enough to earn him top-10 draft stock in this year’s class, but he’s still a polarizing player given his lack of production at Texas A&M with just 1.5 sacks in his final season. Stewart’s 13.3% pressure rate and 10.9% pass rush win rate ranked 44th and 90th among Power Five defenders (min. 150 pass rush snaps) in 2024, per PFF. Falling out of the Steelers’ draft range at pick 21 with this stock-enhancing performance may not be the worst thing.
2025 NFL Scouting Combine losers
Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
Bond was tabbed a prospect Steelers fans should be watching by BTSC’s Mike Nicastro thanks to his speed, despite a lackluster production profile. Unfortunately, he failed to deliver on the lofty promise he made to break the 40-yard dash record (4.21 seconds) set by 2023 first-round pick Xavier Worthy. Instead, he ran an official 4.39 at 5’10 5/8” and 180 pounds. Meh.
Though Bond has experience in two major SEC programs (two years at Alabama, one year at Texas), he never cleared 675+ receiving yards and topped 100 receiving yards in just a single game over his career — an early matchup against UTSA where he posted a 5-103-2 line. That game was an odd one, too, as Quinn Ewers exited with an oblique injury only to be replaced with Arch Manning, who threw four passing touchdowns on just 12 attempts that day — one of which was a 51-yard catch and run for Bond.
Though Bond’s exaggeration of his projected performance set expectations a bit too high, he did hit a max speed of 24.17 MPH on the 40-yard dash, per NFL Next Gen Stats, which is the third-fasted speed clocked over the past three combines behind only Worthy and Giants WR Jalin Hyatt (2023 NFL Draft). He’s got plenty of burst on tape, but “disappointing” 40 time could have him in the range of a late-second, early third-round pick, which is more palatable than the potential first-round draft capital he could have earned with a record-setting performance.
Free agent RB Najee Harris
Okay, okay, Harris isn’t a prospect in this class, but it’s still fair to say he’s one of the biggest “losers” in terms of value to the Steelers throughout this combine. Early reports out of the combine indicated that the Steelers brass was meeting with his agent to discuss a new deal, but after a strong combine showing from this RB group, it wouldn’t be shocking to see those talks stall out. This running back class, as GM Omar Khan has previously acknowledged, is a strong one — which means the options are plentiful and deep, potentially allowing Pittsburgh to find some value in Rounds 3+ rather than spending up on a new contract for Harris.
Top RB prospect Ashton Jeanty didn’t participate in combine drills, already speculated as a top-15 pick as the clear-cut RB1 in this class. However, there were several players who arguably out-performed expectations, including UNC RB Omarion Hampton and Ohio State running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, each of whom well-earned themselves at least second-round draft capital, if not first-round value… yes, even in this day and age where the position has been devalued.
Here's a list of the running backs who ran 40s today alongside their Speed Score. Generally, anything above 100 is solid. Below 90-92 is a red flag (sometimes). Just one data point, but, once again, this class is looking good. pic.twitter.com/a4Tnskbqge
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) March 1, 2025
This RB group offers plenty of size and athleticism that the 2024 class didn’t necessarily offer, which could be an edge as Pittsburgh looks to revitalize the efficiency of its run game. Per Dan Orlovsky of ESPN, the Steelers have averaged 3.9 yards per carry over the last six seasons, which ranks dead last in the NFL.
