How former Iowa athletes performed, impacted their draft stock at 2025 NFL Combine

IOWA CITY — Seven former Iowa football players finally had their chance to impress scouts at last week’s NFL Combine.

While there are other opportunities to woo NFL teams — that includes Iowa’s pro day on March 24 — the annual event in Indianapolis can have big implications on where a player will be drafted. That, of course, includes the televised workouts and drills along with the not-so-spotlighted meetings with prospective NFL teams.

Here is a closer look at how each Hawkeye performed (and consequently impacted their draft stock):

RB Kaleb Johnson

Measurements: 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, 33-inch arm length, 9 5/8-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 4.57 seconds (tied for 19th out of 24 running backs)

10-yard split: 1.62 seconds (tied for 23rd out of 24 running backs)

With the worst 10-yard split and one of the worst 40-yard dashes, Johnson did not help his draft stock at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fortunately for the 2024 consensus All-American, he has plenty of on-field production to show as he rushed for 1,537 yards last season with a program-record 21 rushing touchdowns and 23 total touchdowns.

DB Sebastian Castro

Measurements: 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, 30 3/4-inch arm length, 10 1/2-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 4.59 seconds (15th out of 15 safeties)

10-yard split: 1.59 seconds (15th out of 15 safeties)

Vertical jump: 30.5 inches (15th out of 15 safeties)

Broad jump: 9-foot-9 (tied for 12th out of 13 safeties)

20-yard shuttle: 4.34 seconds (fifth out of seven safeties)

Castro has some work to do at Iowa’s pro day later this month to make up for some underwhelming numbers at the combine. Pro Football Focus still has a favorable ranking for him — 79th overall and fourth among safeties — although ESPN now ranks him as the ninth-best safety.

TE Luke Lachey

Measurements: 6-foot-6, 251 pounds, 32 1/8-inch arm length, 10-inch hand length

Vertical jump: 35 inches (fifth out of 15 tight ends)

Broad jump: 10 feet (seventh out of 14 tight ends)

Three-cone drill: 7.18 seconds (fifth out of eight tight ends)

20-yard shuttle: 4.47 seconds (ninth out of nine tight ends)

Lachey did not run the 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, but he showed an enviable combination of size (at 6-foot-6) and athleticism (with a 35-inch vertical jump and 10-foot broad jump) for the tight end position. His shuttle run left much to be desired, though.

OL Connor Colby

Measurements: 6-foot-6, 309 pounds, 32-inch arm length, 10-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 5.11 seconds (tied for 13th out of 29 offensive linemen)

10-yard split: 1.78 seconds (tied for 13th out of 29 offensive linemen)

Vertical jump: 28.5 inches (tied for 21st out of 28 offensive linemen)

Broad jump: 9-foot-2 (tied for 12th out of 29 offensive linemen)

Three-cone drill: 7.78 seconds (10th out of 16 offensive linemen)

20-yard shuttle: 4.63 seconds (sixth out of 19 offensive linemen)

Colby appeared to help his draft stock over the weekend with respectable numbers in almost all of his combine drills (along with an enviable height measurement).

The Cedar Rapids native’s 9-foot-2 broad jump was two inches better than what James Daniels did at the 2019 combine and a half-inch below what Tyler Linderbaum did at his pro day in 2022.

LB Jay Higgins

Measurements: 6-foot, 224 pounds, 31-inch arm length, 9 1/2-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 4.82 seconds (16th out of 16 linebackers)

10-yard split: 1.64 seconds (16th out of 16 linebackers)

Vertical jump: 33 inches (13th out of 15 linebackers)

Broad jump: 9-foot-2 (15th out of 15 linebackers)

Three-cone drill: 7.01 seconds (first out of seven linebackers)

20-yard shuttle: 4.35 seconds (fourth out of seven linebackers)

Higgins’ combine-best three-cone drill was a silver lining amid an overall showing that surely did not help his draft stock.

The good news for Higgins? He still has an impressive level of college production on his resume. Higgins was a unanimous All-American in 2024 and tied the Iowa program record for total tackles in a single season with 171 in 2023.

DT Yahya Black

Measurements: 6-foot-6, 336 pounds, 35-inch arm length, 10 1/4-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 5.39 seconds (19th out of 19 defensive tackles)

10-yard split: 1.88 seconds (tied for 18th out of 19 defensive tackles)

Vertical jump: 25.5 inches (26th out of 28 defensive tackles)

Broad jump: 8-foot-5 (22nd out of 24 defensive tackles)

Three-cone drill: 7.63 seconds (fifth out of eight defensive tackles)

20-yard shuttle: 4.72 seconds (seventh out of nine defensive tackles)

At 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds, Black’s size might be an NFL defensive line coach’s dream. Some of his numbers in speed and athleticism-based drills did not leap off the page, but that hardly was a surprise when the 336-pound Hawkeye is compared to sub-300-pound counterparts.

DB Jermari Harris

Measurements: 6-foot-0 1/2, 191 pounds, 31 3/8-inch arm length, 9 3/4-inch hand length

Vertical jump: 37 inches (sixth out of 22 cornerbacks)

Broad jump: 10 feet (tied for 16th out of 21 cornerbacks)

Harris’ participation in the combine was quite limited. His vertical jump was impressive, and his on-field production in 2024 was encouraging. Harris likely has more work to do, though, to woo NFL teams before April.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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