The NFL knows how to maximize viewership on every day of the football calendar. As such, it’s no surprise that it saved the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers for Saturday’s NFL Scouting Combine festivities.
Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love, and a stacked class of wide receivers will headline the event, but it’s the depth behind them that makes this crop so exciting. There’s an open race for RB2, plenty of room for movement under center, and dozens of receivers vying for draft capital.
Their performance, both during athletic testing and position drills, will matter to NFL evaluators, giving us a glimpse into how stocks can change in an instant.
We’ll keep track of the best and worst performances from Day 3 of Combine drills as we race our way to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Live winners and losers from the NFL Combine
Winner: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
That didn’t take long. Love’s run was highly anticipated, particularly regarding the 4.40 threshold. He cleared it with relative ease, posting a 4.36 40-yard dash. There was little debate about Love’s ability to hit the home run, but confirming that he has Jahmyr Gibbs-level explosiveness is helping make the case that he’s more than just RB1.
MORE: Why isn’t Jeremiyah Love running the three-cone drill?
He’s firmly in the discussion to be a better prospect than last year’s No. 6 pick, Ashton Jeanty, and comparable to Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson from recent years. This is a special prospect, and while his 40-yard dash couldn’t do much to improve his stock, it was an exciting moment of confirmation bias.
Loser: Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
Johnson’s game is built around explosiveness within structure and an ability to match his footwork and vision to win between the tackles. That left the door open for some minor concerns about his ability to hit home runs at the next level.
He didn’t help himself out during the 40-yard dash.
Johnson’s 4.56-second 40-yard dash wasn’t disastrous by any means. But it was the slowest of the group (partly a selection bias issue), and certainly wasn’t ideal when matched with a 202-pound frame. It’s reminiscent of Kaleb Johnson from last year, whose disappointing Combine performance reignited concerns about his big-play proclivity.
Winner: Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas
Nobody helped their stock more during the 40-yard dash portion of the RB workout than Washington, who let the tears flow after a potentially life-changing run.
At 6’1″, 223 pounds, Washington was the fourth-biggest back at the Combine. He was also the fastest. His 4.33-second 40-yard dash was elite, and adjusting for size makes it one of the most impressive marks of the weekend. That alone is enough to be a draft pick, and there’s no doubt he’s moving up boards as we speak. It was the definition of a “call the family” moment, and he took full advantage.
Winner: Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky
As much attention as the 40-yard dash gets, it’s not the end-all, be-all. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that explosiveness proxies are even more important.
That takes us to the vertical and broad jumps, meant to showcase how springy athletes can be and how much power their lower halves provide. McGowan led the pack of running backs in both jumps, posting a 42.5-inch vertical and 10’11” broad jump. Likewise, both of his jumps were at least three inches better than the next-best back, generating 98th- and 97th-percentile marks, respectively.
For teams that value short-area burst over long speed, McGowan’s Combine will make a difference.
Winner: Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
The Combine is an underwhelming event under center. Many quarterbacks don’t throw, and even more don’t care to run, skewing numbers and making for a shorter circuit.
Green, who had legitimate room to move up boards, took full advantage.
Taylen Green continues his impressive combine with a 4.37u 😮💨🔥
(via @NFL )
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) February 28, 2026
He set the Combine record for quarterback vertical jumps with an incredible 43.5-inch leap. On the fast track, his 4.37 40-yard dash would be an elite number for any position. It left every other quarterback in the dust on Saturday. Mobility has always been a big part of his game, but proving it’s truly 80-grade should only help his stock.
Loser: Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas
Daniels, as a Day 3 hopeful with promising athletic tools, had a similar challenge to Green. Where the Arkansas quarterback showed out, the Kansas passer was overshadowed.
Daniels’ 4.66-second 40-yard dash would be an 80th-percentile mark, rather than the elite number he was looking for. As a less proven passer than Green, Daniels’ athleticism is paramount to his stock. If he’s not running at the next level, there’s little path to success. Daniels didn’t jump, either, leaving some questions for his pro day later this spring.
