More than 300 draft-eligible college football players are descending on Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. Influential figures within the Washington Commanders will be watching developments closely.
Prospects will meet with scouts from every NFL team. They will be weighed and measured, put through drills and agility tests. For some, their performance will go a long way toward determining their future. It is the biggest cattle-call job interview most of these athletes will ever participate in.
Each general manager has his checklist for what matters and what doesn’t. Intangibles matter. A quarterback’s hand size, an offensive tackle’s arm length, or an edge rusher’s three-cone drill time can have an enormous impact on the evaluation.
They try to discern intangibles like work ethic and leadership potential through interviews. There will be other smaller assessments like this through the run-up to the draft, but the combine remains the first and biggest audition.
It carries even more weight for players from smaller programs. While some well-known prospects from power conferences may pick and choose in which parts they will participate, lesser-known players have no such luxury.
If you come from an FCS school — one that does not compete at the FBS level against the best competition — this may be your best chance to prove you belong. All-star games like the Senior Bowl provide similar opportunities, but the combine is even more focused on showing NFL talent evaluators exactly where you stand.
Adam Peters and his crew will be meticulously working, looking for the players they want to target in the draft and its immediate aftermath. With increased television coverage, Commanders’ fans can study the prospects too.
The overwhelming majority of prospects hail from better-known FBS programs. Still, there will be a dozen or more athletes from the FCS in attendance. Each year, several bargains are plucked from those ranks. These are players of great skill whose draft stock has fallen due to their lower-profile schools. Last season, Jayden Daniels’ first professional touchdown pass was caught by an FCS grad.
Here are three FCS players for Commanders’ fans to keep an eye on at the NFL Scouting Combine. Any one of them could make a major contribution as soon as 2025.
FCS prospects the Commanders should watch at 2025 NFL Scouting Combine
David Walker
- Edge Rusher | Central Arkansas Bears
David Walker was a three-sport star at Stuttgart High School before enrolling at Southern Arkansas in 2020. After two standout years at the DII program, he transferred to Central Arkansas and developed into one of the best defenders in the country.
In two seasons with the Bears, Walker made 60 plays behind the line of scrimmage, with 21 sacks and 39 tackles for loss. That's not gooing to go unnoticed by front-office personnel.
Walker is a tremendous athlete. He was selected by Bruce Feldman for his “Freaks” list due to his raw speed and explosive power. His vertical leap indicates a player with a great initial burst and that shows up on his tape.
He has exceptional strength and has already developed sophisticated pass-rushing moves. The one knock on Walker will be his length. At 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds, he does not have the long reach that scouts crave in an edge rusher. Neither did Dwight Freeney, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who recorded more than 100 sacks in his career.
It would be foolish to project that level of success for Walker, but you can see similarities. A good combine could push him into the mid-rounds of the draft. He could provide immediate help for the Commanders’ pass rush.
Charles Grant
- Offensive Lineman | William & Mary Tribe
Charles Grant dominated opposing defenders at the FCS level, starting 36 straight games for William & Mary. He was an accomplished high school wrestler, and his agility and tenacity are obvious on tape.
Grant was chosen first-team all-conference for three straight seasons. He was invited to both the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl this year. He has won virtually every award available to an FCS offensive lineman.
There is nothing to dislike about Grant’s technique and lateral movement. The only concern is his size. At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, he needs to prove he can stand up to the long, athletic edge rushers in the pros.
If a shift inside is being considered, Grant needs to demonstrate enough raw power to handle an interior spot. That is hard to judge by watching him against FCS competition. His strength numbers at the combine will be crucial.
Grant could project as a day-two pick if he performs well. He also appears to be the type of prospect who will do well in the interview process. Not only was he a team captain, he was also an academic All-American and in 2023, served as a blood marrow donor.
That may not add to his bench press number, but it speaks to his high character.
Marcus Yarns
- Running Back | Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
After starring at nearby Parkside High School in Salisbury, Maryland, Marcus Yarns went to Delaware and grew into one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the FCS.
As a senior in 2023, he combined for well over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards, finding the end zone 18 times. Yarns followed that up with a graduate year, again topping 1,000 all-purpose yards and 11 touchdowns. The prospect boasts exceptional speed and above-average receiving skills.
The only thing that may scare off professional scouts is his size. At approximately 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, he does not project to be a durable back. However, if Yarns can convince evaluators that he can stand up to the physicality of the NFL, he could be a very valuable change-of-pace weapon out of the backfield.
Physically, he resembles the last two players to man this role for Washington — J.D. McKissic and Austin Ekeler. If anything, he boasts more impressive speed.
The dual-threat has excellent vision and contact balance, exploding through small holes with ease. If he can do that against higher-tier competition, Yarns will be a steal in the later rounds or as an undrafted free agent.