Toledo Rocket Darius Alexander, a defensive tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft class, came into the NFL Scouting Combine with age concerns after playing for the Rockets for six seasons. He performed very well in his drills, though, perhaps putting those concerns to bed.
Darius Alexander’s Strong NFL Combine Performance
Darius Alexander made waves during the NFL Combine Thursday after showing off excellent athleticism and measurables. The defensive tackle, who spent six seasons at Toledo due to a redshirt season and a Covid year, entered the 2025 NFL Draft after being named preseason First-Team All-MAC by Athlon Sports.
In a loaded defensive lineman field, Alexander faced the potential danger of slipping through the cracks, especially as an older player from a smaller school.
But he did everything he could today at the combine to stick out and quiet those concerns.
Alexander scored an unofficial 9.72 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), a metric that compiles all of a player’s measurables, including height, weight, and on-field drills, among others, to create a score on a scale of 0 through 10. Kent Lee Platte created the metric, which is a useful side-by-side tool for NFL scouts and analysts alike.
Alexander’s RAS score of 9.72 ranked “51 out of 1812 DT from 1987 to 2025,” according to Platte.
Darius Alexander is a DT prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.72 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 51 out of 1812 DT from 1987 to 2025.
Splits proected, Times unofficial.https://t.co/9jqiI60e3m pic.twitter.com/qpBwVYK6wi
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) February 27, 2025
Alexander weighed in at 305 pounds, which comes in on the lighter side for a player who’s known as the anchor of the defense and expected to take on repeated double teams. That may be a concern for some teams, but his athletic ability at that size is eye-popping.
His 31.5′ vertical jump and 9’4″ broad jump are terrific marks for a player of his size, along with a sub-5.0-second 40-yard dash. What potentially matters more so for a DT is the 10-yard split, which Alexander also measured in as “great” in Platte’s metrics with a time of 1.73 seconds (unofficial).
Although an older prospect, ultimately, what matters is what he puts on the field.
While his fellow class of 2019 defensive lineman already have a Super Bowl ring (Nolan Smith, Philadelphia Eagles), and are discussing a second contract (Kayvan Thibodeaux, New York Giants), Alexander finds himself just now entering the NFL Draft.
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Regardless of the comparisons, he’s beginning to make a name for himself as a firm Day 2 prospect and a player who can compete right away, an invaluable asset for NFL teams.
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