Five players who hurt their draft stock at the Combine

This week a significant subject of conversation is Combine players who improved their draft stock or made themselves a lot of money over the weekend. A less than popular topic is those that did the opposite.

The pre-Draft process is the largest job interview in sports, if not American employment. Everything is tracked and judged. Just like draft stock can be improved, it can also be diminished.

Not all of these five had categorically bad performances, but something popped off as a negative. The good news is the Combine typically does one of three things. Confirms what front offices already thought, a player performs better than expected, forcing teams to revisit the tape or they performed worse than expected forcing teams to revisit their tape.

Four of these five names, most college football fans are very familiar with. The fifth might be a slightly deeper draft projection. All five of these names either said something or did something in the workouts that require a deeper look.

QB Diego Pavia – Vanderbilt

Pavia has several factors working against him and he did nothing in Indianapolis to change the overall sentiment about his projection. Pavia is barely 5’10. His arm strength is average, but his arm talent falls significantly short of what teams are looking for in a future starter.

Pavia could learn something from the Shedeur draft slide. You cannot speak your draft stock into existence. Pavia has been self-promoting in a way that is illogical. Most recently he claimed that he has no competition at the Combine and has the best arm in the draft.

He recently revealed he is getting advice from Johnny Manziel. Manziel might be the only person on the planet that doesn’t think that’s a horrible idea. All of which came long after the lobbying for governmental assistance getting into the college football playoff and a regrettable reaction to not winning the Heisman Trophy.

Pavia had some throws during the passing portion that were fine, but they were ‘throw it to a spot and let the receiver go get it’. Beyond that, most of the sideline throws were uncatchable and off target. The deeper throws most receivers had to wait on or come back to.

WR Makai Lemon - USC

Lemon came into the Combine with top 10-15 potential. After the Combine it seems the first round might not be a lock. He is a candidate to revisit tape. Admittedly, the on-field work wasn’t awful, but it was less than good enough to say he confirmed what many already thought. At times, he seemed to be too passive and not giving his full effort. 

Then there’s the speaking part. Let’s be clear, the issue with Lemon speaking is not the same as the KC Concepcion speaking situation. When Lemon spoke at the Combine it went viral. His teenaged flirting, swaying head and manipulated voice, ‘let me holla at ya’ approach did not sit well with many.

He came off as someone trying to sell something while looking cool doing it. Likely aimed at impressing people who are not NFL decision makers. Maybe that’s just how he speaks. However, that won’t stop GMs from reconsidering how much they like him as a prospect. He ran the gauntlet clean and straight, made some tough catches, but there seems to be concern with Lemon. 

WR KC Concepcion – Texas A&M

Concepcion came into this Combine as one of the hot names expected at the top of the second round, with the potential to crack the first round. He had some electric plays in 2025. Especially as a returner. In situations, he can be lethal in space.

Concepcion seems to have a concentration issue. He has a consistent 10% drop rate. In 2025 he caught 61 passes on 104 targets. That is a catch percentage under 60%. At Indy, those tendencies revealed themselves again. While no one has officially soured on Concepcion, the idea that he could move into the first round is fading. Before the Combine he was WR5 on many boards. After the Combine it's difficult to see him any higher than WR10.

Teams will revisit his tape. However, unlike Lemon, his speaking ‘issue’ is not something that is likely going to be held against him. In a now viral moment, Concepcion took the opportunity with a captive audience to speak on his stuttering issue in the hopes of giving other kids with a similar concern the confidence to pursue dreams.

"I want to be a role model for those who are not able to speak in front of large crowds."@AggieFootball WR KC Concepcion on why he decided to talk to the media at the Combine ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xaYxBuqkCn

OT/G Fernando Carmona - Clemson

Carmona was another player many draft experts were expecting to see rise. At 6’3, 310 and his skill set, Carmona provides a nice option at either offensive tackle or guard. While offensive linemen are not expected to run fast, a 5.22 forty does create a mild concern. A slightly larger concern is 1.85 10-yard split. Anything over 1.75 for an offensive lineman is not great.

Then there was the drill work. The drill work, like Pavia wasn’t completely awful. However, aspects that show up on tape did not show up at the Combine. The agility was lacking expectation and there were unexpected stumbles during drills. As opposed to players like Oliavavega Ioane from Penn State and Monroe Freeling who both confirmed or improved on scout expectation.

DT Kayden McDonald – Ohio State

McDonald is a concerning case. There were four names at defensive tackles jockeying for position at the top. Caleb Banks-only played three games in 2025, Peter Woods-a statistical step backwards in 2025, Lee Hunter and Kayden McDonald. McDonald had arguably better game film than the others.

The concern with McDonald is the tape and the Combine don’t match at all. The good news for McDonald is most teams will defer to tape over the Combine every time. It just means for now, scouts will revisit his tape. If he performs closer to the tape expectation at Ohio State’s Pro Day, he can minimize the Combine damage to his draft stock.

The Combine is only one aspect of the pre-Draft process. These identified players still have time to improve their draft stock. Up next will be Pro Days and individual workouts and interviews. 

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