10 Winners From the 2026 Combine

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books, and it was a record-setting one, with all positions but the QBs recording their quickest average times in the 40. Now, there are a few different nuanced reasons for this, but today we’re just going to revel in the pure athleticism of these future NFL stars.

I probably don’t need to tell you that Mr & Mrs Styles have two very athletic sons, or that both Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers had an athleticism showdown at the TE position. These are topics that have been spoken and written about all over the internet. So I have taken a look at some other players that really stood out to me.

Mike Washington - RB - Arkansas

I thought Washington was explosive on tape, I thought he had decent long speed but even I didn’t expect a 4.33s 40 with a 1.51s 10-yard split, along with a 39’’ vertical and 10’8’’ broad……all at 6’1’’ and 223lbs. I was so impressed I actually applauded while watching the broadcast which resulted in a puzzled look from the missus! I loved the emotion he showed after his run too, this clearly means a lot to him and teams will like that. He was RB3 for me coming into the week and that’s where he’ll stay, but he certainly increased his chances of being the second RB pick next month.

Logan Jones - C - Iowa

I was lower on the Hawkeye than others coming into the week in Indy, I thought he looked light and lacked both power and athleticism. Looks like I was wrong. He jumped 32 inches in the vertical, 9’2’’ in the broad, both fine numbers for the position. He then recorded the fastest 40 of any offensive lineman this year with a 4.90s, he also had the second best times in both the 3-cone, 7.46s and the short shuttle, 4.59s. This athleticism showed during the on-field drills, he looked like he was gliding over the turf in the wave and mirror drill especially. He might have thrown his hat back in the ring to be the first centre taken.

DJ Campbell - G - Texas

For a start, as you can see on film, Campbell is truly built like a brick outhouse with big wide shoulders you can see he’s hard to move off the point of attack. Campbell has good length too with 34.25-inch arms and 82.13-inch wingspan. He ran a very respectable 5.01s 40 and more importantly looked very smooth and agile during the on-field drills while weight 312lbs. I’m not sure how much this impacts his draft stock, I will be trying to get back to more of his tape as he showed athleticism that I did not see on tape the first time.

Fa’alili Fa’amoe - OL - Wake Forest

For starters, Fa’amoe has great length, nearly 34-inch arms, an 82-inch wingspan and nearly 11-inch hands. He, like the other two offensive linemen on my list, looked really smooth during the on-field drills, he show a level of agility and footwork I did not think he had. He played right tackle for the Demon Deacons, I believe he projects better as a guard with tackle versatility. He was a mid-day 3 pick coming into Indy and may well have worked himself into an early pick on that Saturday.

David Gusta - NT - Kentucky

I didn’t watch Gusta until a few days before the combine and I was left feeling impressed but also confused. I was impressed by his explosiveness off the snap and the power in his hands when he engages with an offensive lineman. I was confused that no one else seemed to be talking about him. Consensus has him as a barely draftable prospect whereas I had a fringe round 3/4 grade prior to this week. My grade on him won’t change but after recording a 1.68s 10-yard split and putting up 37 reps on the bench, coupled with some really smooth on-field drills I expect him to rise on consensus boards.

Zane Durant - DT - Penn St

Durant showed what he needed to - that he’s a great athlete as a 3-tech. I’m a bit lower on the Nittany Lion than consensus seems to be. When I watched him early in the season, I saw a player who can only win one way, with athleticism, if a guard or centre get their hands on him, he’s out of the rep. I will be going back and watching some more of him after the combine where he ran a 4.76s 40 with a 1.66s 10-yard split, jumped 9’4’’ in the broad jump and 33.5 inches in the vertical, all very good achievements. I doubt he’ll climb up my board at all, but we’ll see what the tape says.

Mason Reiger - Edge - Wisconsin

Where Reiger will get drafted will ultimately depend on the medical feedback, he has had multiple knee injuries and was reportedly told to medically retire at Louisville before transferring to Wisconsin. Only the teams will know that information but as far as the on-field testing, he crushed it. 1.61s 10-yard split, 40-inch vertical, 10’5’’ broad jump show the explosiveness that he displays when getting off the snap. He was one of the standouts during the on-field drills, he looked a natural at it all. Assuming all his medicals check out I can see him jumping all the way from his current consensus spot of a late round 7 pick, to be an early day 3 selection.

TJ Parker - Edge - Clemson

For me, Parker reminded everyone that he is still the high-end talent that everyone thought he was coming into the season. His 10-yard split time of 1.61s was only 0.03s slower than the fastest at that position set by Cashius Howell. Nearly all the other edges that posted quicker or similar time to Parker weighed in at sub 250lbs, Parker is 263lbs. But in my opinion, Parker’s on-field drills were by far the most impressive of any edge defender in Indy, everything he did looked smooth and effortless while still showing explosiveness and power.

Jacob Rodriguez - LB - Texas Tech

Rodriguez did everything he needed to and more. The only real question mark on him coming into the combine was his athleticism. In Indy, he proved that he was just as, if not more athletic than a lot of other LB’s in this class. A 4.57s 40 with a 1.61s 10-yard split is plenty fast enough, and he showed that he does have some change-of-direction abilities with a 6.90s 3-cone and 4.19s short shuttle. Rodriguez jumped pretty well too, 38.5 inch vertical and 10’1’’ broad jump. This decent level of athleticism paired with his instincts and route recognition means the former QB will make plenty of plays in the NFL, he’s a lock to get selected in the second round in my opinion.

Dillon Thieneman - S - Oregon

My guy! I had to get at least one Duck in there, and there were a couple to choose from. I had Thieneman as my second safety, behind only Caleb Downs, but consensus had him as the third. After his workout in Indy, I expect to see more draftniks have him at Saf2. DT ran a 4.35s 40, jumped 41 inches in the vertical and 10’5’’ in the broad. All very good numbers, but none of these were the best in his position group. What was most impressive from Thieneman was his on-field drills, he put on an absolute teach tape. He showed fluid hips, good range and incredible ball skills, he also reportedly smashed the interviews too. All this makes me very sad, as the dream of him becoming a Lion at pick 50 is officially dead. I don’t think he gets past the early 20’s.

Please feel free to drop the names of any players that you think made themselves some money in Indy in the comments below.