NFL combine 2025 | Indianapolis storylines start with divisive quarterback draft class

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NFL combine 2025 | Indianapolis storylines start with divisive quarterback draft class

Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Fri, Feb 21, 2025 ·

5 min read

Quarterback questions from Cam Ward , Shedeur Sanders to Will Howard, Kyle McCord

Shedeur Sanders (left) and Cam Ward will be among the top candidates to go No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, hosted in Green Bay.

The quarterbacks are always the central figures of the combine. That's not surprising considering the quarterbacks are the central figures in the sport. This year, the quarterbacks will draw extra attention because of the divisiveness in opinions about the class. It's not that there aren't consensus opinions, it's that the consensus opinions concern the lack of belief in there being a sure-fire future franchise quarterback in the group. Miami 's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders are seen as the top two, and there are several who think they could go one-two to the Tennessee Titans and Browns. However, even those two have plenty of warts in their games. Such questions go all the way down the list, with Ole Miss ' Jaxson Dart , Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Louisville's Tyler Shough seen as the next group. Even Ohio State's Will Howard and Syracuse's Kyle McCord, among some others, have their supporters. This week won't solve the quarterback questions, but they'll at least start the process with the teams of clearing away some of them.

What to do with the dynamic two-way playmaker, Travis Hunter ?

Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) looks across the field against Oklahoma State on Nov. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado.

The one non-quarterback who will absolutely draw as much interest as any of the QBs will be Colorado's Travis Hunter. The same thing that made him the Heisman Trophy winner last fall will make him the talk of Indianapolis next week — his ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback at an elite level. Hunter was so good at it that he would essentially play more than a 100 snaps a game between the two sides of the ball while he was in Boulder. That's not going to happen in the NFL, but it's not ridiculous — in fact, it's ridiculous if teams wouldn't try — to see Hunter having sub-packages on the opposite side of the ball as his "primary" position. For the purposes of the combine, Hunter is being listed as a defensive back. You can bet playing wide receiver is something that will be talked about by teams.

Developing Myles Garrett 's trade market

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, facing, hugs Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons after losing to the Cowboys in an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Myles Garrett spent the week of the Super Bowl as a topic of conversation after he opened it by going public with his request to be traded. The week of the combine, meanwhile, will be the opportunity for the Browns to get a gauge on what the market really looks like for their star defensive end. Of course, that's assuming they reverse their position of keeping Garrett, whether he likes it or not. If they do, the Browns won't actually be dealing him while they're in Indianapolis. However, if they do eventually deal him, there's a good chance the deal's roots will go back to combine week.

Who else could end up getting traded once NFL league year begins?

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) tries to break a tackle attempt by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt on Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland.

Garrett's not the only player who has asked for a trade. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp , San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt are all among the players who, like Garrett, have gone public with requests to be dealt. There will be other players who may seem like they're safe who end up being dealt in a couple of weeks. Those trades will get their start in the informal conversations over beverages of the adult variety in various establishments and hotel bars in central Indiana. It was the case three years ago when the Browns got the ball rolling on their deal with the Dallas Cowboys for Amari Cooper . It'll be the case for some other deal, or deals, this year as well.

Who's this year's combine superstar in the lineage of Ladd McConkey or Anthony Richardson ?

Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey catches a pass during the 2024 NFL Combine on March 2, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

There's always one player at each combine who becomes the talk of the town because of his performance in the workouts. Sometimes it is someone who had been a top-level prospect already, but who exceeded even the expectations held for him previously. Other times, it can be a player who was under the radar, only to leave personnel people and scouts with their jaws on the floor with an eye-popping workout. It can be a quarterback like Anthony Richardson, who wowed everyone with his throws on air in 2023, or wide receivers like Ladd McConkey or Xavier Worthy , both of whom posted eye-popping speed numbers last year. Then, of course, there's the cautionary tale of a generation ago — Mike Mamula, who 30 years ago was so impressive in workouts the Philadelphia Eagles made him the No. 7 overall pick in 1995, only for him to be out of the league after just 77 career games.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ