The 2025 NFL scouting combine will be held from February 27 to March 2 at Indianapolis. While these days many see it as more of a gathering for top front office executives to mingle amongst each other and media members about how the NFL offseason will unfold, it’s important to remember that there are still college football players trying to prove to teams around the league that they should be on their draft boards.

Minnesota Gophers receive SIX NFL scouting combine invites

And in 2025, six Minnesota Gophers players received invites to the scouting combine, including QB Max Brosmer, DL Jah Joyner, CB Justin Walley, WR Daniel Jackson and OT Aireontae Ersery. That’s more Golden Gophers to attend a scouting combine than in any other year in program history.

A program record 6️⃣ @NFL Scouting Combine Invitees! Minnesota is one of just 13 programs to have at least six invitees at six different positions 〽️#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/u5Y1WPGnWZ

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) February 13, 2025

Quarterback, Max Brosmer | 6’2″, 225lb

A graduate transfer out of New Hampshire, Max Brosmer started all 13 games for the Minnesota Gophers in 2024. He set a single-season school record with 268 completions (403 attempts). His passing efficiency was remarkable, completing 66.5% of his passes for 2,828 yards (third most in school history) and 18 touchdowns (tied for eighth most) to just 6 interceptions.

Related: Minnesota QB Max Brosmer Gets THE Invite

Brosmer’s performance earned him Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors once and a spot in the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he impressed scouts and evaluators in attendance. Max’s transfer in last season transformed the Golden Gophers’ offense faster than anyone thought humanly possible. In 2024, Minnesota averaged 31.7 pass attempts per game, significantly higher than any previous season under PJ Fleck.

Max Brosmer (Minnesota) is probably my favorite Day 3 QB. Absolute machine on intermediate throws and is by far the best anticipatory passer that I’ve watched. I’d draft him just to specialize as my 3rd & medium QB.pic.twitter.com/wJCRgekYKi

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) January 17, 2025

Defensive End, Jah Joyner | 6’5″, 250lb

Jah Joyner’s combination of speed, power, and technique made him one of the most disruptive defensive linemen on the Minnesota Gophers last season. The junior defensive end racked up 4.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss (32 total tackles) in 2024. He also forced 2 fumbles and 7 pass breakups.

Joyner’s impressive performance earned him a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team, which helped get him his invite to the combine. According to PFF, Joyner hurried opposing quarterbacks 22 times in 2024, which led the team. He also posted an overall defensive grade of 76.7. Even more impressive is his consistency in both the run and pass — 75.4 both rush defense and pass rush grades.

Wide Receiver, Daniel Jackson | 6’0″, 200lb

The senior Minnesota Gophers wide receiver played in all 12 games, hauling in 75 receptions for 863 yards and 4 touchdowns. He averaged 6.2 receptions per game and 71.9 receiving yards per game, proving himself as far and away the best receiver on the Golden Gophers roster in 2024.

Jackson can play inside, outside and he’s determined in the block game. Daniel is a guy who will go into this draft very much underrated, but his hands and ability to get open will make him a viable candidate for whatever roster he ends up on.

Continuing our top 10 moments of the season countdown, we have our No. 3 moment… when @GopherFootball's Daniel Jackson had this absolutely unreal catch 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/85zSEFYPPl

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 29, 2024

Offensive Tackle, Aireontae Ersery | 6’6″, 320lb

Aireontae Ersery anchored the Minnesota Gophers offensive line at left tackle in 2024, showcasing his strength and athleticism. He started all 13 games last season for the Gophers and he was a key part of an offensive line that helped the Gophers average over 400 yards of total offense per game.

The senior LT posted a 77.5 overall PFF grade, which included a 73.6 grade. He was even better in pass pro, where he posted a 77.3 grade, which demonstrates probably Ersery’s best skill as a blocker. According to PFF, Aireontae allowed just one sack, one QB hit and 10 hurries all season.

Related: Gophers Finish Way Higher than Projected in Final Top 140 of 2024

Entering the 2025 NFL Draft, Ersery is projected as a potential first or second round draft pick. Mel Kiper (ESPN) has him as his 7th best offensive tackle in the class. Kiper notes Ersery’s ability to “drive defensive ends off the ball with his power and uses his movement skills to keep quicker pass rushers in check”.

Linebacker, Cody Lindenberg | 6’3″, 235lb

Cody Lindenberg was another huge cog in the efficient Minnesota Gophers defense machine in 2024. He tallied 94 total tackles, including 45 solo and 49 assisted, which easily led the team. The closest Gopher behind him was Maverick Baranowski, with 65. Lindenberg also contributed 5 tackles for loss and 1 sack.

Every NFL team is looking for big 'backers who can run and Minnesota's Cody Lindenberg (6030e, 240e) is one of 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞/𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐬 in this year's LB class.

Checkout #45 run with shallow crosser here👇and then attack downhill with perfect timing for the sack… https://t.co/zHF79GkPhm pic.twitter.com/OJKO77gGlE

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 17, 2024

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Lindenberg earned an overall grade of 72.2, with an impressive run defense grade of 79.3 to go with a 66.2 tackle grade and 65.4 pass rush grade. PFF does have him riding the struggle bus in coverage last year, with a 61.1 grade.

Linebacker, Justin Walley | 5’11”, 185lb

Justin Walley had yet another impressive season in 2024, as No. 1 cornerback for the Minnesota Gophers. He recorded 42 total tackles, including 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack, to go with his 2 interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and 10 pass breakups.

PFF liked Walley (70.7 overall grade), who played more defensive snaps than any other CB on the Minnesota roster (549). He was especially when he came up to support the run (71.4 grade) and when he dropped back in coverage (70.8 grade).

Related: Another Gophers Football Coach Plucked by NFL Team

Justin Walley will have to improve his tackle skills (56.5 grade) to produce at the next level but there’s no doubt Walley holds all the talent and skills necessary to be a starting CB in the league.

Well, most of the healthy Minnesota players will be playing vs the Hokies. That includes quarterback Max Brosmer, who will be playing in the final game of his collegiate career on Friday. So will sophomore running back Darius Taylor, who can push his rushing totals on the season over 1,000 yards, if he can gain 130 yards on the ground in the season finale.

Minnesota Gophers will be missing lots of talent at Duke’s Mayo Bowl

That’s the good news. The bad news is that some of the other most important Gophers players will not be participating. According to Ryan Burns (247Sports), most of the Gophers who are hoping to hear their name called during the 2025 NFL Draft will not play.

Those names include (LT) Aireontae Ersery, (LB) Cody Lindenberg, (WR) Daniel Jackson, (RB) Marcus Major, (C) Tyler Cooper and (OL) Phillip Daniels. That’s a lot of beef to be missing off of an offensive line that underperformed for much of the 2024 season.

“Minnesota is likely going to be without Marcus Major, Daniel Jackson, Aireonae Ersery, Tyler Cooper, Phillip Daniels. I mean, you’re going to be without quite a bit there.”

Ryan Burns (247Sports) – Gopher Gridiron Podcast (41:20 mark)

The Star Tribune’s Randy Johnson added a couple more guys to the list, noting that the Gophers “might be without” (DL) Jah Joyner and (CB) Justin Walley, as well. As you can see, Minnesota will be far from 100% in Charlotte.

Even with these expected absences, the Minnesota Gophers remain -9 favorites. Why? Well, PJ Fleck is 5-0 in bowl games as head coach at the U of M. Additionally, the Gophers are probably a better team than the Hokies, even with both squads at full strength. But if you think we have an opt-out problem, Virginia Tech has it much worse.

Related: Minnesota QB Max Brosmer Lands on NFL Draft Hot Board

As Burns also notes, the Virginia Tech Hokies will be without two 1st Team All-ACC defensive linemen, “essentially their entire secondary” and two starting linebackers. Good luck stopping Max Brosmer and Darius Taylor with that going on…

What are Gophers missing without Jackson, Ersery, Lindenberg, others?

Nonetheless, Minnesota’s absences will certainly hurt, too. Aireontae Ersery is expected to be a first round draft pick, come April. Daniel Jackson was by far the Gophers most prolific pass catcher, posting 75 receptions for 863 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was also the biggest All-Conference snub of the 2024 class.

Screw fox, that's a Gophers TD and I'm posting it pic.twitter.com/dQOnD9o9Fz

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) September 28, 2024

On defense, Minnesota will lose Cody Lindenberg, who easily leads the team in tackles, with 94. The 2nd highest leading tackler? Kerry Brown and Maverick Baranowski are tied at 59 each. That type of production isn’t easily replaced.

Related: CFB Expert Confidently Picks Minnesota Gophers to Win Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Good thing Virginia Tech is missing their two stud big men up front, on defense, because most of the Gophers offensive line is sitting this game out. Nonetheless, this will be a great opportunity for PJ Fleck and his coaching staff to get a look at some of the linemen who have not gotten a lot of run yet this season, then adjust their post bowl game transfer portal plans, as necessary.

There are a lot of new faces on defense, even a new defensive coordinator. On offense, the QB torch has been passed to grad transfer Max Brosmer. There are unproven new faces on the offensive line, too. But at wide receiver, many of the same names will be on the call sheet later this month.

Daniel Jackson added to Biletnikoff Award watch list

One of those familiar faces is WR Daniel Jackson, who was just added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list yesterday. The 5th year senior has led the Gophers in receiving yards each of the past two seasons. He’s compiled a total of 96 receptions, 1,388 yards and 13 touchdowns between 2022 and 2023.

Does Daniel Jackson overtake Crab as WR1 next fall? #Gophers pic.twitter.com/X9O1ws44aU

— B1G 10kcommenter (@10kCommenter) January 11, 2023

And he put up those numbers on an offense that has been aerially inept since 2019. Unlike just about every passing weapon this team has put on the field over the past four seasons, Jackson was able to blossom into a reliable option for former QB1s Tanner Morgan and Athan Kaliakmanis.

Related: Why Were Gophers Spying on Fans at Open Practice…?

Now, Daniel Jackson will almost surely be drafted at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft. How high will he go? That will be decided over the next three to four months. It will also largely be dictated by how well he and Max Brosmer gel in this supposedly modernized Gopher offense.

#Gophers @25DanielJackson was really something special for MN

Currently at 11th in program history for rec yards at 1,822. Could move into 10th w/38 yards in a bowl game

Daniel could run it back & w/a 1K season, he's crepping on top 3 territory 👀
pic.twitter.com/8AAitc3KDj

— Kane Rob (@GophersKaneRob) December 2, 2023

While he may not be on every college football fan or media member’s radar, Jackson definitely has himself a huge fan in CFB expert and insider, Scott Dochterman, over at The Athletic.

CFB insider heaps big praise on Minnesota Gophers’ “best little known WR in the country”

As part of an interesting SEC vs Big Ten piece that dropped on Thursday, Dochterman couldn’t help but go out of his way to mention the 6-0, 200 lb WR out of Mission, KS, calling him “the best little-known receiver in the country”.

In this B1G vs SEC article, Minnesota is matched up vs Florida. Dochterman picks the Gophers in a 34-24 victory, meaning not only is he high on Daniel Jackson, but he’s also buying what PJ Fleck is selling this fall. And that isn’t exactly the popular trend right now.

Florida vs. Minnesota

In three games against the Gophers while at Wisconsin, Florida quarterback Graham Mertz never threw a touchdown and suffered a concussion in the only meeting the Badgers won. That unfortunate trend extends to this matchup for the Gators. Plus, the Gophers have the best little-known receiver in the country in Daniel Jackson.

Minnesota 34, Florida 24.

Scott Dochterman – The Athletic

Related: Two Minnesota Gophers Officially Become Freaks

Remember, sportsbooks have pinned the Gophers as one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this season. FanDuel puts their odds to win the conference at +25000 ; their over/under win total at just 5.5. Clearly, Scott is one of the more optimistic CFB experts out there, when it comes to Minnesota in 2024. He attributes part of that to Jackson.

SOUND THE ALARMS PLAY THE RIHANNA SLAM THAT BEER STAND THAT KEG DANCE IN THE STREET SEX YOUR WO(MAN) HUMP THE AIR SHAKE IT LIKE YOU JUST DON’T CARE WE’RE ROSEBOWL BOUND AND THE BADGERS FUCKING SUCK #RTB #SKIUMAH

also: @KadenJohnson9 you ready to be the #hometownhero or what? https://t.co/sti45Z9vpK

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) July 1, 2019

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There’s a reason to be extra excited for the commitment that just took place for PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers football team. Daniel Jackson is the first commitment of the year that ranks into the .9000’s on 247Sports.com. PJ Fleck has landed 3 players so far that rank above a .8900 and they all came in his rookie 2018 class. They are Danielle Faalele (SO – Starting OT), Curtis Dunlap (RSFR – Starting OG), and Rashod Bateman (SO – Starting WR)……

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I didn’t go all the way back but Jackson has to be the highest-rated wide receiver the Gophers have reeled in, in a long time because he ranks higher than both Tyler Johnson (.8643) and Bateman (above – .8914). And if there is anything that PJ Fleck has proven (he’s proven a lot but even the biggest haters would have to give him this), it’s that he can develop wide receivers.

I wrote about this last week, as one of the two recruiting battles where the Gophers were going toe-to-toe with the disgusting state to the East. This was a big one, obviously, but it was the expected one given everything we’ve discussed.

As mentioned in my over-excited fan-girl tweet, there is one more of those recruits to win over. He has an even higher rating that Jackson and would be the homegrown LB expected to carry the #homegrown torch from Carter Coughlin after this season. If we land Kaden Johnson, I’m streaking through the quad and into the gymnasium.

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via GIPHY

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

 —- Here is some video I found of Jackson floating around the internet:

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