Former Toledo Rockets Darius Alexander and Maxen Hook have accepted invitations to participate in the 2025 NFL Draft Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 27-March 2.
Alexander, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, earned second-team All-MAC honors at defensive tackle in 2024 after making third-team all-league in 2023. He set career high in tackles (40) and tackles for loss (7.5) this past season and had a memorable 58-yard pick-six in Toledo’s 48-46, six overtime victory over Pittsburgh in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. He finished his Rocket career with 127 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.
Alexander made a big impact at this year’s Senior Bowl, impressing media observers and NFL Draft pundits with his performance throughout the week of practices and one-on-one drills leading up to the game. He was named the top defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl in a vote by the offensive linemen participating in the practices. He followed that up with a noteworthy performance in the Senior Bowl game on Feb. 2, picking up one tackle for loss, another tackle for no gain and several pressures on quarterbacks for the opposing team.
“I’m excited to go back to my home state of Indiana to the combine. I know all my friends and family will be watching on TV,” Alexander said. “Maxen and I are just two Indiana boys going after the same dream we had when were five or six years old. Getting drafted and playing in the NFL is what I’ve always dreamed of. I’ve been working hard and I feel good. I’m going to enjoy it and have some fun.”
Hook, a safety from New Palestine, Indiana, earned All-MAC honors for the fourth time this past season, becoming only the third Rocket ever to achieve this feat. He earned first-team All-MAC accolades in 2022, 2023 and 2024, and third-team honors in 2021. He led the Rockets in tackles with 107 in 2024. For his career, Hook had 356 tackles, seven interceptions and 15 pass breakups. He also participated in Senior Bowl workouts but was not able to play in the game due to an injury.
Hook and Alexander are hoping to become the latest Rockets to be selected in the NFL Draft (April 24-26). A total of 10 Rockets have been drafted since 2017, including cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who was runner-up as the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell was a standout at last year’s combine and went on to be the No. 22 selection in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was the only player from a Group of Five conference to be taken in the first round last year and the first Rocket to be in taken in the opening round in 31 years.
Defensive linemen are scheduled to work out at the NFL Combine on Thursday, Feb. 27, while defensive backs are set for Friday, Feb. 28. The combine will air on the NFL Network.
