The first day of testing at the NFL Scouting Combine is in the bag. People sat and watched to see how their favorite linebackers and defensive linemen would test out, and for Cowboys fans this was a big day. We saw some guys test out exactly as expected, but there were some that failed to show out. From the first day of testing at the combine we give you our risers and fallers.
Risers:
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The testing was cartoonish – 4.46s 40-yard time (1.56s 10-yard split), 43.5” vert, 11’2” broad.
His agility testing was just as solid, finishing with a 9.99 RAS (Relative Athletic Score), which is basically perfect. But what really mattered was how easy it all looked. He was smooth in his transitions with loose hips, and clean movement in the field work that matched the range and length profile teams chase. No other riser on this list solidified himself more at the combine on Day 1 of testing.
Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
He didn’t do the full testing circuit, but the speed he displayed with a 1.60s 10-yard split and a 4.53s forty time really did pop. The on-field work looked like a true pressure player showing effortless bend and change-of-direction, which is the key swing trait for an EDGE tweener that carried some questions before he hit the bags. If you buy him as a rush-first defender, that drill session did a lot to calm role concerns.
David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
He validated the high pick talk by stacking explosive testing with violent, pro-ready drill reps. The 4.50s speed at 251 pound, plus very strong jumps, is plenty to tick boxes as a top-10 prospect. The separator for Bailey was how he attacked the bags with power and intent, which makes the athleticism real instead of just track speed.
Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF
This was the classic Day 1 surprise that had some fans asking – “who is that”? Lawrence recorded a 4.52s forty time with an elite 1.59 10-yard split, an insane 40” vertical with an impressive 130” broad jump, all coming from a guy at 253 pounds. This is a clean explosion profile, and he got singled out as one of the biggest movers because the whole workout screamed NFL burst. If you’re building a Day 2 edge board, he forced himself into the top cluster.
Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
The size and movement blend is what showed up. Here’s a guy that measured in at 6’6” and 327 pound and ran a 5.04 forty. He also has an 85¾” wingspan (99th percentile), that’s historically long for the group. Even though his on-field drills ended early, the brief glimpse plus the testing and length combo is enough to upgrade him into an early draft prospect.
Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
He looked quick, balanced, and coordinated in the field work, exactly what you need if you’re trying to project pass-rush utility instead of just big body. The drills made the athletic numbers believable, and he led all the inside defensive linemen in the vertical jump with a whopping 36.5” hop.
DeMonte Capehart, DT, Clemson
The headline here is the 4.85s forty time at 313, but the bigger takeaway is the profile it creates. It’s the explosive lower half and real mass, which plays into one-gap disruption potential. He’s likely climbed a round after proving his get-off, something that confirms what you see on tape.
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
The production was already elite, and he backed it with smooth, controlled movement in drills plus good jumps and agility markers. He looked like a comfortable mover which matters for three-down projection.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr, LB, TCU
He put himself in the fast linebacker category with a 4.47s forty time, and added a 40” vertical (both 99th percentile). That speed showed up best when the drill work began. The triggering, redirecting, and carrying momentum without wasted steps was all on display. For teams hunting modern space linebackers, he checked the athletic threshold box in a big way.
Zion Young, EDGE, Missouri
Even with less emphasis on straight-line times, his positional work stood out with clean feet and body control in the edge drills, which is exactly what you want to see from taller rushers. The drills kept him safely in that late-Day 1 or early-Day 2 conversation.
Fallers
Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
He left money on the table by not running and then looking tight in the on-field segment. You could see stiffness, difficulty changing direction; and because combine drills don’t let prospects win with anchor and brute strength, the workout magnified the mobility question.
LT Overton, EDGE, Alabama
The 4.87s forty time at 274 pounds with no jumps is a bad combination when he needed to answer the question of how dynamic he can be. The on-field portion didn’t bail him out either. The movement looked stilted with only marginal change-of-direction, so you’re left with power flashes but not the agility you want for a clean Day 2 grade. He left the testing leaving more questions than answers.
R Mason Thomas, EDGE, Oklahoma
At 241 pounds, the expectation is explosive testing; a 4.67 forty is fine, and skipping jumps removed the easiest way to prove lower-body power. He can still win on quickness, but the combine didn’t deliver the wow factor around rare athleticism that helps lighter edges survive the size question.
Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
Opting out is defensible, but the measurables were the problem. At just over 6’2”, 298 pound, with 31¼” arms and a 76⅜” wingspan, it is not what teams hope for from a top defensive tackle name. Without testing or drills to compensate, the weekend becomes a net negative because it tightens the physical margin for error.
Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
He chose not to do on-field drills, and at linebacker where movement skills are the ‘show me’ currency, that’s a missed evaluation opportunity. It doesn’t tank him, but it pauses momentum while others banked clean drill tape and verified athletic ceilings, meaning they earned the right to overtake him in the rankings.
Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M
Howell measured in at 6’2 ½”, 253 pound, with 30 ¼” arms and a 74 ¼” wingspan. That length combo is the entire story because it’s an outlier for an NFL edge profile and will trigger a debate asking if he can keep his chest clean against NFL tackles. The counter-argument is leverage since shorter levers can help him win low-to-high with first contact and turn speed to power if his hands are violent and accurate.
Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami
Bain surprised a lot when he checked in at 6’2 ¼”, 263 pounds, with 30 ⅞” arms and a 77 ⅜” wingspan. That is again short for the position and, like Howell, creates immediate projection risk in the NFL run game and at the top of the rush when tackles get hands on him early. The reason he can survive is if his play style stays built on leverage, dense mass, and quick hands. Put simply, do coaches trust the tape over what the combine measurements tell them?
