While the Denver Broncos are in the tight end market this offseason. At the NFL Combine, the Broncos met formally with many of the top prospects in the 2025 draft class.
Following all the meetings, the prospects take to the artificial turf at Lucas Oil Stadium to be tested on the field athletically and put through position drills by NFL coaches. There were some obvious winners and losers from the tight end crop.
Let’s examine who won and who lost in the tight end position drills, not counting the measurements and athletic testing.
Joshua Simon | South Carolina
Simon had a clean workout in the drills. His work on the sled showed the technique to work with and develop as a blocker. The receiving drills were clean and consistent, and he had one of the better gauntlet drills of the group.
Mason Taylor | LSU
Taylor is an all-around tight end with good blocking and receiving skills. He had the best workout of the day, showing how complete he is as a tight end. However, one of his best traits isn’t something he can show on the field — his age (20 turning 21 after the draft.
Robbie Ouzts | Alabama
Ouzst, a future NFL fullback, showed that he could contribute to the passing game. That was a question coming into the Combine. He also did the best work in the blocking drill, using the proper technique from top to bottom.
Terrance Ferguson | Oregon
The receiving drills showed Ferguson’s strengths, including his good route-running technique for a tight end. However, his showing on the sled revealed he has been working on much-needed technical improvements.
Harold Fannin Jr. | Bowling Green
Ignoring his work on the sled, where it was known he would struggle, Fannin should have stood out in the receiving drills. Instead, he was one of the worst, using improper technique throughout the drills. While the athletic testing isn’t factored in here, he didn’t help himself there, either.
Gunnar Helm | Texas
The workout started poorly for Helm, with an alarming 40 time that was barely under 5.0 seconds, and it didn’t get better in what we’re examining the most here: the position drills. Helm showed his bad habits when lowering his shoulder in the sled drill and working through his routes in the receiving drills.
Bryson Nesbit | North Carolina
Nesbit is a big wide receiver who shouldn’t be used as a blocker. The issue with him being bigger is that he doesn’t work well enough as a receiver to make up for his issues as a blocker. There may not have been a worse showing during the Combine workouts.
Moliki Matavao | UCLA
There was a chance for Matavao to help his draft stock, but he likely hurt it. His footwork was clunky in the receiving drills, and the technique in the blocking drill made it clear he must be built up entirely to contribute there.
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