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NFL Combine winners and losers: Updates on defensive linemen, linebackers in Indianapolis originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway, and after four days of arrivals, interviews, exams, and meetings, the fun has finally begun.
Thursday was the first day of 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 group, it's important to focus on size here. 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 kept track of who gained ground and who slipped on the Lucas Oil Stadium track. Sonny Styles stole the show with a borderline-generational performance, but he wasn't alone. Between his teammate, Arvell Reese, a cast of explosive linebackers, and a handful of interior lineman racing their way up boards, the first day of Combine workouts set a high bar for the weekend.
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.
He brought the house down on Thursday.
Sonny Styles’ 43.5 vertical jump. Insane. pic.twitter.com/09hgEp8zrU
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) February 26, 2026
UPDATE: He just posted a 43.5-inch vertical jump. That's the second-best mark for a linebacker since Cameron Wake in 2005 -- a full inch more than the next-best contender. We're shaping up to witness a truly incredible Combine performance.
He followed that up with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, the fastest at the position. This was the best Combine a linebacker has had in years, and it might make him the best off-ball prospect since Roquan Smith in 2018.
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:
— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2026
- 6'4", 253 pounds
- 40" vertical jump
- 10'10" broad jump
2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetwork
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/MopTX0d9eX
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.
Fortunately, he moved a little better during positional drills to mitigate concerns.
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.
Winner: Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
There's a growing need for pass-rushing defensive tackles, and Halton entered the Combine as a rotational asset with passing-down upside. He made a strong argument to be a Day 2 pick on Thursday with an elite showing.
Halton posted the third-best vertical jump (36.5 inches) for defensive tackles since 1999, and he was also the third-quickest lineman at 4.82 seconds. More than just a burst-first tackle, Halton showed off a well-rounded athletic profile that included a handful of exciting positional drills.
Winner: Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt
Kyle Louis faced a familiar challenge for undersized linebackers -- ensuring his athleticism carved out a role on passing downs. It's safe to say he locked that down in Indianapolis.
Louis had the fourth-best vertical (39.5 inches) and second-best broad (10'9") jumps at the linebacker position. He won't outshine Styles, but backed by a 4.54-second 40-yard dash, there's more than enough dynamism in his profile.
Winner: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
Testing as a linebacker, Reese needed to quiet the (few) contracting voices about his athleticism, largely based on the idea that he needs to be an elite athlete if he's going to transition to edge rusher full-time.
On Thursday, he showed off the same burst that quarterbacks saw when they were trying to scramble against Ohio State's defense. He posted a 4.46 unofficial 40-yard dash, meeting the moment. He continued to look strong during positional drills that focused on open-space mobility and upside as a pass rusher.
Loser: Justin Jefferson, LB, Alabama
It would be hyperbolic to suggest that Jefferson had a bad set of drills. He posted a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, a 38.5-inch vertical, and a 10'5" broad jump -- totally respectable times.
However, athleticism was Jefferson's calling card at Alabama. Daniel Jeremiah even added on the broadcast that he could compete with the other Justin Jefferson on the 40-yard track, as he was among the fastest players on the field for Crimson Tide game days.
Instead, Jefferson slightly fell short of expectations, generating good, but not great, athleticism scores and losing ground in what looks like an exceptionally athletic (and deep) crop of linebackers.