The NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and after four days of arrivals, interviews, exams, and meetings, the fun has finally begun.
It’s time to watch the athletic testing and positional drills that skyrocket stocks, starting with the defensive linemen and linebackers. Defensive backs and tight ends will perform on Friday, with running backs, receivers, and quarterbacks headlining Saturday’s festivities and offensive linemen rounding out the weekend.
For all the turbulence at other positions, the 2026 NFL Draft is strong in the front seven. Several edge rushers stand to be top-five picks come April. It’s a preternaturally deep linebacker class, and the interior linemen will have starters drafted into Day 3. Perhaps more than any position, it’s important to focus on size. Weight and arm length thresholds are king in the trenches, and many top prospects are fighting against historical precedents on their way to Round 1.
As these prospects vie for draft capital, we’ll keep track of the most important performances of the day.
Live winners and losers from the NFL Combine
Winner: Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
At 6062 and 327 pounds, Banks is every bit as big as we thought he was. The rest of his frame was even more impressive, posting 94th-percentile hand size, 94th-percentile arm length, and a 99th-percentile wingspan (via Trevor Sikkema).
Banks is a freak, and ripping off a 5.05 40-yard dash on his first attempt is further proof that he is a different beast than us mere mortals. Banks fought through injuries this season, but if his 61st-percentile 40-yard dash is confirmed, it will be hard to keep that kind of upside out of Round 1.
His second run went for 5.13 seconds, but with 10-yard splits of 1.76 and 1.77 seconds, he’s a comfortable winner early on Thursday.
Loser: Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
Howell wasn’t surprising anyone with his lack of length. But coming in with 30.25-inch arms is confirmation that he’s a negative outlier and bound to hurt his stock. No edge rusher in mockdraftable’s database (NFL Combine participants since 1999) has that kind of limitation — by a half-inch.
That’s a problem anyway one cuts it, and weighing in at 253 pounds (totally fine!) may not be able to compensate. He might need standout 40-yard dash and three-cone times to limit his fall, and even an optimistic view of his athletic profile is more about damage control than potential.
Howell’s film is promising. However, his arm length demands that coaches ask how they can mitigate his biggest weakness. Fair or not, that makes him more difficult to take in the top 50.
Winner: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
He hasn’t run yet, but merely being measured has made Styles a winner of the week. At 6’5″, 244 pounds, he has more than enough muscle to make plays in the box. His 71st-percentile arm length stands out on film.
Remember, this is a former safety. His transition to linebacker went smoothly, and he eradicated his tackling concerns in his platform season. Styles has strong instincts and special movement skills, and in Indianapolis, he proved that he doesn’t have to sacrifice physicality in the process.
I expect him to bring the house down when it’s time for the 40.
Loser: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Woods entered the season as my top player and an easy selection for DT1. I’ll remain higher than consensus, but the calculus has grown increasingly difficult. His 2025 campaign wasn’t as impressive as his show-stopping 2024 film, and his pre-draft process hasn’t gotten off to a roaring start.
Woods weighed in at 298 pounds, lighter than anticipated and a signal that he might be shedding weight to shed time on his 40-yard dash. Then he didn’t run.
Likewise, Woods’ arm length came in at 31.25 inches, a fourth-percentile mark for interior linemen. It’s not the end of the world, given his ability to shed blocks and find solutions with athleticism. Still, it’s an extra point of caution, and he didn’t put his athletic prowess on paper.
Winner: Kaleb Proctor, DT, Southeastern Louisiana
Proctor wasn’t on my radar entering the event. That hasn’t stopped him from leaving a mark on Day 1 of drills. Proctor ran a 4.79 40-yard dash with a promising 10-yard split.
Throughout his athletic testing and positional drills, he looked like an easy mover. That bodes well for him to be a Day 3 selection as a rotational pass rusher, having turned his burst into nine sacks this season. Color me intrigued, especially if his 291-pound frame holds up on early downs.
Winner: Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, Central Florida
Lawrence put himself on the map in Indianapolis. At 6’4″ and 253 pounds, Lawrence isn’t quite as small as the class’s most burst-dependent edge rushers. Still, he put on a show, setting the tone with a 40-inch vertical jump and 10’10” broad jump.
.@UCF_Football EDGE Malachi Lawrence:
– 6’4″, 253 pounds
– 40″ vertical jump
– 10’10” broad jump2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/MopTX0d9eX— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2026
He didn’t stop there. His first run was 4.53 seconds, trailing only David Bailey (4.51) at edge rusher (for first attempts). He’ll have upward momentum during the pre-draft circuit, especially if he continues to move well during positional drills.
Loser: LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
One player who didn’t move all that well was Alabama’s LT Overton. It’s important not to double-count these Combine drills for guys that test as expected.
However, Overton was a bit slimmer than anticipated at 274 pounds. Even so, his 4.91 40-yard dash was tied for the slowest mark on the edge. It’s hard to see Overton making a living as a sack artist at the next level; his run defense is his calling card. If he doesn’t have the size to pull that off, Overton may lack the juice to be a starter on Sundays.
Winner: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
Bailey didn’t test like a generational freak, but he was still able to run a 4.51 40-yard dash to lead the position. He’s doing his part to put minor movement concerns to rest, and the rest of his athletic markers were promising.
His 1.62 10-yard split was impressive, and his 35-inch vert and 10’9″ broad jump help insulate his profile. He also came in a little bigger than some expected, crossing the 250-pound threshold with 33.75-inch arms. This event was more about solidifying his stock than improving it. Bailey checked the necessary boxes to be a top-15 pick.
Winner: TJ Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Parker was a prospect that fared unfavorably on my preseason board. The top-five hype was always rich, but as an early Day 2 selection, he has room to make some noise at the next level.
Part of that equation is Parker’s ability to convert speed to power. Running a 4.68 40-yard dash at 263 pounds is impressive and an indictment of his best pass-rushing trait. With the size to stick on early downs and fun flashes as a pass rusher, sneaking into Round 1 is possible, even if his stock tumbled with Clemson’s playoff aspirations.
Loser: R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
R Mason Thomas talked a big game about his speed making up for perceived physical deficiencies. At 241 pounds, Thomas needs truly elite burst to compensate. Being a dynamic edge rusher has staying power on early downs if the ability to wreak havoc outweighs concerns against the run.
Instead, Thomas slipped on his first run on the way to a 4.67 time. On his second opportunity, he was even slower, logging a 4.72-second 40-yard dash. It’s a legitimately concerning mark that makes a strong Pro Day performance necessary. A bad day in Indianapolis doesn’t have to kill his stock, but it means his work is cut out for him.
Loser: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
I’m not convinced this stint will impact his draft stock; the teams that like Bains will like him regardless of arm length. He’s a nuanced pass rusher who solves problems to overcome his length issues, and he has a proven track record of producing and rising in big games.
Yet, Bain measured in at 263 pounds. That helps inform us that he intends to play outside full-time at the next level, rather than splitting time along the interior because of his lack of length. And reader, the length is indeed lacking. At 30 7/8″, he’s operating as an outlier, prompting damage-control tweets and an extended look at his profile.
It would have been nice if Bain showed off his elite movement skills by testing or doing positional drills. We’ll have to wait for his pro day, raising the stakes for an impressive performance.
