9 Defenders Who Shot Up Cardinals Draft Board at Combine
A defensive heavy 2025 NFL Draft provided several standout performances at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
A lot of guys made themselves some serious cash with great workouts and there’s a chance for a serious shakeup to happen in the first round and ruin everything we thought we knew before the event.It’s beautiful.
It’s also great for the Arizona Cardinals, who now have even more options to fancy when the draft rolls around.
Now then, let’s look at the biggest risers/winners from the underwear olympics who could one day become Arizona Cardinals.
Edge Rushers
Shemar Stewart, Texas A&M
If you’re a big fan of athletic players then Stewart is your guy. The Texas A&M product measured 6’5 and 267lbs, perfect for an edge rusher. But his testing is what blew everyone away, highlighted by a 4.59-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58-second 10-yard split. That’s otherworldly.
His other numbers also looked great with a 40″ vertical and a 10’11” broad jump. Stewart put on a spectacle and it will launch him back up the board.
Questions are remaining about his lack of production given all this God-given talent, but a ton of teams will be willing to roll the dice on this beast. Top-15 feels like a safe bet, but if a team loves his potential enough I could see him go MUCH higher.
Projection: Top-15
James Pearce, Tennessee
The alleged character concerns surrounding Pearce seem to be vastly overblown and his Combine performance has silenced many doubters with a terrific workout.
Pearce recorded the fastest 40-yard time of any defensive lineman with a 4.47-second run plus a 1.56-second 10-yard split. Pearce also posted a 31″ vertical and 10’3 broad jump.
Final measurements showed Pearce to be 6’5 and 245 lbs. There were some concerns that Pearce was on the lighter side. 245 is a solid weight for him, but he could still add another 10 lbs and I’d feel confident he’s not sacrificing any speed or agility.
His Combine showing should secure Pearce a spot inside the top-15 selections with a chance to be the second edge rusher off the board.
Projection: Top-15
Landon Jackson, Arkansas
Jackson walks away from Indy not just as a winner for his position group, but from the class as a whole. The Arkansas product has been in a weird spot with his perceived draft range. I’ve seen him inside the first round several times, but it feels like he’s around that mid-round two range.
However, Jackson made waves and could push him up the board and perhaps near the backend of round one. Jackson showed plenty of athleticism and movement skills throughout the drills and workouts.
The Arkansas product also jumped 40.5″ in the vertical and 10’9″ in the broad. His athleticism score ranked second amongst edge rushers and defensive linemen according to NFL.com.
There was good production in his time in Fayetteville to back up his good testing numbers. The workouts should be the last push Jackson needed to jump into the top 40-45 picks at worst, with round one a possibility.
Projection: Late RD1; Early Day 2
Femi Oladejo, UCLA
Oladejo was not a household name entering the Combine, but he is leaving the event as a guy to keep a close eye on… especially after he confirmed he spoke with the Cardinals recently.
The UCLA senior was moved from off ball linebacker to edge rusher in his last season with the Bruins. He displayed some growing pains, but the future is bright with more coaching.
Although he didn’t run the 40-yard dash, Oladejo did throw up 20 bench reps to go with a 36.5″ vertical and 10’0 broad jump. Athleticism wasn’t a question going into Indianapolis, but he walked away with a good showing.
As mentioned, Olaedjo wasn’t a consensus day two pick before this weekend, but I feel safe saying he is now. There is more coaching needed for him to take the next step as an edge rusher, but he has enough tools and talent to keep that process going strong.
Projection: Day 2
Honorable mentions:
Antaun Powell-Ryland (Virginia Tech), Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College), Nic Scouton (Texas A&M)
Interior Defensive Linemen
Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Harmon is quickly becoming one of my draft crushes. A terrific senior season with the Ducks boosted his stock significantly and he’s earned his way into being a near-consensus first round pick. Things are only trending up for Harmon now.
The Oregon product didn’t do as much work as some of the other players at his position did, but he also didn’t have as much to prove. Still, his sub-5-second 40-yard dash time at a whopping 313 lbs raised plenty of eyeballs. The big man is much more than that and he’s trending way up.
I don’t see any way that Harmon isn’t a day one pick right now, and I find myself believing he is destined for a top-20 selection.
Projection: Top-20
Darius Alexander, Toledo
It’s been quite a ride for Alexander as of late, with the Toledo product entering first round conversations over the last few weeks. His performance at the Combine only helped boost his chances to end up inside the top 32 selections.
Alexander checked in at 6’4 and 305 lbs. Don’t let the big man fool you, though he ran a sub-5-second 40-yard dash, clocking in at 4.95-seconds. Alexander had good numbers across the board after participating in every event.
The defensive tackle draft is an intriguing one with so many 3-tech defenders to choose from. Guys closer to play nose tackle aren’t as common, so guys like Alexander are capitalizing on their chance to be the guy at the spot.
Alexander has made a great bid recently for that distinction and may have helped separate himself in Indy.
Projection: RD1
Ty Robinson, Nebraska
Robinson was another player I thought left Indianapolis as one of the biggest winners period, not just mong defensive linemen. Robinson measured in at 6’5 and 288 lbs to go with a 4.83-second 40-yard dash time (1.71-second 10-yard split).
The Nebraska standout opted to participate in every drill and it landed him 8th in NFL.com’s athleticism score. It truly doesn’t get much better than that.
I’ve seen Robinson ranked as a day three player, but that should change dramatically after his workouts. I like Robinson to take a huge leap forward and become a near-consensus day two pick.
Projection: Day 2; Early Day 3
Honorable mentions:
Omarr Norman-Lott (Tennessee), CJ West (Indiana), Aneas Peebles (Virginia Tech)
Linebackers
Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
LB1 is done, sealed, and delivered. Campbell is running away with the distinction and it’s not hard to see why. After measuring in at 6’3 and 235 lbs, Campbell looks the part as a true linebacker. Then, the Alabama product clocked a 4.52-second 40-yard dash plus a 1.53-second 10-yard split. Phenomenal.
There hasn’t been much competition at linebacker this season, especially with Jalon Walker likely committing to becoming an edge rusher at the next level. Ironically, Campbell was an edge rusher as a high school recruit, but he became a star ‘backer for the Tide last season. It’s paid off big time.
You can safely peg Campbell to be the first linebacker drafted and a day one pick. Don’t be surprised when he ends up inside the top-20 picks or even higher.
Projection: Top-20
Carson Schwesinger, UCLA
Like I said, there isn’t much competition at linebacker this year. This is great news for those who play the position, as they will see themselves picked earlier. Schwesinger will be one of the guys who reaps the benefits the most.
Schwesinger put together a good final season with UCLA that saw him earn a spot among the top-three rounds of the draft with room to grow.
He accomplished this mission with the 10th best athleticism score according to NFL.com. Combined with being the number one ranked ‘backer for production score, Schwesinger is ranked second now from the 2025 Combine.
The position is light, which could see teams target the few standouts early. Schwesinger locked up a day two pick and a second-round selection feels realistic.
Projection: Day 2
Honorable mention:
Nick Martin (Oklahoma State)
One last note…
Although the Cardinals don’t have a true need at the safety position, they need to monitor two guys on round one.
Georgia’s Malaki Starks has been the undisputed SAF1 for the majority of the season; that may not continue to last much longer. Starks had a disappointing Combine and his 2024 season was up-and-down. He’s still a top-tier prospect, but it places him in a position where he could be usurped.
The man best suited to do so is South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori.
Not only did Emmanwori put together a great, not good, Combine performance, he showed some insane and nearly historic athleticism across several events. First of all, Emmanwori is 6’3 and 220 lbs, yet he clocked a sub-4-second 40-yard dash (4.38).
Then, he jumped 43″ in the vertical and had a disgusting 11’6 broad jump… absolutely unbelievable.
The workout will shoot Emmanwori up the board and he feels like a candidate to be the first safety off the board.
Again, Arizona doesn’t currently need a safety, but if one or both are on the board at 16 or even in a trade down. Jalen Thompson is a cut candidate, and the Cardinals should be all in on adding the best defensive player available.