With the 2025 NFL combine set for Feb. 27 through March 2, five Terps were officially invited to Indianapolis on Thursday after the NFL announced its full invite list.
Safety Dante Trader Jr., wide receivers Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, defensive linemen Tommy Akingbesote and Jordan Phillips were among the invites. Maryland has now sent 16 players to the NFL scouting combine over the last three years.
Akingbesote and Phillips will participate on Feb. 27 before Trader gets his chance the following day. Felton and Prather will wrap up the Terps’ appearances on March 1 alongside the other wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks.
Felton and Prather will look to become the first and second wide receivers drafted under Mike Locksley’s tenure as the duo were projected to hear their names called on day two and three. Phillips, meanwhile, was projected to land in the third round of NFL.com’s mock draft with the Kansas City Chiefs selection him with the 95th overall pick.
Felton, who was selected to the 2024 AP and AFCA All-America teams, led the Big Ten in both receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,124) during the regular season. An Ashburn, Virginia native, Felton posted the most receptions among Power Conference players during the regular season and his 96 grabs set a new Maryland single-season record.
Trader led the Terps in solo tackles (37) and finished second on the team in total tackles (59), despite missing two games due to injury. His four pass breakups were also a team-high and he added one interception. Trader was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 for his 11 tackle, one-interception performance in a 27-13 Maryland win at Virginia.
Akingbesote started all 12 games for the Terps on the defensive line in 2024. He was the team’s leading tackler among defensive linemen with 32 total tackles. A Largo, Maryland native, Akingbesote added 5.0 tackles for loss, a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery to his stat line during his senior season.
Phillips started all 12 games for the Terps during his redshirt sophomore season, leading all defensive linemen on the team with 17 solo tackles. On the year, Phillips had 29 total tackles, including a career-high eight stops against Iowa. In two seasons for the Terps, Phillips appeared in all 25 games with 23 starts.
Prather started all 12 games for the Terps during his senior season. He ranked second on the team and 11th in the Big Ten with 56 receptions. His 624 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs each ranked second on the squad.
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