They Might Be Giants: Offensive Linemen Risers from NFL Combine

The final day of on-field testing and workouts of the 2025 NFL Combine belonged to the big men up front, the offensive line. This year's group is diverse, with a ton of talent in the interior.

Most evaluators wanted to assess their athleticism. The NFL has many offensive schemes that ask linemen to get out to the perimeter or to the second end at this level to block screens and other quick game elements besides the traditional pulling-on-gap scheme runs.

Flashing high levels of athleticism, when you are 300-plus pounds, can move players up and down the draft board. There were definitely guys making moves on Sunday, and we will likely be talking about it for quite some time.

Five linemen ran sub-five seconds, and one was the projected first tackle taken in this year’s draft, LSU’s Will Campbell, who ran a 4.98. Let’s take a look at others who helped themselves.

OT Armand Membou, Missouri

Mizzou Tiger Armand Membou's roaring 4.91u at at 6’4” 332 lbs!

📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
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— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2025

Membo is a massive man at 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds. The fact that he can get that frame 40 yards downfield in 4.91 seconds while screaming is astonishing.

His 34-inch vertical jump was tied for 4th among all offensive linemen, and his 9-foot-7 broad jump was the best mark in the group by two inches.

He looked really comfortable in his kick slide and change of direction drills during the on-field workouts. He also showed how violent his hands could be when striking the bag.

One time, he nearly decapitated one of the coaches holding the hand shield. Some think he may have worked his way into the OT1 conversation.

OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota

An unofficial 5⃣.0⃣1⃣ for @Aireontae_69 on his first attempt in Indianapolis!

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— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) March 2, 2025

A 6-foot-6, 331-pound lineman should not be able to move that fast, but here is Ersery, who did. He ran an impressive 5.01 forty with a quality 1.75-second 10-yard split.

Although his 29.5-inch vertical jump was not the greatest, he followed that up with a very impressive 9-foot-3 broad jump. He even participated in the agility drills. He finished with a 7.81 three-cone drill and a 4.82 pro agility.

Anytime a man that big can move like that, not just in a straight line but laterally, they are making money for themselves.

Ersery has the chance to quickly develop into a quality tackle in the league. Any of the minor technique issues that he may have can be polished up quickly.

OC Jared Wilson, Georgia

4.84u for Georgia’s Jared Wilson! 🔥

📺: #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/RFglYRD736
— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2025

There are not many true center prospects in this draft, but Wilson has definitely distinguished himself as the premier center. He has the athleticism that most covet at the position today.

At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Wilson turned in a blistering 4.84 40-yard dash time. He added a 32-inch vertical and 9-foot-4 broad jump. He even ran the pro agility in 4.56 seconds.

Early in the NFL, he will need to win with athleticism while he continues to build up his strength and maybe pack on a few more pounds to a frame that could likely hold 20 more.

He is a true center in a world where there are not many true centers. He should be a popular mid-round pick for any of the 32 teams.

OG Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

“At the end of the day I’m an offensive lineman”#NDSU’s Grey Zabel is showing his worth ahead of this draft. Says every team has talked to him about playing a different spot on the OL pic.twitter.com/8GDGtCtE2Q
— Luke Gamble (@LukeGambleTV) March 1, 2025

When you think about how explosive Grey Zabel was in the jumping drills, it is almost strange that he did not run the forty. You would have thought the versatile future NFL guard would have done anything to get minds off his 32-inch arms.

His 36.5-inch vertical was the best in the entire lineman group. He followed that up with a 9-foot-3 broad jump.

In the wave drill, his transitions on his change of direction were a little stiff, but he had elite recovery. Once he was going, the way he moved his feet was elite: a smooth backpedal, and his side slides were great and both feet were never off the turf at the same time.

OG Tate Ratledge, Georgia

The mullet is flowing!

4️⃣.9️⃣7️⃣u for Tate Ratledge #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/x3CR5nDDI8
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) March 2, 2025

At 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds, Ratledge is tall and slender (if a 300-pound man can be considered slender). His frame clearly can comfortably hold more weight, and he showed real athleticism for a man so big.

He ran a 4.97 forty with a 1.72 10-yard split. More important than his speed was his explosiveness in the jumps. His 32-inch vertical was impressive, but his 9-foot-5 broad jump was ridiculous.

Even though there may be questions about his ability to move players, those traits, combined with an NFL strength and conditioning program, will intrigue many teams.

Stay locked here to the New York Giants On SI for continued coverage of the road to the 2025 draft, and check out some of the players at each position from the NFL combine who produced positive results and would be great fits for the Giants.

OT Armand Membou, Missouri

OT Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota

OC Jared Wilson, Georgia

OG Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

OG Tate Ratledge, Georgia

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