Players With the Most to Gain at the 2026 NFL Combine

I have a love-hate relationship with the NFL Combine. I love watching it and seeing whether what I saw on tape for these players matches their testing numbers. I absolutely hate the overreaction you will see on social media when a player performs or doesn't perform as expected. For me, nothing I see in Indianapolis will change my opinion on a player, however, if a player I thought lacked long speed on film turns up and runs fast, then I will have to go back and rewatch some of his games to see if it’s something I’m missing or if he just doesn’t carry the pads well. I will not just blindly bump him up my rankings because he runs fast!

As far as teams go, the interviews and medicals are most important aspect of the week in Indy, we obviously do not have access to any of this, however I will try my best to track any players interview with the Lions that get leaked, normally by agents, I will then do a deeper dive on these players – so keep an eye out for that.

I could drone on all day about the combine and how I think it can be improved, from the players invited to the TV broadcast, but that’s for another day. Let’s get into some of these players with the most to gain.

Jermod McCoy – CB – Tennessee

Having not played a single snap in 2025, McCoy needs to provide NFL teams with some reassurance regarding his health. In my opinion, his 2024 tape is better than the 2025 tape of any other cornerback in this class. He has reportedly been healthy since November but he, along with the Tennessee coaches, decided it was best for him to sit out the rest of the year to prepare for the draft, he also decided against attending the Senior Bowl. Teams will want to see him at least run through the on-field drills and hopefully show he still has the smooth hips and elite change of direction that made him a top 10 projection before the season.

Reuben Bain – Edge – Miami

Bain’s short arms have been the subject of much debate over the second half of the college season. Personally, I do not care what they measure in Indianapolis, they could be even shorter than reported sub-31-inches and he would still be one of my highest graded players in this draft, the way he explodes off the ball and gets into the OT’s chest so quickly negates any concerns for me. However, some NFL front offices will have measurement thresholds, and depending on the results, Bain could find himself off of some boards, alternatively if his arms are anywhere near 32 inches then he could secure himself as a top 5 selection in April.

Blake Miller – OT – Clemson

Already a projected top 40ish pick, Miller seems to be suffering from ‘Clemson-itis’ along with many of his teammates, he’s standing still while other OT’s like Georgia’s Monroe Freeling and Arizona State's Max Iheanachor haveovertaken him or at least closed the gap. (Full transparency, I do prefer Freeling to Miller) When I watch Miller play, the first thing that catches my attention is his foot speed, he can move in either direction effortlessly and what I saw on tape leads me to believe he’ll perform well in Indianapolis. He’sobviously got some flaws in his game, but he could well secure himself a first-round rookie contract with a good showing.

Antonio Williams – WR – Clemson

The forgotten man of this WR class, Williams was high on a lot of rankings coming into the year, but he, along with his Clemson teammates fell short of expectations. Having said that, the Clemson offence was clearly better when he was on the field, he missed 3 games through injury.

He looks like a good athlete on tape, and if he can perform well in Indy, he could remind everyone why they were so high on him before the season. He’s not going to threaten the first-round receivers in this class, but he could promote himself into a high second-round selection.

Brenen Thompson – WR – Mississippi St

Not a common name for everyone, but Thompson can straight up fly. He’s got nuance to his game with some nice route running but his calling card is speed, and I fully expect him to be the fastest player in the 40-yard dash. I also expect him to lay down some great times in the 3-cone and short shuttle too, all will help to boost his stock.

Jordan Tyson – WR – Arizona St

Obviously, running a good time and looking good in the drills won’t hurt my WR1, but as I mentioned at the top, one of the most important parts of the combine for teams is the medicals, and this is the case here. Tyson had an injury-plagued college career and will need to provide some reassurance to teams before they spend a high pick on him in April. If the medicals are clear and there are no ongoing issues, then I expect him to be a very high pick.

Connor Lew – C – Auburn

Like Jordan Tyson, it’s all about the medicals for Lew who tore his ACL against Missouri in October. Lew is one of the youngest players in this class, he will be 20 on draft night, and many people believed that the injury along with his age would result in him returning to college for his senior year. Lew obviously saw it differently. June/July is the earliest we will see Lew take part in any football activity so we will not see him compete in Indy, he just needs the medicals to show teams that he is on track for that summer return date.

Kadyn Proctor – T/G - Alabama

I really don’t know what to do with Proctor, an athletic freak who just doesn’t know how to play OT. I want to list him as a G but a lot of the buzz coming out of the league is saying that at least half the teams still view him as an OT. I’ll go into his strengths and weaknesses in more detail in my upcoming OT rankings where Proctor will feature.

As far as the Combine is concerned, I am interested to see what Proctor weighs in at – I thought he looked too big and too sluggish at times. Then it’s up to him to show off his athleticism and movement skills that could well push him back up into the top 15 picks. I have my doubts though.

Gabe Jacas – Edge – Illinois

One of my favourite players in this draft, and a player I believe the Lions’ front office will love too due to ability to play the run. I love him because of that, and the way he rushes with power. He played at about 275lbs this season and Illinois played him all over the line at that size, including as an Outside Linebacker. However, he checked in at the Senior Bowl at 6031, 260lbs and I’m intrigued to see how this lower weight affects him. I will be looking at his 10-yard split in the 40, and I can’t wait to see him run the hoop drill. There's a chance Jacas improves his stock and moves himself into the top 40, or maybe even the end of the first round.

Jacob Rodriguez – LB – Texas Tech

A name a lot of people will be familiar with. Rodriguez was the best LB in the country this past season, he was in the running for the Heisman, and in my opinion should have finished third, at worst. He was a catalyst for the Texas Tech playoff run and a leader of one of the best defences in college football. His NFL projection however is not as high as his college career suggests it should be.

One of the most popular reasons for this is his perceived lack of athleticism, and it is something that I question myself. If he can show everyone that he is a good athlete at the combine, then it will force people to rewatch the tape and reconsider his ranking, he could move from a mid-late day 2 pick to an early one. Some people have also questioned his size, but after weighing in at 6011, 233lbs, he is more than big enough to play in the NFL.

Thanks for reading. Starting shortly after the Combine I will be starting to release my final top 10’s at each position. If there is any position that you’d like me to start with, please let me know in the comments below.