Day 3 from the NFL Combine: Nick Emmanwori Makes History, Maxwell Hairston Shows Out

Welcome back to The McShay Report! Friday was a big day at the combine, as we saw arguably the best all-around performance in the history of the event, learned more about the depth of the tight end class, and got to sit down with one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. 

A few quick housekeeping items before we get into my biggest takeaways from Friday’s festivities:

1. We’ll be LIVE on YouTube Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET to break down every angle of the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver workouts.
   

2. Early next week, be on the lookout for my second premium letter, which will include risers, fallers, and everything in between from my week in Indianapolis.
   

3. We’ll also be releasing an exclusive interview with Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman that you won’t want to miss.

Without further ado, here are my top-line thoughts from Friday’s loaded schedule in Indianapolis:

• Nick Emmanwori Tests Off the Charts: The South Carolina safety may have had the best combine performance I’ve ever seen.

• Talking Ball and Life With Tyler Shough: I sat down with the Louisville quarterback and couldn’t have been more impressed by his poise and maturity.

• Cornerback Stock Watch: Kentucky defensive back Maxwell Hairston separated himself during Friday’s workouts.  

• A Tight End Check-In: Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson met the moment during athletic testing, while Texas’s Gunnar Helm disappointed.

South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori steals the show.

Nick Emmanwori had an all-time performance at the combine on Friday, and perhaps the best pound-for-pound workout I’ve ever seen in Indianapolis. 

Take a look at these numbers:

• He measured at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds with 32-and-a-half-inch arms, which tied for first among safeties.

• He ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, which ranked second among safeties.

• He registered an 11-foot-6-inch broad jump, which ranked first among every player at the combine through Friday’s workouts.

• He hit 43 inches on his vertical, which is the best mark by any player weighing more than 200 pounds in combine history.
  

  
  

His Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which combines his measurables into a single grade, is a perfect 10.0, and his closest athletic comp is Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf. That’s how special this guy’s physical traits are.

Emmanwori isn’t always prepared pre-snap and his tape isn’t perfect, but I’m betting on an athlete that’s as fluid as he is. Guys with his length and athleticism—who have coverage flexibility and the ability to generate power from the ground up—just don’t come around often. 

I didn’t put Emmanwori in the first round of my Mock Draft 1.0, but he’ll be in the next one. I’m fascinated to see how the rest of his pre-draft process plays out—I think he could go as high as 14 to the Colts.

A wide-ranging Q&A with Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough.

On Friday morning, my cohost Steve Muench and I sat down with Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough, and I was blown away by his maturity. There’s been a lot of talk about Shough’s age (he turns 26 in September), the fact that he spent seven seasons in college, and that he battled through three major injuries, but when I turn on the tape, I don’t see a significant difference between him and the other top quarterbacks in this class. In fact, I’ve come to view those aforementioned critiques as strengths, not weaknesses. There are elements to his game that actually impress me more than what I’ve seen from Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart—Shough even outperformed the latter at the Senior Bowl. 

Below I’ve provided a brief excerpt from our conversation, which you can watch on YouTube and Spotify. Shough’s play—the way he layers the ball, hits receivers in stride and on time, and makes NFL throws downfield—speaks for itself. I’m excited for everyone to learn what motivates him and why Shough’s journey makes him one of the most intriguing players in this class.

Justin Herbert threw at the combine when other quarterbacks didn’t, and it helped improve his draft stock. You have a similar opportunity with Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders sitting out passing drills this week. What’s your mindset going into Saturday’s workout?

Man, I think you’ve got to go compete to compete. You’ve got to play football to play football. That’s my mindset. A lot of guys tell me, “You’re not going to go to the Senior Bowl, you’re not going to get drafted. You might as well leave.” Screw that, man. I know if I go play, I can play. And I want to go show that. … It’s a dream of everybody’s here. Let’s just go have fun.

What do you gain when you sit down and study different players? Are there certain teaching points that you look for?

Great question. It’s easy to be like “Oh, I watch Josh Allen.” Well, you can’t really coach when he’s hurdling or trucking another player. You’ve got to have that dog in you, which I think I do, but I don’t know if I’m going to try to do that in the NFL. … More than anything, I watch their footwork. What is their stance like in the shotgun? How do they position themselves under center to where they’re not getting stepped on when the guard’s pulling? What’s their release point? 

Is your wife ready for everything that’s coming over the next couple months? 

I think she’s probably more ready for it than I am. She played soccer at Oregon. She’s more of an athlete than I am, honestly. … She’s been my rock throughout this whole process and candidly, I would not be here without her support through everything. And my dog as well. That’s literally my life now. I don’t have a gaming system, I don’t really do anything other than go on walks and hang out and watch movies. … She’s helped me learn some of the West Coast system throughout this whole process. Hopefully we’re going to get her good with the playbook. 

These responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Cornerback Stock Watch: Maxwell Hairston seizes the day, plus other takeaways from Friday’s defensive back workouts.

With top cornerback prospects Travis Hunter, Will Johnson, and Benjamin Morrison sitting out combine workouts, the position group’s lesser-known players had ample opportunity to shine on Friday—and Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston did just that.

Hairston led all corners with a 4.28-second 40-yard dash, ranked second at the position with a 39-and-a-half-inch vertical, and during one run reached 24.25 miles per hour, which was the fifth-fastest speed recorded by any player at the combine over the past three years. Talk about coming out and sending a message!  

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Hairston’s size isn’t ideal and he needs to improve as a tackler, but he’s a ball magnet with excellent college production, including six career interceptions, a program-record three pick-sixes, 10 pass break-ups, and three forced fumbles. He excels in zone coverage, can play outside and in the slot, and has fast eyes. 

What I saw during testing yesterday—in addition to my tape study—makes me think Hairston will be a top 50 pick and a no. 3 starting corner as a rookie. He has some Casey Hayward and Jason Verrett in his game. 

Defensive Back Quick-Hitters

Iowa State CB Darien Porter was impressive on Friday, ranking first among corners with a 1.49-second 10-yard split and second with a 4.30-second 40-yard dash. The wide receiver-turned-cornerback is still learning the position, but he looks like he was produced in a press-man laboratory.

Take a look at how similar his measurables are to those of standout Seahawks corner Riq Woolen:

Texas CB Jahdae Barron ran faster than I thought he would, logging a 4.39-second 40, which ranked tied for sixth among corners. His sub-30-inch arm length isn’t ideal, but it doesn’t look like a major issue on tape. I absolutely love the player. 

UTSA CB Zah Frazier measured at 6-foot-3 and ran a 4.36-second 40 on Friday. He tallied six interceptions in 2024, which ranked second in the FBS and broke the UTSA single-season record. I keep hearing from scouts that he could be drafted on the second day of the draft. 

Nevada DS Kitan Crawford has explosive traits, and he plays well in coverage, especially in the slot. He ran the third-fastest 40-yard dash (4.41 seconds) among safeties and was tied for the second-best vertical jump (41-and-a-half-inches). He also tied for third at his position in the broad jump (10-feet-8-inches).

A tight end check-in: Terrance Ferguson, Joshua Simon have big days.

Most of the draft’s top tight ends—including Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Elijah Arroyo—sat out combine workouts for various reasons. And there’s no sugarcoating it: Had Friday been strictly a tight end day, it would’ve been a major disappointment. That said, we did learn some things from this group.

I thought Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson, who ran the fastest 40 (4.63 seconds) and had the best vertical jump (39 inches) at the position, had a great showing. In my view, he separated himself from Texas’s Gunnar Helm and Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr., both of whom have similar size and entered the week ranked in the same cluster of prospects. 

While Ferguson helped himself today, Helm hurt his cause, logging the worst vertical jump (30 inches) among tight ends who tested and the third-worst 40 time (4.84 seconds). I still love the player, but these numbers worry me a bit. 

One other prospect worth mentioning is South Carolina’s Joshua Simon, who ranked second among tight ends in the 40 (4.65 seconds), second in the vertical jump (38 inches), and second in the broad jump (10-feet-4-inches). Let’s just say I have some tape work to do on this guy next week!

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