After a couple of days of meetings and podium sessions, the on-field activities kicked off in Indianapolis at the 2025 NFL Combine.

The defensive lineman and linebackers took the field for the 40-yard dash and other drills, as the first of four days of drills are underway.

While some of the top prospects like Michigan's Mason Graham, Penn State's Abdul Carter, Michigan's Kenneth Grant, Marshall's Mike Green and others did not participate, Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart and Tennessee's James Pearce, Jr. were among the players that turned heads.

Prior to the drills however, defensive backs and tight ends hit the podium.

That group is headlined by Colorado's Travis Hunter, one of the top prospects in the draft, who had his first media availability of the period. But there was also tight ends like Penn State's Tyler Warren and Michigan's Colston Loveland who have been popular players in a position that's been projected to the Chargers.

While the Wolverine, who played under Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, said he hadn't met with the Bolts yet, he did see him around.

"I haven't met with the Chargers, which I think makes sense because they know a lot about me already," Loveland said. "But I've seen Coach.

"It's always good to see him. He's a great guy," Loveland added.

Loveland wore a sling on his right shoulder during his media session and said he is recovering well from a recent surgery. He is NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah's No. 7 overall player.

Meanwhile, Warren, who will do his drills at the Penn State Pro Day, talked a bit about his skill set and what he would bring to a team.

"What I try and do is be a guy that can kind of fit in a lot of different roles," Warren said. "I don't know if I have one that really sticks out the best. That's kind of fun about the tight end position is you get to do a lot of different things within the offense."

The Main Takeaway

Stewart said during his podium session on Wednesday that he had "something in the bag" for his drills on Thursday.

It might have been an understatement.

The Texas A&M product put on a show, arguably putting on the best overall performance of the day.

Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds, Stewart finished with the best broad jump among the edge rushers at the Combine with a 10-foot, 11-inch leap. According to ESPN's Ben Solak, there have only been seven broad jumps by an edge rusher longer than 10-11 since 2000.

He followed it up with the second-highest vertical jump among his group with at a dazzling 40 inches. It fell in the 96th percentile among his position, as only Myles Garrett and Bud Dupree jumped higher at a heavier weight than Stewart's according to Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema.

And for good measure, he finished with a 4.59 second 40-yard dash, which was third-best among the defensive lineman.

Fellow edge rusher Pearce also had quite the showing in Indianapolis, as he showed off his athleticism and explosiveness.

Pearce, who is Jeremiah's No. 21 overall prospect, finished with the fastest 40-yard dash among the defensive lineman with a blazing 4.47. He also had a 10-yard split of 1.56.

According to Sikkema, the 40-yard dash was in the 97th percentile, while the 10-yard split fit in the 93rd percentile.

Among others who had a good showing on Thursday was Arkansas edge rusher Landon Jackson, who had the highest vertical jump in the defensive line group with a 40.5, narrowly beating out Stewart. He also followed it up with a 10-9 broad jump, which was second behind Stewart.

Looking at the defensive tackles, Toledo's Darius Alexander and Oregon's Derrick Harmon also put together strong showings. Meanwhile Nebraska's Ty Robinson had the fastest 40-yard dash among the group with an official 4.83, and Georgia's Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins led the position in vertical jump (36) and broad jump (10-4).

Tweet of the Day

Hunter certainly attracts a lot of eyes when he's playing both sides of the ball on the field, and that stayed true on Thursday in Indy.

One of the top prospects in the draft had quite the crowd during his podium session earlier in the day, as a massive group gathered while he answered questions from the media.

The Colorado product won't do on-field drills at the Combine, but he surely will be a big name to keep an eye on from now until April.

A Peek Ahead

With the first day of on-field workouts in the books, Friday will see the defensive backs and tight ends get their turn at Lucas Oil Stadium.

While some of the top prospects like Hunter, Warren, Loveland and others won't participate in the drills at the Combine, it is a chance for the rest of the players to try and improve their stock.

It's especially true for possible Day 2 tight ends like Elijah Arroyo, Gunnar Helm and Harold Fannin, Jr., who headline the impressive depth at the position. On-field workouts will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. (PT).

In terms of the podium, it will be a busy offensive day on Friday as quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will speak to the media for the first time.