The on-the-field work at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine starts on Thursday with the defensive linemen and linebackers hitting the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

NFL Network will televise the workouts from the annual event from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. CST Thursday.

The players will have the opportunity to participate in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, three-cone drill, shuttle run, bench press and position skill drills.

Of the players in Thursday’s position groups, 40 are designated as defensive tackles, 34 as edge/defensive ends and 28 as linebackers.

Among the players in the Thursday group are seven with Alabama football roots:

• Auburn linebacker Eugene Asante
• Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell
• Florida linebacker Shemar James (Faith Academy in Mobile)
• Auburn linebacker Jalen McLeod
• Ole Miss defensive tackle JJ Pegues (played at Auburn in 2020 and 2021)
• Alabama edge Que Robinson (Jackson-Olin High School in Birmingham)
• Alabama defensive tackle Tim Smith

The defensive linemen/linebackers list also includes 34 other SEC players:

• Georgia defensive tackle Warren Brinson
• Texas defensive tackle Vernon Broughton
• Texas defensive tackle Alfred Collins
• Oklahoma edge Ethan Downs
• Kentucky linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson
• Arkansas defensive tackle Eric Gregory
• South Carolina defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway
• Georgia defensive tackle Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
• Ole Miss edge Jared Ivey
• Florida defensive tackle Cam Jackson
• Arkansas edge Landon Jackson
• LSU edge Sai’vion Jones
• South Carolina defensive tackle DeAndre Jules
• South Carolina edge Kyle Kennard
• South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr.
• South Carolina linebacker Bam Martin-Scott
• Georgia linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.
• Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen
• Tennessee defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott
• Ole Miss linebacker Chris Paul Jr.
• Tennessee edge James Pearce Jr.
• South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders
• Texas A&M edge Nic Scourton
• Tennessee defensive tackle Elijah Simmons
• Texas edge Barryn Sorrell
• Georgia defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse
• Texas A&M edge Shemar Stewart
• Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman
• LSU edge Bradyn Swinson
• Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner
• Ole Miss edge Princely Umanmielen
• Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker
• Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker
• Georgia edge Mykel Williams

Of the SEC’s 105 representatives at this year’s combine, 39 percent are in the Thursday group.

First-rounders on the field on Thursday

Projections vary, of course, but among the players thought to be possible first-round picks when the NFL Draft starts on April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, who are in the Thursday position groups are defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant of Michigan, Walter Nolen of Ole Miss, Derrick Harmon of Oregon and Omarr Norman-Lott of Tennessee; edge rushers Abdul Carter of Penn State, Mykel Williams of Georgia, James Pearce Jr. of Tennessee, Mike Green of Marshall, Nic Scourton and Shermar Stewart of Texas A&M and Jack Sawyer of Ohio State; and linebackers Jalon Walker of Georgia and Jihaad Campbell of Alabama.

NFL.com’s top-graded players at each of the Thursday positions are Penn State edge Abdul Carter, who is graded a “Pro Bowl talent,” Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, graded a “Year 1 starter,” and Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, graded as “will become a good starter within two years.”

Combine bests

The NFL has been holding a league-inclusive combine since 1985, but the records are sketchy for the early years of the event. Profootballreference.com has compiled results since 2000, and these are the top performances in each of the combine drills since then:

• 40-yard dash: 4.21 seconds by Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy in 2024.
• Vertical jump: 46 inches by North Carolina safety Gerald Sensabaugh in 2005.
• Broad jump: 147 inches by Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones in 2015.
• Three-cone drill: 6.28 seconds by Oklahoma defensive back Jordan Thomas in 2018.
• Shuttle run: 3.73 seconds by Iowa wide receiver Kevin Kasper in 2001.
• Bench press: 49 repetitions of 225 pounds by Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea in 2011.

The three-cone drill is meant to measure a player’s ability to change directions while the shuttle run tests a player’s lateral quickness.

Off the field on Thursday

Defensive backs and tight ends are scheduled to meet with the NFL Players Association, hold press conferences, undergo orthopedic exams and interview with NFL team representatives.

Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs are scheduled to undergo medical examinations and meet with the media.

Offensive linemen and specialists are scheduled to undergo pre-exams at the hospital, meet with the NFL Players Association and interview with NFL team representatives.

Who’s next?

The defensive backs and tight ends take their turn on the field on Friday, the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs hit the turf on Saturday and the offensive linemen get their chance on Sunday.

The Friday group includes Ole Miss cornerback Trey Amos (Alabama), Kansas cornerback Cobee Bryant (Hillcrest-Evergreen), Alabama tight ends CJ Dippre and Robbie Ouzts and safety Malachi Moore (Hewitt-Trussville), UCF cornerback Mac McWilliams (UAB) and Tulane safety Caleb Ransaw (Sparkman, Troy).

The Saturday group includes Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks (Alabama), Oregon wide receivers Traeshon Holden (Alabama) and Tez Johnson (Pinson Valley, Troy), UCF wide receiver Kobe Hudson (Auburn), Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins (Pike Road), Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (Fairhope), Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Memphis wide receiver Roc Taylor (Oxford).

The Sunday group includes Alabama guard Tyler Booker, Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin (Alabama), Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson and Jacksonville State guard Clay Webb (Oxford).

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.