2025 NFL Draft Combine Preview: Jackson Hawes and Zeek Biggers Look to Boost Their Draft Stock This Week

It is draft season in the NFL and one of the big events leading up to the NFL Draft is the NFL Draft Combine. The combine workouts begin tomorrow in Indianapolis and among the players participating in this year's combine are former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Jackson Hawes and Zeek Biggers. Biggers is going to be working out first among the two players as the defensive linemen are slated to workout tomorrow and then Hawes will work out with the rest of the tight ends on Friday.

Biggers, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound defensive tackle, racked up 104 tackles (including nine for loss and two sacks) in four seasons as a Yellow Jacket. He played in 47 games over his four years at Tech, including 26-straight starts over the last two seasons, and was an honorable-mention all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as a senior in 2024. He was a key cog in the middle of a Georgia Tech defense that ranked in the top 30 nationally against the run last season (122.2 ypg). Last month, he joined OL Jordan Williamsin representing Georgia Tech in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas.

After playing only 51 snaps in 2021, Biggers saw his snap count increase to 278 according to Pro Football Focus and he finished the season with a 54.5 grade from PFF and 32 tackles. He also had a 71.0 tackling grade in 2022. He improved his PFF grade to 61.8 overall in 618 snaps during the 2023 season, which was also his best season statistically. Biggers finished with 39 tackles, three pass deflections, and one sack. Biggers was part of a noticeable improvement on Georgia Tech's defense this past year, especially when it comes to run defense. Georgia Tech improved a lot from 2023 to 2024 in run defense and Biggers played a big role.

Hawes was put in a tough position with Georgia Tech having to replace Dylan Leonard (NFL), Luke Benson (NFL), and Brett Seither (injury) were all missing from the 2023 team and for anyone that is familiar with the Yellow Jackets offense, they know how important tight ends are to how successful the running game is, as well as being the occasional pass-catching threat. Hawes took that challenge and was one of the best run-blocking tight ends in the ACC which got him invited to the Senior Bowl in Mobile (AL), which he played well in. Hawes played a big role in the Jackets ranking among the top 35 nationally in rushing offense (187.0 ypg) and the top 5 in fewest sacks allowed (0.69 pg)last season.

Prior to his arrival on The Flats, Hawes caught 35 passes for 371 yards over four seasons at Yale (2019, 2021-23). He was a second-team all-Ivy League selection in 2022.

Hawes, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end, caught 51 passes for 566 yards and six touchdowns over his four-year collegiate career, which began with three seasons at Yale (2021-23) before he transferred to Georgia Tech for his fourth and final season in 2024. In addition to his pass-catching ability, he is widely regarded as one of the best blocking tight ends in the nation and played a big role in the Jackets’ success running the ball and protecting the passer last season

The PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades back that up about Hawes, even before he got to Georgia Tech. After posting a 62.7 run-blocking grade in 2021 and a 69.0 grade in 2022, Hawes took his blocking grade to another level. He finished with an 82.2 run-blocking grade in 2023 in 242 run-blocking snaps in what would be his final season at Yale. Hawes transferred to Georgia Tech and its hard to make the argument he could have had a better season to improve his draft stock.

Before the season started, Hawes talked about what made him want to come to Georgia Tech and be a part of their program:

"Yeah, I mean, I graduated from Yale, obviously, and then entered the transfer portal just because I had another year of eligibility. And, you know, I think right away from the get -go, of the schools that were talking to me. I saw something really special with Georgia Tech, you know, kind of one of the schools where I had like a one -on -one conversation with Coach Key over the phone, which was really special. And not only that, but the entire offensive staff. And, you know, they were, you know, just, I think from the get -go I saw something really special and, you know, what they're building here. And I wanted to really be a part of that, you know."

Hawes also said the NFL part of the discussion played a factor in him choosing the Yellow Jackets:

"I mean, you know, I felt like I had really good film at Yale. I, you know, played a good bit three years there. And I did just kind of want to kind of, I don't know if, like, play it safe is the right word, but just get another year of experience it under my belt. Playing in the ACC, you know, it's a step up, definitely, from the Ivy League. So I wanted to kind of, you know, prove to myself that I can, you know, handle it against tougher competition for sure."

This past season, Hawes played 563 total snaps for Georgia Tech (299) run blocking snaps, finishing with a 68.0 overall grade and a 74.7 run blocking grade.

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