Former Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool ran the 40-yard dash on Friday, when tight ends and defensive backs worked out at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
The 6-foot-5, 241-pound Briningstool recorded an unofficial time of 4.75 seconds on his first 40-yard dash attempt.
Briningstool then clocked an unofficial time of 4.77 seconds on his second 40-yard dash attempt.
His official 40 time came in at 4.75 — the ninth-fastest time among tight ends who ran the 40-yard dash at the combine.
Briningstool — Clemson’s all-time leader in career receptions by a tight end – wrapped up his Clemson career (2021-24) with 127 receptions for 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns over 48 career games (26 starts).
The two-time All-ACC selection finished second in school history in receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, while he finished his career tied for the seventh-most receptions by a tight end in ACC history. His three career 100-yard receiving games were a Clemson tight end record.
Briningstool was a third-team All-ACC selection as a senior this past season, when he caught 49 passes and recorded career highs in receiving yards (530) and receiving touchdowns (seven) over 13 games (all starts).
Briningstool’s 49 receptions in 2024 were one off the school record shared by himself (50 in 2023) and Dwayne Allen (50 in 2011), and Briningstool was one receiving touchdown of shy of the school single-season record shared by three players. He posted the sixth 500-yard receiving season by a tight end in school history and was one of 10 tight ends nationally to record multiple 100-yard receiving games.
The 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled to be held from April 24-26 inside and around iconic Lambeau Field and Titletown in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The latest 2025 NFL Draft rankings from ESPN’s Jordan Reid (subscription required) Reid placed Briningstool at No. 3 among tight end/H-backs behind Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. and Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II.
A recent mock draft from Pro Football Network projected Briningstool to be selected in the fifth round by the New England Patriots with the No. 144 overall pick.
In addition to the NFL Combine, Briningstool had the chance to showcase his skills and talent for NFL personnel during the pre-draft process when he was Clemson’s lone representative at the 2025 Senior Bowl.
Briningstool offers what has been described as a “unique” tight end skill set, and he believes his skills would translate well into any NFL offense.
“I think it fits in anywhere,” he said. “I’m open to learning new things. I just want to be able to compete, do my best day in and day out, and wherever that is, God has a plan for me, so I’m trusting that.”
–Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images