Offensive skill position players had their day at the NFL Combine on Saturday, with running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks getting their chance to go through on-field workouts.
Saturday was a busy day at the 2025 NFL Combine. For the third day of workouts, offensive skill position players were on the field. The running backs went first, followed by the wide receivers and quarterbacks.
Wide receiver is the biggest need of the three for the Patriots. With veteran options – via free agency or trade – few and far between, the draft may be the only path for the Patriots to add an impact player at the position.
Running back is a need as well, to some extent. At the very least, adding a depth option behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson makes sense. If the team feels uneasy about Stevenson’s career-high seven fumbles in 2024 though, they could look to be more aggressive in an impressive running back class to find somebody who can compete for a rotational or even leading role.
Quarterback doesn’t project as a need right now beyond a camp arm. That being said if the Patriots end up trading Joe Milton, they’d need a new backup. It would make sense for that player to come from the draft.
Which players helped their draft stock the most on Saturday? Let’s take a look (you can find the full Combine results here)…
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
A showcase like the Combine is a great opportunity for Henderson, who split time with Quinshon Judkins in the Buckeyes backfield in 2024. He made the most of his chance. A 4.43-second 40 and 38.5-inch vertical were among the best at the position and he cruised through the positional drills at 5-foot-10, 202 pounds.
With this performance, Henderson should have secured his spot as a Day 2 draft pick. The only question left is will he be the third back off the board after Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton.
RB Donovan Edwards, Michigan
Edwards’ best trait is his versatility, and that was on full display on Saturday. He ran a 4.44 40 with a 38.5-inch vertical, then showed impressive agility in the positional drills. In particular, he was one of the top performers in the pass-catching drills.
After a breakout 2022 season Edwards failed to replicate that success the last two years, which has led to him being projected as a late-Day 3 pick. Saturday’s performance should be a reminder of what he can do in the right situation.
RB Woody Marks, USC
Marks might be the best pure pass-catching running back in this draft. That was apparent on Saturday. He was clearly the best running back in the pass-catching drills. He also measured in at 5-foot-10, 207 pounds, which gives him good size to contribute as a pass blocker when needed.
RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Tuten came into the Combine as a projected late Day 3 pick buried in a deep running back class. Saturday’s performance should move him up in projections. He led all running backs with a 4.32-second 40 and 40.5-inch vertical at 5-foot-9, 206 pounds. Tuten is another player that looks like an effortless mover as well, based on the on-field drills.
WR Matthew Golden, Texas
No receiver had a better workout than Golden. He led the position with a 4.29-second 40 at 5-foot-11, 191 pounds. Then he had arguably the best showing in the gauntlet drill, which is always telling for receivers.
Golden’s stock has been rising throughout the pre-draft process. There shouldn’t be any question after Saturday that he belongs in the first-round conversation.
WR Luther Burden, Missouri
Golden wasn’t the only fringe first round receiver to help himself out on Saturday. Burden was right there with him for the best gauntlet after running a 4.42 40.
The only question about Burden coming from the Combine is he measured in with 8 1/2-inch hands, which is undersized for a receiver. However he had just seven drops in 201 targets over the last two years. That drop rate of 3.4% would have ranked as the ninth-best in the NFL among receivers with at least 200 targets since 2023. His hands didn’t look to be an issue during drills on Saturday either.
WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa St
There was a trend on Saturday of some of the bigger receivers surprising with their testing. Leading that group was Higgins, who ran a 4.47-second 40 with a 39-inch vertical at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds.
Higgins was a projected Day 2 pick prior to testing, expected to be a late-second or early-third round pick. He should trend more towards the second round – potentially even the top 50 – after Saturday.
WR Tory Horton, Colorado State
Horton was projected to be a Day 2 pick coming into the college football season, but after a knee injury sidelined him in October his stock fell. He was continuing to rehab from that injury until just a few weeks ago, and given that expectations weren’t as high for his testing. That reality made Horton’s 4.41-second 40 all the more impressive. Horton measured in at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds.
WR Tai Felton, Maryland
Felton is going to need to win with athleticism as a pro, so his Combine testing was important. He had a successful day, with a 4.37-second 40, 39.5-inch vertical, and 10’10” broad jump. Felton was another strong performer in the gauntlet.
WR Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Onto the second group of workouts and we’ll start with Noel. The 5-foot-10, 194-pound receiver came out of the gates hot with a a 4.39-second 40, 41.5-inch vertical, 11’2″ broad jump, and 6.82-second 3-cone.
If the Patriots are looking for that true volume slot that has had so much success in Josh McDaniels’ offenses in the past, Noel appears to fit the profile. He’s currently projected to go late in the third round, but that should change coming away from this workout.
WR Xavier Restrepo, Miami
Restrepo didn’t do any of the physical testing, but still makes our list because of how natural he looks running routes and catching the football. At 5-foot-10, 209 pounds he’s another strong candidate for a Day 2 slot receiver pick for the Patriots.
WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
Royals was one of the better gauntlet runners of the evening, and ran a 4.42-second 40 which included a position-leading 1.49 10-yard split (tied with Golden). Overall, he did everything he needed to do at the workout. After not having the breakout Senior Bowl some were expecting from him, this was a strong step.
WR Kyle Williams, Washington State
There’s been a surprising lack of buzz around Williams, even after a strong showing in the Senior Bowl. Maybe Saturday night’s performance will get him some more recognition.
Williams ran a 4.40 40 at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, and looked like one of the best route-runners during open field drills. He’s a bit of an older prospect as a fifth-year senior so showing he’s more NFL-ready than the average prospect is important, and he seemed to do that at the Combine.
WR Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas
TeSlaa’s 4.43 40 at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds is impressive in his own right, but where he really stood out was the short shuttle. A big slot receiver (he lined up inside 63.8 percent of the time at Arkansas), he showed impressive quickness pacing the group with a 4.05-second short shuttle. His ball-tracking abilities also stood out on some of his deeper routes during the throwing sessions during what was an erratic day for the quarterbacks in his group.
Quarterbacks
None of the quarterbacks wowed during either session of Saturday’s workouts (keep in mind that the projected top two QBs in Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders didn’t take part). The wait for somebody to clearly ’emerge’ as the third quarterback, specifically a potential third first-round quarterback, will continue into pro days.