2025 NFL Combine: What the Tape Says About Cornerback Workout Warriors

What He Did: At 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Porter ran a 4.30-second 40-yard dash, which was second at his position behind only Kentucky's Maxwell Hairston (4.28). Hairston is 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, by the way. Porter's 10-yard split of 1.49 was the best among cornerbacks at the combine, as was his 3-cone drill (6.71 seconds), and his 20-yard shuttle (4.04 seconds). Only Rutgers' Robert Longerbeam (11 feet, 2 inches) had a better broad jump than Porter's (10 feet, 11 inches), and Porter also availed himself well in the vertical leap at 36.50 inches. Basically, Porter did every drill possible, and he nailed it all. Porter's Athleticism Score of 93 is the best of any cornerback who worked out at the combine. 

What It Means: It could mean a lot, because Porter's 2024 tape and metrics were really, really good. Last season, Porter allowed five catches on 17 targets for 70 yards, 22 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 4.7 — by far the best among FBS cornerbacks who played at least 20% of their defensive snaps in 2024. Bowling Green's Jordan Oladokun (who wasn't invited to the combine, for whatever weird reason) ranked second at 18.4.

Porter's movement skills are quite obvious on the field, and if you need a defender who can both press receivers at the line of scrimmage and match those receivers all the way through their routes, he could very well be your guy. Few players at any position did more at this combine to align their athletic traits with their on-field exploits than Porter did. If he winds up as a sneaky low first-round pick because one team absolutely falls in love with the whole package, I wouldn't be surprised at all. 

Zah Frazier, UTSA

What He Did: Another Big Guy Who Runs Fast, Frazier cut a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and 186 pounds, and that was the fifth-best 40 for a cornerback. His 10-yard split of 1.51 seconds was sixth-best at the position. His vertical leap of 36.5 inches was top 10, as was his broad jump of 10 feet, six inches. Frazier had the second-best three-cone drill among cornerbacks at seven seconds flat, and his 4.26-second 20-yard shuttle was third-best behind Darien Porter, and Oregon's Jabbar Muhammad. 

What It Means: Frazier didn't quite hit the 4.26-second 40-yard dash mark set by UTSA cornerback Riq Woolen (who was Frazier's host at the school) back in 2022, but there are a lot of similarities in play style, and all that athleticism shows up on the field. Last season for the Roadrunners, Frazier allowed 19 catches on 40 targets for 254 yards, 60 yards after the catch, one touchdown, six interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 36.9. 

I got to watch tape with Frazier from the scouting combine, and his total field awareness — especially the ability to break off his original assignment to help his teammates with coverage — really stands out. When NFL shot-callers go back to Frazier's tape after taking in his combine performance, methinks it'll all be magnified. 

Jahdae Barron, Texas

What He Did: Remember when Alabama's Brian Branch ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 scouting combine, and that caused every NFL team to forget how great his tape was? Whoops. Branch somehow had to wait until the 46th overall pick in the second round of that draft for the Detroit Lions to welcome him to the NFL, and that turned out to be a MAJOR steal for the Lions. Texas' Jahdae Barron, who is thought to rival Branch's multi-position talent, should have no such issues when the 2025 draft rolls around. 

Barron ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at his combine with a 1.50-second 10-yard split (tied for second-best among cornerbacks), and that's exactly what you want to see. Add in a 35-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot, 3-inch broad jump, and Barron's Athleticism Score of 82 merges perfectly with what you see on tape. 

What It Means: Maybe NFL teams would pass on making the Brian Branch Mistake again had Barron not run such a great 40 with an outstanding 10-yard split. The good news is that we don't have to worry about that now. Barron should hear his name called in the top half of the first round, given the value of his true versatility. 

Last season, the 5-foot-11, 194-pound Barron allowed 37 catches on 68 targets for 284 yards, 131 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, five interceptions, nine pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 34.2.

What I like best about Barron's versatility is that he's not a slot or box guy who can dabble in outside cornerback — outside cornerback is where he lived last season, with 679 snaps there. No matter where he lines up, Barron has the outstanding technique and match feet to trail and lock up with any receiver unlucky enough to face him. 

This is a plug-and-play NFL starter, just as Brian Branch was. 

Caleb Ransaw, Tulane

What He Did: The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Ransaw had one of the best cornerback combines in 2025. His 4.33-second 40-yard dash ranked third at the position, and that was with a 1.52-second 10-yard split. Ransaw's 40-inch vertical jump topped the field, and his 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump tied for third. Ransaw's Athleticism Score of 92 was third among cornerbacks, and top 12 overall. He also looked fluid in the positional drills. Ransaw is one of only five cornerbacks to jump at least 40 inches and 10 feet, five inches, while weighing at least 195 pounds over the last five combines.

What It Means: This is where it gets interesting. Last season for Tulane — his first year with the Green Wave after three years at Troy — he allowed 10 catches on 23 targets for 148 yards, 45 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, no interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 94.1. Based on his tape, Ransaw is a guy who needed a great combine to round out his NFL resume. I'm glad he had one for his sake, because there's a bit too much tape where he's out of phase when asked to stick with the receiver. 

Ransaw might be at his best in the NFL as a press coverage aggressor who can hit the receiver right away, and then match through the route once he has his bearings. One thing that could make him very valuable to his professional team is his ability to press slot receivers, which is a valued trait at any level, and it's not easy to do. 

Ransaw will also blow up screen passes behind the line of scrimmage, and he could be a real force in the run game and as a blitzer at the next level. He's more of a specialist than a generalist — or at least he will be until he's able to clean things up with next-level coaching — but the things he does well are highly prized in pro football. Ransaw will need the right team that sees what he can do, and understands how to smooth out the rough edges. 

Maxwell Hairston, Kentucky

What He Did: The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Hairston got historical during his combine performance. His 4.28-second 40-yard dash wasn't just the best for anyone at his position this year; it was one of the best testing numbers for any cornerback in recent combine history, and the fastest 40 at the 2025 combine regardless of position. Hairston's 1.50-second 10-yard split tied for second-best among cornerbacks behind only the aforementioned Darien Porter, his 39.5-inch vertical jump was fourth at the position, and his 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump was also top 5. Hairston hit a top speed of 24.25 miles per hour on his second 40-yard dash, the fifth-fastest speed reached by a player at the combine over the last three years, and the second-fastest by a cornerback.

What It Means: Last season for the Wildcats, Hairston missed five games with a shoulder injury, and still gave up just 12 passes on 22 targets for 262 yards, 93 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 78.2. 

Hairston's athleticism shows up on tape in that you rarely see him get flat-out beaten when he's following a receiver step-for-step from the line of scrimmage. Some of the catches he did allow came on underneath stuff when he was 10 yards off in coverage, and when you see him recover to stop Texas' Isaiah Bond from catching a deep post... well, that's the kind of stuff NFL teams would like to have in their defensive back rooms. Like Barron, Hairston also has effective positional versatility.