The first three days of the 2025 NFL Combine had five Terps present to show off in front of coaches and scouts. One of them, Tommy Akingbesote, was the first prospect to run the 40-yard dash, starting everything off on Thursday. So, did any of the Terps drastically improve their draft stock coming out of the event?
As mentioned, Akingbesote and Jordan Phillips were among the first group of prospects to work out. Phillips didn’t run the 40 but did the on-field drills and had the most reps on the bench press, 29 at 225 pounds, while jumping 31” on the vertical and 9’ on the broad. He also got the attention of the NFL Network team before the on-field drills began.
“He is an absolute beast. He’s a gym rat. And he’s an incredible leader. His personality probably flies off the mat more so than his weight numbers,” said Stacey Dales.
Akingbesote opted not to do the bench, but his 40 time of 5.09 with a 1.77 ten-yard split was tied for ninth-best among the defensive tackles. He jumped a 28-inch vertical with a 8’7” on the broad. Both players did well during the on-field drills despite issues with footing affecting almost everyone in their group. Phillips’ stock continues to grow as the draft comes closer and is working his way into being a day-two selection when the draft weekend comes around. Akingbesote, meanwhile, could have teams looking at him late in the day thanks to this performance.
Safety Dante Trader got his chance to impress scouts on Friday but was off to a rough start. Trader’s vertical was the second to worst of all safeties at 31”, with his broad jump being tied for the worst at 9’9”. He skipped the 40 but took part in the on-field drills, which went well for him. Trader’s athleticism and quickness were on full display during the drills. He displayed good ball skills, doing well on the drills he had to track and catch.
How much Trader’s vertical and broad jumps will hurt him remains to be seen, as he’ll have a chance to improve these numbers during Maryland’s pro day. However he should be considered a draftable prospect with his performance suring the on-field drills.
Tai Felton and Kaden Prather were on the field with the QBs on Saturday. Felton was with the first group of receivers and impressed right away. Among all receivers, he had the fourth-best vertical at 39.5” and fifth-best broad at 10’10”. His 40 time was tied for the sixth-fastest at 4.37 seconds. He was one of an unofficial record ten receivers to run an official sub-4.4.
Felton didn’t stop there. He continued to impress with the on-field drills, running his routes well and catching the ball consistently. He had two perfect runs on the gauntlet and got one last chance to show off his athleticism with a flip to signal the end of the day for his group. Felton’s day could not have gone any better for him, and he has put himself in the conversation for a call on day two of the draft.
Prather’s group was the last to take the field on the day and, like Trader, would probably want his vertical and broad jumps results back. He jumped the worst broad and vertical among the receivers with a 9’6” and 30”, respectively. After a shaky start, Prather redeemed himself on the 40, running an official 4.46 at 6’31/2” and 204 pounds.
He continued the positive momentum with on-field work at rivaled Felton’s. Prather showed great skill in tracking and coming down with the ball once it was in his hands. If there was any question on if he would hear his name called in the draft, it might have been put to rest when it was over.
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