The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and what a fun week it is every year. As a scout, it’s one of my favorite times on the football calendar. It’s so cool to see these prospects get a chance to show off in front of coaches, executives, media and fans alike. Plus, it’s when the entire league turns the page to the offseason, and the start of free agency is just a week away.

This year was a special Combine with several position groups really showing out. This is a defense-heavy draft and that showed up on the field, as we got a chance to see the deep pool of prospects at basically every defensive position group. The offensive side of the ball is notably weaker, but some individual prospects on that side of the ball did some really nice things.

To recap the event, I’ve broken the prospects I want to discuss into two groups: winners and non-winners. I also have a quick-hitters section at the end to hit on some more prospects in a more rapid-fire way.

If you want to see what my rankings looked like before the Combine, you can check out my Top 100 Big Board here.

Winners

These are the players I thought stood out the most from their Combine performances. This isn’t an exhaustive list of every prospect who put in a good week, of course — check out the “quick hitters” section at the end of the article for my thoughts on many more prospects than I could fit here.

Ohio State LB Sonny Styles

We have to start with Styles because he just had the best Combine performance in a long, long time. He measured at 6-5, 244 pounds, with a 67th-percentile arm length, 88th-percentile wingspan and 72nd-percentile hand size. This is all despite being a converted safety, mind you.

But the athletic testing is where he really separated himself, posting a 90th-percentile 10-yard split, 95th-percentile 40-yard dash, 100th-percentile vertical jump, 100th-percentile broad jump and 52nd-percentile 3-cone drill. Scouts drool over stuff like this.

Styles’ tape already put him in the top 10, and we knew he’d test like a crazy athlete. I don’t know that anyone would have predicted he’d be this crazy, though. In a side-by-side graphic against Calvin Johnson during the Combine broadcast, Styles stacked up pretty favorably. The Commanders at No. 7 overall suddenly feel like Styles’ absolute floor, even as an off-ball linebacker. There’s a chance he goes in the top three.

Ohio State LB Arvell Reese

Not to be outdone by his teammate, Reese matched Styles’ 4.46-second 40-yard dash time. He’s slightly smaller than Styles but still has a ridiculous, rocked-up frame that just oozes athleticism. During his Combine interviews, he announced that he sees himself as a true edge rusher and not the hybrid role he played in college.

That was expected, but it’s still noteworthy that he’s coming out and saying it. Reese’s pass rush profile isn’t as strong as guys who have made the transition from off-ball linebacker to edge rusher in recent years, but you can’t argue with the traits. At this point, he seems like the favorite to go No. 2 overall to the Jets.

Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez

Reese and Styles stole the show, but there wasn’t a bigger winner at the Combine than Rodriguez. His tape is excellent and he’s such a smart, instinctual, and productive player. The question with him was always whether he’d at least manage to test as an average athlete, because if he did, he’d be in play in the second round.

Well, question no longer. Not only did Rodriguez clear the “average” mark for an athlete, he shattered it. Despite his smaller size, he hit the 80th percentile in the 40-yard dash, the 88th percentile in the vertical jump, the 65th percentile in the broad jump, and the 86th percentile in the 3-cone drill. He’s legitimately a plus athlete, and that completely changes his draft outlook. His size could still keep him out of the first round, but he’s firmly a top 50 prospect now. That wasn’t a guarantee before.

Central Florida ED Malachi Lawrence

Talk about an explosive entrance. Lawrence announced himself as a player to watch in this draft with ridiculous measurements and testing scores. 95th-percentile 10-yard split, 98th-percentile 40-yard dash, 98th-percentile vertical jump, 99th-percentile broad jump — all while sporting long arms and a nice history of production at UCF.

Lawrence entered the week as a Day 2 sleeper but he’s not flying under the radar anymore. Those kinds of numbers get taken in the top 50, no question about it. In this class, he could push his way into the first round.

Florida DT Caleb Banks

Let me list off Banks’ measurables at the Combine real quick: 97th-percentile height, 94th-percentile weight, 93rd-percentile arm length, 100th-percentile wingspan, 97th-percentile hand size, 52nd-percentile vertical jump, 57th-percentile broad jump.

That’s ludicrous stuff. Truly absurd. Banks struggles with his pad level and hasn’t played too many games over the last two seasons, but his ability to get after the quarterback at that size is just plain nuts. After a solid Senior Bowl, Banks popped at the Combine, and his stock is firmly on the rise.

San Diego State CB Chris Johnson

I liked Johnson’s tape quite a bit. He’s one of the best off-coverage corners in the class with elite zone awareness. But he didn’t play much man coverage for the Aztecs and he was pretty hit or miss at the Senior Bowl. We were all wondering how fast he would test, because his tape raises some questions in that regard.

Well, Johnson squashed those concerns emphatically, running a 4.40-second 40-yard dash. That’s a great time, and he added 74th- and 71st-percentile vertical and broad jumps, respectively. Recording plus quickness and explosiveness is a big boost to Johnson’s resume and should lock him in as a top-50 pick.

Georgia CB Daylen Everette

A big, physical cornerback, I loved Everette’s tape with the Bulldogs. My only question with him was his long speed, and he answered that question emphatically on Friday with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, good for the 90th percentile. On top of that, he was one of the best performers in the drills, with great hip fluidity and short-area quickness on display that most of the other participants simply couldn’t match.

Everette’s stock has been hovering somewhere in Round 3 throughout most of this process, but I think he’s firmly a Round 2 pick now. I’d even entertain taking him at the end of the first round, over some of the other corners usually mocked in that range. I was really impressed with his performance and it solidified what I saw on tape.

Texas CB Malik Muhammad

Outside of the next guy I’m going to talk about, no other defensive back had a better day in the drills than Muhammad. He has the best ball skills of any corner in this class and that was on full display on Friday, as he effortlessly played the ball and looked extremely fluid and quick during the workout.

Not only that, but he tested as a plus athlete as a bigger corner, with a 91st-percentile 10-yard split, 80th-percentile 40-yard dash, 82nd-percentile vertical jump, and 87th-percentile broad jump. Muhammad is typically graded as a third- or fourth-round pick by most evaluators, but I have a first-round grade on him and he’ll be my favorite value pick whenever he comes off the board.

Oregon S Dillon Thieneman

I’ve never wavered on having Thieneman a top 20 player on my board, and I’m happy to be on the right side of history. The Purdue transfer had an exceptional Combine performance, posting a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, good for the 95th percentile among safeties. That’s on top of having a 93rd-percentile vertical jump, 65th-percentile broad jump, 86th-percentile wingspan, and leading all safeties at the Combine in bench press reps.

Thieneman tested as the most athletic safety in this class and one of the most athletic safeties we’ve seen in years. The question isn’t if he’ll be a first-round pick, it’s if he’ll make it out of the top 20. He looked incredible in the drills, as well, playing with such twitchiness and fluidity on the field. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs will be the first safety off the board, but Thieneman’s range likely starts with the Bengals at No. 10, provided Downs has already been selected.

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq

It wouldn’t be right to categorize Sadiq as a “riser,” per se, but he’s definitely a Combine winner. To maintain his first-round draft stock, he needed to crush the event, and he did exactly that — 100th-percentile vertical, 100th-percentile broad, 98th-percentile 10-yard split, 100th-percentile 40-yard dash and 89th-percentile bench press. A 4.39-second 40 time as a tight end is just insane. Sadiq is one of the most freakishly athletic tight ends we’ve ever seen enter the league.

Because he’s still a raw player who’s learning how to be consistently productive, Sadiq needed a week like that. Now there are no doubts about his first-round status.

Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers

Sadiq got all the hype entering the week, but Stowers was equally as impressive — if not moreso. He set Combine records for the vertical jump (45.5 inches) and the broad jump (11-foot-1) while posting a 1.59-second 10-yard split and a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, good for the 84th and 96th percentiles, respectively.

Stowers placed a strong claim to the TE2 spot in this class with that performance, especially when combined with his elite receiving production for the Commodores. Given his age, he’s not a likely candidate for the first round, but I’d expect him to come off the board early in Round 2.

Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr.

In what was easily the coolest moment of the Combine, Washington broke down in tears after running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash, fastest of any back at the event. You could see how much work he put into this and what it meant to him for it all to pay off in the biggest test of his career so far.

What makes that time — 99th percentile with a 95th-percentile 10-yard split as well — so unique is that Washington is a massive running back. He measured in at 6-1, 223 pounds with 100th-percentile arm length and wingspan. He jumped well, too, with a 91st-percentile vertical and a 93rd-percentile broad. Washington’s Combine performance might have just booked him a ticket to a Day 2 draft selection.

Alabama WR Germie Bernard

Bernard is one tough dude on tape, and he tested much better than I expected he would. A 4.48-second 40-yard dash is a great time for him, and he hit the 87th percentile in both the 10-yard split and the 3-cone drill. Short-area quickness and strength are the hallmarks of his game, and he showed that at the Combine. Bernard is right on the cusp of the late second or early third rounds.

Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor

Another player who picked up where they left off at the Senior Bowl, Iheanachor made his case to be a first-round pick. He tied for the second-fastest 40 time of all offensive linemen with 4.91 seconds, hitting solid marks in both jumps as well. On the field, he looked effortlessly smooth, showcasing his fluidity in space and natural athleticism. There’s some technique stuff he needs to clean up but his upside is undeniable.

Not Winners

A draft analyst I greatly respect recently said we should collectively stop using the L-word to describe Combine performances. The more players test and participate, the better, but the scrutiny on the event has a lot of agents running scared and telling clients to pull out if they don’t feel at their best. So this is my contribution. I won’t use that word, no keyword searches or AI scrubbers will find these prospects associated with that label. They aren’t…you know. They just didn’t help themselves as much as they could have this week.

Texas A&M ED Cashius Howell

As many of the other top defensive prospects were testing out of this world, Howell had some tough numbers. He’s in the 0th percentile in both arm length and wingspan. We knew his arms were short, but that’s still a brutal number. Combined with testing just slightly above average in the jumps, and Howell didn’t have a great week.

He has elite speed for a defensive lineman, with a 93rd-percentile 10-yard split and a 94th-percentile 40-yard dash. But I would’ve liked to see him perform better in the jumps, which tend to be pretty predictive of explosiveness. Howell’s tape is deserving of a first-round pick, but some NFL teams may take him off their boards entirely with those numbers.

Clemson DT Peter Woods

With Woods, it’s not so much what he did, but what he didn’t do. He didn’t test, even as guys like Banks and Georgia DT Christen Miller were tearing up the Combine. More importantly, Woods ranked in the second percentile in arm length, fifth percentile in wingspan and seventh percentile in hand size. Those are some tough numbers to put up, especially coming off what Banks did.

Woods is still likely to be a first-round pick, but it does paint his struggles in 2025 in a new light. Once considered the prohibitive favorite to be the first defensive tackle taken, he may have fallen back towards the pack a bit.

Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun

A taller corner (measured at 6-2) perhaps most infamous among college football fans for his physical playstyle and penchant for committing penalties, Igbinosun didn’t have a great day at the Combine. He weighed in at just 189 pounds and had disappointing explosive testing numbers, checking in at just a 24th-percentile vertical jump and a 28th-percentile broad jump.

Perhaps most concerningly, he struggled in the drills portion of the Combine. His ball skills looked clunky and he was stiff out of his breaks, struggling to keep his feet when he tried to cut and move as quickly and tightly as some of the other prospects. I have Igbinsoun rated as a firm Day 3-pick and he could even fall into Day 3.

Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson

There’s a pretty clear top three in this running back class with a lot of candidates behind them looking to stand out. Johnson had a rough day at the office on Saturday, with a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and just a 10th-percentile 3-cone time. Small, slow and stiff is a bad combination. Johnson will likely fall towards the back of the pack in a crowded group.

Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields

Fields was starting to see his stock rise as high as the back end of the first round, which was always a little crazy to me. That can safely be put to rest after this week. He’s a big receiver at 6-4 and a half, 218 pounds. Even so, his 4.61-second 40-yard dash was disappointing and speaks to what you see on tape. He didn’t look as comfortable in the on-field drills as some of his contemporaries, either.

At Notre Dame and even dating back to his days at Virginia, Fields ran a very limited route tree and wasn’t much of a separator. He had a strong Senior Bowl and his physical profile is obviously enticing, but he’s much more of a Day 2 player than a potential Day 1 selection, and he’s someone I’ll probably be lower on than consensus.

Quick Hitters:

• Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy says he’s fully healthy and cleared to work out after missing the entire 2025 college football season due to a torn ACL suffered in January 2025. He elected not to work out at the Combine but will instead save that for his Pro Day.
• It was a mixed bag of a Combine for Miami ED Rueben Bain Jr. He measured in the first percentile for arm length, which was the major concern. His wingspan ranked slightly better — checking in at the 11th percentile — but that’s still not great. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that at least two teams measured Bain as having over 32-inch arms. That’s still below average, but not nearly as much of an outlier as the officially measured arm length. I trust the tape with Bain, and length (or lack thereof) was not an issue for him. But with the absurd testing of guys like Reese, Styles and even Texas Tech ED David Bailey, there’s a chance Bain slips a bit towards the back half of the top 10.
• Two edge rushers who stood out to me on Thursday were Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker and Florida’s George Gumbs Jr. Tucker has some size limitations but tested as a very explosive athlete (84th-percentile 10-yard split, 80th-percentile 40-yard dash, 70th-percentile vertical, 76th-percentile broad), looking fluid and powerful in the on-field drills. Meanwhile, Gumbs checked every physical box and was even more explosive than Tucker (88th-percentile 40-yard dash, 99th-percentile vertical, 84th-percentile broad, 92nd-percentile 3-cone), dominating the drills and looking like one of the best athletes in attendance. Tucker’s been trending towards a Day 2 selection for a while now, and Gumbs just entered his name into that conversation as well.
• Georgia LB CJ Allen’s week got off to a great start with the report that he was the on-field playcaller for the Bulldogs defense. That’s the sort of thing that NFL coaches just love, and he was already climbing up boards. He’s small, weighing just 230 pounds, and didn’t test. Given the monstrous workout the rest of the linebacker group put in, that’s not ideal for Allen, but he’s still likely to be a first-round pick.
• Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr. has been my LB3 behind just Styles and Reese for some time now, and nothing changed after the Combine. He’s in the 81st percentile for the 10-yard split, 75th for the 40-yard dash, 76th for the vertical and 85th for the broad. A great workout to go with really good tape.
• Though he was overshadowed by the big headliners in his position group, Cincinnati LB Jake Golday did exactly what he needed to do. Already one of the best tacklers and run-stuffers in this class, he tested like a plus athlete (93rd-percentile 10-yard split, 89th-percentile vertical, 85th-percentile broad, 67th-percentile 3-cone) with serious explosiveness and moved well in the drills. He’s a massive backer with great tape, so this performance just solidified his status as a likely top-50 pick.
• It was a tale of two halves for Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter. His testing numbers were abysmal, ranking in the 20th percentile for the 10-yard split, the 12th percentile for the 40-yard dash, the 0th percentile for the vertical, and the sixth percentile for the broad. In the on-field drills, however, Hunter looked dominant, showcasing his quick feet and fluidity on the field. The first-round hype for Hunter has grown and grown since the College Football Playoff, but I’m not exactly sure what to do with his stock after this performance.
• Known mostly as a run stuffer, Clemson DT DeMonte Capehart was much more athletic than I expected. He hit the 59th percentile in the 40-yard dash and the 70th percentile in the vertical jump despite measuring 6-5, 313 pounds. Capehart’s probably still a Day 3 pick but he made himself some money.
• Penn State DT Zane Durant had a nice Combine himself. He has a unique build at 6-1, 290 pounds, with short arms and massive hands. But he tested like a crazy athlete for a defensive tackle, which is exactly what he needed to do. Guys his size aren’t supposed to run a 4.75-second 40-yard dash. But that’s what he did, and even though his tape is maddeningly inconsistent, he’ll get drafted off that number alone.
• Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds might be small (he measured in at 5-8 and a half) but I have no doubts about his ability to play in the NFL. He’s a slot-only corner, but he recorded a 99th-percentile vertical and looked so fluid and smooth in the drills. Turn on the tape — this guy can play.
• Ohio State S Lorenzo Styles Jr. saw what his brother did on Thursday and did him one better: a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, good for the 100th percentile among safeties, to go with an 82nd-percentile vertical. A recent wide receiver convert, Styles is still a raw player and has a ways to go developmentally. But that kind of athleticism gets drafted.
• Built like a tank at 6-0, 215 pounds, LSU S A.J. Haulcy had a strong workout. For his size, a 4.52-second 40-yard dash is a good number to hit and he looked great on the field. It’s a crowded safety class and he’s limited to playing in the box for the most part, but he kept himself in the Day 2 range.
• Ohio State TE Max Klare didn’t test, but weighing in at 246 pounds is a win for him. He looked strong and smooth in the drills, though Stowers has firmly passed him for the TE2 spot on the consensus board.
• It was great to see Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love go through a full workout and all the on-field drills. Most top-10 prospects (and even many first-round prospects) opted out of working out at the Combine, but Love went through all of it. He looked great, with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash and a massive wingspan, and he looked so smooth and effortless in all the drills. Clearly, he was having a blast out there, and the other running back prospects fed off his energy. It’s just good for the event to have a prospect like Love buy in like that.
• Conversely, I was a bit disappointed by the numbers Love’s backfield running mate with the Fighting Irish, Jadarian Price, put up. I thought he could have run faster than his 4.49-second 40-yard dash, and he measured a little over 5-10 and just 203 pounds. His explosive numbers were more average than impressive, as well. He had the best day in the on-field drills and he’s still in a clear tier of his own behind Love and ahead of the pack in this running back class, but the first-round buzz should probably cool off.
• Kentucky RB Seth McGowan continued his hot rise throughout the process. He checked in at 6-0, 223 pounds and ran a 4.49-second 40-yard dash, good for the 68th percentile. His 100th-percentile vertical and 99th-percentile broad were particularly impressive and he’s firmly in play for a Day 2 pick.
• Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. might be in fringe first-round territory at this point. A 4.42-second 40-yard dash is what he needed to hit and he did, and then looked very comfortable in all the drills. He’s been a steady stock-up guy for a while now and is a lock for the top 50. We’ll see if he can push into the top 20 by the end. 
• A pair of hyper-athletic, big-bodied receivers got a big boost in their draft stock over the weekend. North Dakota State’s Bryce Lance measured 6-3, 204 pounds and posted a 96th-percentile 10-yard split, 95th-percentile 40-yard dash, 97th-percentile vertical, and 95th-percentile broad. Cincinnati’s Jeff Caldwell is even bigger at 6-5, 214 pounds, and is even more athletic with a 98th-percentile 10-yard split, 98th-percentile 40-yard dash, 98th-percentile vertical, and 96th-percentile broad. Lance had good tape with the Bison and should be a solid Day 2 pick now, while Caldwell will get drafted on Day 3 off those ridiculous numbers alone.
• USC WR Ja’Kobi Lane had a fantastic workout. A contested catch guru, he pumped out a 4.47-second 40-yard dash with a 92nd-percentile vertical jump, all while being one of the bigger receivers at the Combine. Those numbers probably push Lane back into the third round conversation after he had slipped to the middle rounds on most boards.
• I was also impressed with Georgia WR Zachariah Branch and Oklahoma WR Deion Burks. Both are smaller, slot-only receivers, but they’re also highly athletic and super fast. Branch hit a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, good for the 92nd percentile, while also posting a 93rd-percentile 10-yard split. Burks did even better, with a 4.30-second 40-yard dash, which is in the 99th percentile. He also hit the 96th percentile on his 10-yard split, the 99th percentile on his vertical and the 91st percentile on his broad. Both receivers feel like third-round picks with serious upside.
• Have a day, Taylen Green. The Arkansas quarterback showed out on Saturday, becoming the second-fastest quarterback in Combine history with a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, behind only Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick. He posted 100th-percentile vertical and broad jumps, though he did struggle with accuracy in the passing drills. He’s a good candidate for a position switch, maybe to wide receiver? Another option would be as a Taysom Hill-style Swiss Army knife. But regardless, someone will draft this guy and figure the rest out later. Athletes like Green don’t come around often.
• The Combine is exactly the kind of event where Penn State QB Drew Allar will look exceptional. Throwing on air, he gets to show off his rocket arm, prototypical build and clean mechanics without those pesky defenses messing him up. Still, it’s good to see him fully healthy again, and I’d still want to take a flier on him in the middle rounds over the other options at quarterback.
• Utah OTs Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu both looked like first-round picks on Sunday. Fano tested every bit as athletic as he was billed, while Lomu wasn’t far behind. In the drills, they were arguably the two best performers. This is the sort of environment where their weaknesses as prospects won’t be exposed, but it was still good to see them check those boxes.
• Two guards who really stood out to me were Texas’ DJ Campbell and Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis. They clocked in 40-yard dash times of 5.01 seconds and 5.02 seconds, respectively, and dominated the drills portion of the event. They both looked the part of Day 2 guards drafted to start.
• Georgia OT Monroe Freeling ran a blistering 4.93-second 40-yard dash at 6-7, 315 pounds, but he didn’t look totally comfortable in some of the drills. The selling point on him as a prospect is his special flexibility and quick feet at his size, but he had a rough day on Sunday. He slipped multiple times trying to recover and change directions and just wasn’t at his best.