We officially have the fastest defensive class in NFL Scouting Combine history. Today we had the fastest group of defensive backs in Combine history to follow the fastest groups of linebackers and defensive linemen in Combine history on Thursday.
Things started off with the cornerbacks burning up the turf and jumping out of the gym. Then the safeties came out and made them look slow — to the point where the 4.50-second 40-yard dash from Texas safety’s Michael Taaffe looked slow.
The defensive secondary
is commonly listed as a need for the New York Giants, and this class is proving both talented and deep.
The tight ends also threw down some great workouts as well, with both Kenyan Sadiq and Eli Stowers setting Combine records.
So many players helped themselves, and confirmed that this is a good and deep class of defensive backs, that it’s hard to narrow down who helped themselves the most.
Winners
Cornerback
Charles Demmings (Stephen F. Austin) – One of the best parts of the combine is when small-school prospects take the opportunity to shine a spotlight on themselves. Demmings was definitely under the national radar playing at Stephen F. Austin, but he sent folks to go look for his tape with great size (6-foot-1, 193 pounds, 32-inch arms, 10⅛ inch hands), and then turned a 4.41-second 40 followed by a 40-inch vertical and 11-foot broad jump. Demmings finished last season with 4 interceptions, and teams have definitely taken notice.
Toriano Pride Jr. (Missouri) – Pride Jr. turned a very good 4.38 with his first 40-yard dash, but then bettered it with his second attempt: a 4.32, which was the fastest time of the combine (so far). He was visibly pumped from his performance, and teams will love his enthusiasm. He’s likely a nickel corner at the next level at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, but his raw speed means he can keep up with big play threats, or close down fast on underneath passes. That has a ton of value in the modern NFL.
Daylen Everette (Georgia) – Everett has been on the periphery of the top cornerback conversation, but he may have moved up boards with his 4.38-second 40-yard dash. He’s been talked about as a potential Day 3 sleeper, however his UGA pedigree and blazing speed could have him moved up into the second round.
Tacario Davis (Washington) – If you’re looking for cornerbacks with great speed and rare length, look no further than Tacario Davis. Davis weighed in at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, with 33⅜ inch arms and turned a 4.41-second 40 yard dash. Field drills revealed some hip stiffness, but that will have less impact for teams that use Cover 3 or Cover 4 schemes. He should probably get fit for a Seattle Seahawks uniform now.
Chris Johnson (San Diego State) – Checking boxes. Chris Johnson has some really excellent tape and is a player for quarterbacks to respect. He finished 2025 with 4 interceptions (2 pick-sixes) and 9 passes defensed, but there were some questions about his overall athleticism. He has good size for a perimeter corner at 6-foot, 193 pounds, and answered the athleticism questions with a 4.40-second 40, 38-inch vertical and 10-foot-6 broad jump. Johnson looked smooth and fluid in the field drills, and looked like a seasoned vet doing them.
D’Angelo Ponds (CB, Indiana) – Ponds is undersized at 5-foot 8⅝ inches, 185 pounds, and he didn’t run. However, he jumped 43.5 inches in the vertical leap and looked remarkably fluid with lightning feet in the field drills. Ponds is one of the best pure football players in the draft and going to get drafted earlier than a lot of people expect, particularly after he weighed in at 185 pounds and still jumped out of the gym.
Safety
I want only one question: Who put rocket fuel in these safeties’ water bottles!?
Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Ohio State) – Sonny Styles stole the show on the first day of the combine, and the Styles Clan stays winning. Lorenzo, Sonny’s older brother, is working out as a safety after playing nickel cornerback for Ohio State, and performed well. He started off with the fourth-best vertical (39 inches) at 6-foot½ inches, 194 pounds. He then followed that up with a scorching 4.27-second 40 yard dash, setting a new fastest time for the combine. Lorenzo consistently showed up on tape this year, and there’s no way he’s under the radar any more.
I gotta do it: Styling and profilin’ WOOOO!
Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina) – Kilgore has been an intriguing prospect who’s been on our radar (if not the national radar), since this summer. He played all over the Gamecocks’ secondary, manning the slot as well as strong and free safety. He started his day by measuring in at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, with 32⅞ arms, then led the group with a 10-foot-10 broad jump, posted a strong 37-inch vertical, and then had a blazing 4.40-second 40 yard dash.
Nobody was expecting Kilgore to be another Nick Emmanwori, but he isn’t far off. A lot of people will be going back to the South Carolina tape.
Dillon Thieneman (Oregon) – Thieneman put everyone on notice with the second-best vertical (41 inches) and a 10-foot-5 broad jump. Then he backed it up with a 4.35-second 40 at 6-foot, 201 pounds. Thieneman primarily played box safety for the Ducks, but was a true centerfielder at Purdue. He’s a versatile safety with the ability to play any safety position, and showed everyone that there isn’t much separation between himself, Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Caleb Downs.
Honorable mention: Genesis Smith (Arizona), Bud Clark (TCU), VJ Payne (Kansas State), Michael Taaffe (Texas)
Tight ends
Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) – Stowers was already in heavy contention to be TE2 behind Kenyon Sadiq. He won’t pass Sadiq, who set a record with a 4.39-second 40. However, announcing his presence with an 11-foot-3 broad jump and a 45.5-inch vertical (both of which are combine records) will certainly push him up draft boards. He wasn’t able to follow those up with a 40 in the 4.4’s, as he faded a bit after an explosive get-off. But still, Stowers is a highly productive receiving tight end who can be a true moveable piece and weapon from all over the offensive formation.
Oh, and he measured 6-foot-5, 239 pounds.
Marlin Klein (Michigan) – Klein is a big, long tight end at 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, and is a solid blocker who can line up in-line or detached. He had himself a nice day with a 4.61-second 40, a 36-inch vertical, was one of the best tight ends in the blocking drill, and consistently caught the ball cleanly. Teams looking for a Y tight end will want to take a close look at Klein.
Jaren Kanak (Oklahoma) – Kanak is going to make some team very happy later this year. He isn’t the biggest tight end at 6-foot-2, 233 pounds, and is very new to the position after transitioning from linebacker this year. However, he looked very good in the receiving drills and showed great speed with a 4.52-second 40-yard dash. He’s going to be a bit of a project for his future team, however he could become a real weapon as a TE2 behind a more well-rounded TE1.
RJ Maryland (SMU) – Son of a former first overall pick, Maryland isn’t high on many boards (290 on the Consensus Big Board, 285 on the PFF big board), but he’s well regarded as a blocker despite being 234 pounds at 6-foot-4. He showed up big time in the measurable drills, tying Eli Stowers for the second-fastest 40 at 4.51 seconds and also had a 10-foot-2 broad jump. He caught the ball well in field drills as well and could move up boards after today.
Riley Nowakowski (Indiana) – Nowakowski is probably going to be a fullback or H-back in the NFL. Fullbacks are usually described as “lumbering”, but Nowakowski certainly isn’t that. His 4.66-second 40 was very solid for a guy weighing in at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, and he showed some real receiving upside this year with 32 catches for Indiana. He’ll probably be a late round pick, or maybe even a priority free agent, but he could catch John Harbaugh’s eye.
Losers
Cornerback
Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) – McCoy is one of the players who needed to answer questions with his workout this week, but elected to skip the on-field portion of the combine in favor of his Pro Day. That might not have been a big deal… Had McCoy played in 2025. However, he didn’t play at all last year after suffering a torn ACL last January. McCoy has been fully cleared, but told teams he “just didn’t feel ready” to perform at the Combine, which will raise questions as to how badly he was injured a year ago, or his willingness to compete.
Neither of which is a good question to put in the mind of a general manager.
T.J. Hall (Iowa) – Hall was visibly unhappy with his 40 times, and with a 4.59 and 4.60, it’s tough to blame him. He measured at 6-foot-1, 189, which are both good numbers for a cornerback, but his 40 time will make teams wonder whether he’s a safety at the next level — and then whether he has the size to be a safety.
Safety
Caleb Downs (Ohio State) – I didn’t want to do this. At first I wasn’t really concerned that Downs skipped his workout at the Combine and opted to wait until the Ohio State Pro Day. I like to see prospects take every opportunity to compete that they’re afforded, but Downs doesn’t have much to prove and his tape cemented him as a high first round pick.
Then someone cast “Haste” (ask your local DnD nerd) on the safety group and they simply blew the cornerbacks out of the water. At this point we kinda have to ask why Downs didn’t step to the challenge of competing with these beasts.
Tight end
Tanner Koziol (Houston) – Koziol was probably expected to be a bit more athletic than he was. After all, he made his mark as a receiving tight end for Houston and would likely be the same in the NFL. However, a 4.71-second 40 is a poor time for a modern tight end, particularly one who isn’t going to be a blocker. Koziol has solid size, but could slide down draft boards some, however that also means he should be a good value and a potential sleeper.
