With the NFL’s pro day calendar almost completed (only Sacramento, Albany, Nevada, Montana and Montana State remain), it’s a good time to recap some of the workout numbers for players who are widely regarded as draftable prospects despite not being invited to the scouting combine.
Here’s a selection:
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Arizona)
Impressed with a 4.45 in the 40 yard dash and a 41.5-inch vertical.
Croskey-Merritt rushed for 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns for New Mexico in 2023, then transferred to Arizona where he was presumably hoping to show more pass catching ability having only caught seven passes in the previous season. He rushed for 106 yards in his first game for them, only to then end up academically ineligible for the rest of the year.
WR Efton Chism III (Eastern Washington)
Ran a disappointing 4.71 at only 5’10, but his three-cone drill (6.77) could turn heads.
Chism was an FCS all-American last year after catching 120 passes. He broke Cooper Kupp’s single season receptions record for Eastern Washington.
TE Benjamin Yurosek (Georgia)
Ran a 4.64 in the 40-yard dash at 240 pounds. The rest of his numbers were about average.
Yurosek was quite productive at Stanford, with a career-best of 49 catches in a season, but when he transferred to Georgia, he split time with some other players and had just 15 catches.
IOL Willie Lampkin (North Carolina)
Lampkin ran 5.21 at 279 and only posted 18 bench press reps.
Lampkin is a unique prospect because he’s only 5’10” and the embodiment of “low man wins”. These numbers don’t help his cause though, so maybe he will convert to fullback or something.
OT Esa Pole (Washington State)
Pole ran 5.21 at 323 pounds and added a 29-inch vertical and 23 reps.
Pole’s numbers are impressive when compared directly to those of Lampkin. He started 12 games at left tackle last year and did not surrender a sack.
EDGE Elijah Ponder (Cal-Poly)
Ponder ran a 4.57 at 251 pounds and reportedly added a 41-inch vertical, 11-foot broad jump, 22 reps and good agility numbers.
Ponder has posted 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons and returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown when he was a freshman.
EDGE Johnny Walker Jr. (Missouri)
Walker ran a 4.79 at 249 pounds and had a 32-inch vertical, 10-foot broad jump, 21 reps and poor agility numbers.
Walker played at a higher level than Ponder and had 9.5 sacks last year but his measurables at a comparable size are nowhere near as good.
EDGE RJ Oben (Notre Dame)
Oben ran 4.93 at 251 pounds and managed 26 bench press reps with a 32-inch vertical, 114-inch broad jump and 6.95 three-cone drill.
Our third consecutive similarly-sized edge prospect, Oben’s numbers were the worst of the three…apart from his three-cone drill which was the best of this trio and almost unbelievable when paired with his slow 40-yard dash.
DB Shamari Simmons (Arizona State)
Simmons posted a 35-inch vertical but only managed 12 bench press reps.
Simmons was a safety for most of his college career but played as a slot corner last season. He led the Big 12 with four forced fumbles in 2024.
WR Will Sheppard (Colorado)
Sheppard ran 4.59 at 6’3″ and also posted a 38.5-inch vertical and 126-inch broad jump.
Sheppard caught 200 passes in his five-year career, the first four of which he spent at Vanderbilt. His best numbers came in 2022, where he had 60 catches for almost 800 yards and nine scores.
QB Cam Miller (North Dakota State)
Miller didn’t do any of the workout disciplines, but he’s worth a mention here because he is visiting the Jets, along with the Broncos. He threw 33 touchdown passes last year with just four interceptions.
OL Aiden Williams (Minnesota-Duluth)
Williams ran a 5.18 in the 40-yard dash and posted 27 bench press reps. He added a 30-inch vertical and 118-broad jump.
Williams had been listed at 283 by some sources, which was obviously out of date because he measured in at a healthy 6’6″ and 315 pounds.
LB Shaun Dolac (Buffalo)
Finally, Dolac put together some nice numbers with a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash, 25 bench press reps, a 35.5-inch vertical and a 6.94 in the three cone drill.
Numbers like these will have teams wondering if the 6’1″ 225-pound Dolac could convert to safety or at least some kind of hybrid role. He also filled out the stat sheet last year with 86 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and five interceptions.