On Thursday, February 27, the NFL Draft Combine starts up, and the Las Vegas Raiders will join the rest of the NFL in their most important scouting assignment of the calendar year.
The Combine gives some of the top prospects a chance to truly differentiate themselves from the rest of their position group. They will also have the opportunity to interview interested teams, as well as provide medical reports and updates to alleviate any injury concerns. A strong performance over the four days in Indianapolis can push a prospect up multiple draft boards, potentially even earning themselves first-round recognition.
While the Raiders will keep tabs on every prospect participating in the Combine, they did receive some disappointing news earlier this week.
Two potential first-round targets of the Raiders will not be participating in any drills during the Combine.
On Sunday, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders announced he will not throw or participate in the athletic testing portion of the Combine, and he was joined by Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty on Monday.
#Colorado QB and potential top pick Shedeur Sanders plans to focus on his interviews with teams at the NFL Scouting Combine, helping them continue to learn him as a person.
He’ll allow his four years of film to speak loudly, then throw at his Pro Day with four draftable CU WRs. pic.twitter.com/Ai1Ul6I4lV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2025
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty has elected to participate only in medical
evaluations and team interviews at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, per his agent @henryorgann. He will take part in on-field drills during Boise
State’s Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/iDBdAJ8Fkb— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 24, 2025
Both players will be in Indianapolis, however, to participate in team interviews and medical evaluations.
While the news of not seeing either player perform is disappointing for the Raiders, it also does not come as much of a surprise. Both are projected to go in the top ten picks, and neither want to risk suffering an injury that could tank their draft stocks. Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, who is picking up steam as a candidate for the first overall pick, also opting out of the athletic testing is further proof of this theory.
Both players will likely wait until their universities’ respective Pro Days to run their tests. The dates of those events are currently undisclosed. While the Raiders will likely still interview both players, this opens the door for other prospects to attract attention and possibly change the team’s minds.
The Raiders, like the rest of the NFL, will just have to wait to see these two top prospects in action.
Three positions the Raiders will focus on at the NFL Combine
