The NFL Scouting Combine is upon us. On Monday, much of the league will descend upon Indianapolis, signaling the beginning of the draft season for the wider NFL audience. 

With the event set for the whole week, I’ve outlined five questions that could (should?) get answered. The Combine is known for the hard data we get out of it — official measurements, 40-yard dash times, the jumps, etc. — but much of the info that comes out of this week is more intel-based. With so many team executives, coaches, scouts and agents in one place, not to mention the prospects themselves, a lot of information comes out.

Of course, it’s been draft season for me since the 2025 draft ended. I’ve been grinding tape and evaluating prospects ever since, all to deliver comprehensive draft content to you all. For a more complete Combine primer, check out my latest Top 100 Big Board and my updated position rankings, linked below:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
• Offensive Tackles
• Interior Offensive Linemen
• Edge Rushers
• Defensive Tackles
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks
• Safeties

What Is Rueben Bain Jr.’s Official Arm Length?

This is maybe the single most critical individual measurement that will be taken all week. I’ve been a huge fan of the Miami edge rusher since the summer, and his 2025 tape is unreal. His combination of strength, size and quickness off the edge make him a nightmare to deal with. His first step beats most tackles and he can just as easily drive through their chest with his power.

Not everyone shares my enthusiasm, though. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said back in December that he talked to scouts who had second-round grades on Bain. The big looming question with Bain’s draft stock is his arm length. There’s concern that he will come in with sub-31-inch arms, which would make him a major outlier in terms of projecting to the NFL. 

It may feel silly to be discussing something as trivial as a quarter inch of arm length, but this is something that matters to NFL teams. Scouts use athletic thresholds as cutoffs to try to winnow the prospect pool, especially when it comes to top picks. Length is a positive trait for edge rushers, though in Bain’s case, I think he’s certainly proven he can be successful without it.

However, I’ve heard Bain may measure over 32 inches. That could be the difference between Bain being the first non-quarterback taken in the draft and falling towards the back of the top 10.  

Where Does Ty Simpson’s Stock Stand?

This is less about performance or measurements but instead about intel. Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is the no-doubt No. 1 overall pick to the Raiders and will not throw at the Combine. He has nothing to gain and more to lose. Much less is certain about the draft stock of the QB2 in this class, Simpson. There is a wide range of outcomes for him and this week will provide the first clues to try and narrow that down. 

There was some conflicting buzz out of the Senior Bowl last month but it does seem like Simpson will have some fans in the league. That makes sense — Simpson is a controlled pocket passer who excels at attacking the middle of the field. He’s the son of a coach and is great at recognizing blitzes and coverage rolls pre-snap, adjusting plays at the line as needed. He just looks like a quarterback, and that matters for some teams. 

Still, as I wrote in my scouting report on Simpson, in my opinion he’s a classic second-round quarterback. Given the weak class he’s in, some team may want to take a shot on him in the first, but he’s not someone who projects as an NFL-ready starter. He’ll want some time to mature behind a capable veteran.

It’s unlikely that Simpson will be in play in the top five picks. The top half of the first round seems like a possibility, but could he creep into the top 10? Or will Simpson be the latest quarterback to slide deep into the first round and into the draft’s second day, joining a list that includes Shedeur Sanders, Will Levis, Malik Willis, Drew Lock and many more. This week should go a long way toward an answer on that front.

How Does CB Jermod McCoy Look After His Year Away?

A sophomore in 2024, McCoy had elite, top-10-caliber tape that season. But he tore his ACL in offseason training in January and never played for the Volunteers in 2025, despite initial estimates placing his return near the end of September.

McCoy’s injury situation is a bit mysterious given that Tennessee HC Josh Heupel kept saying McCoy would be back soon, only for him to never play. College teams don’t have the same reporting requirements for injuries that NFL teams do and are equally paranoid — if not moreso. So we don’t know if McCoy was just playing it cautious to preserve his draft stock or if something more serious is going on with his rehab.

The Combine represents a chance to see McCoy on a football field for the first time since the injury, even if the drills and tests are a far cry from real football. It’s still unclear how much McCoy will participate, but a significant part of the Combine is medical evaluations. We should have more clarity on his injury situation after this week.

How Fast Is Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez?

A college football fan favorite, Rodriguez was the most productive defender in college football last season. He brought home a truckload of hardware, winning just about every award he was eligible for. Over the last two years, he totaled 253 tackles, six sacks, 10 passes defensed, 10 forced fumbles and five interceptions.

I liked Rodriguez’s tape a lot when I watched it. He knows where to be, hits hard, plays fundamental football, and is better in coverage than he gets credit for. But he’s not the most athletic guy and there are legitimate questions as to how fast he’ll run.

I highly doubt he’ll run in the 4.4s or anything like that (though if he did, he could push for the back end of the first round), but managing to run in the 4.5s or even the low 4.6s could push him closer to the top 50. If he runs slower than that, he might fall towards Day 3.

Will Any Trade Talk Heat Up?

This isn’t the strongest class, and the team picking at the top has a clear need at quarterback with only one passer available who’s worthy of that pick. On its surface, this doesn’t seem like the type of draft that would inspire much movement.

But sometimes those are the drafts that surprise you the most. For one, it could prompt teams to be much more willing to part with picks for veteran players. There are a bunch of players we could learn more about this week in terms of potential availability. Headliners like Raiders DE Maxx Crosby and Eagles WR A.J. Brown have been generating headlines, but what about guys like Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. or Bears WR D.J. Moore? Giants DT Dexter Lawrence? Packers OLB Rashan Gary? If any of those guys are on the trade block, we’ll start to hear about it this week. 

This class does have a lot of talent on defense, especially along the defensive line, and on some of the “less premium” positions such as interior offensive line. On top of that, some of the teams picking in the top 10 might look to target positions that don’t have prospects rated that highly.

I’m not expecting any actual trades to be announced this week — that’s pretty rare. But we might start to hear some whispers that some teams are open to moving down, or maybe a team or two looking to move up for the right price. The 2027 class is considered much stronger than this one, especially at the top. There will be teams looking to move down and add future assets; the only questions if they’ll find any takers.