The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled this week and people finally get to put eyeballs on some of their favorite prospects and see how they stack up. Here are some names that need an important week at the combine. These prospects need to shake off the negative narratives that surround them and climb draft boards.
Drew Allar, QB, Penn State
Watch the drills, this is all about the movement skills. His 2025 season ended with a broken left ankle and teams will want clean imaging, full strength, and confidence that it won’t
linger when he has to drive and climb the pocket. If he checks out medically and looks functional in footwork-based drills, it can stabilize him as a safe quarterback option rather than a medical discount.
Carson Beck, QB, Miami
This will be a huge day for Beck during the throwing session. Beck’s elbow injury and rehab are the headline, so we need to see the ball come out clean with no obvious guarding, and teams will hammer him on medical details and how he’ll manage workload.
Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas
Daniels has a well-documented injury history across multiple seasons, so the combine is as much about medical confidence and long-term availability as it is about drills. Teams will also probe how he sees his own playing style. If medicals cooperate and he interviews as someone with a realistic durability plan, he can shift from a questionable prospect to a viable Day 3 development bet.
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt
Pavia’s height is the debate as teams map batted-ball risk and sightlines to their pass game. Interviews and podium also matter because he’s had extra attention around the listed size and off-field chatter, teams will want to prove he can keep the message tight and stay professional. If he handles the scrutiny professionally, he can become a scheme-specific riser instead of a hard pass due to size and attitude questions.
Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
With Proctor it’s all about conditioning and weight. Proctor’s size is rare, but the combine is where teams ask, “Can he carry it?”. He also needs to look light enough in mirror sets and change-of-direction work to stay at tackle, not get shoved into a guard-only projection. If he tests and drills like a functional athlete for his frame, he can lock in premium value.
Dontay Corleone, DT, Cincinnati
Another medical clearance question. Corleone’s power is obvious, but his draft value revolves around the prior blood clot history and whether teams are comfortable long-term. The medical re-check and team-doctor conversations are the event for him, everything else is secondary, though decent movement testing helps reduce two-down only fears.
RJ Maryland, TE, SMU
Maryland is coming off an ACL injury that ended his 2024 season, so teams will want clean reports and to see whether his lower-body explosion and change of direction look like pre-injury Maryland. Tight end drills and how he talks about rehab matters. If he looks springy and checks out medically, he can protect his complete tight end projection. If not, he risks being viewed as a limited role pass-game specialist.
Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
In-line blocking, in-line blocking, and yes more in-line blocking questions. Koziol’s receiving production is fantastic, but he’s a red flag with blocking limitations. The blocking work and drills will be where scouts decide whether he can be more than a big slot. Interviews also matter here because teams want him to be honest about what he is today and how he’ll develop strength technique.
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
A big combine is needed here to show off some route-running polish. Branch has electric traits, but he has a less-developed route tree and the need for more nuance is crucial at the combine. Combine drills are a big deal for him because they’re the easiest way to show refinement quickly. If he looks crisp and controlled, he can move from gadget guy to a player teams trust on a fuller receiving option.
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
For Tyson it’s almost entirely medicals and team interviews this week because he’s reportedly not doing on-field workouts while dealing with a hamstring injury. That makes the medical checks and how he explains his rehab the centerpiece to his combine. If the hamstring checks out clean and teams get a believable plan for being ready by pro day or early OTAs, the top of the draft narrative holds.
Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
He’s got to prove he’s not just a Sun Belt big body winner, but an NFL possession receiver who can separate and win with more than size. The combine matters for him in three lanes, first is measurements, second is athletic testing (especially 10-yard split), and third is on-field drills to show functional route nuance with clean breaks and hand timing.
Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State
Everyone knows this guy can fly, the combine is where he has to show he’s not only a straight-line threat but can catch cleanly, show proper form in route breaks, and the ability to track and finish. Teams will also use interviews to understand how he learns details and whether he can expand beyond take the top off.
Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami
Ah yes, the measurements combine guy, we get one every year this high in the consensus rankings. Teams are looking for confirmation on his body type and especially length and arm profile. That’s not a small concern since arm length affects how you stack, separate, and finish against NFL tackles. If he comes in with reassuring length for his play style and then tests like a high-end power athlete, he can lock in top-tier EDGE value.
Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech
He has to prove he’s more than flashes. Athletic testing and on-field drills can turn a traits rusher into a clean projection, and interviews matter because teams want a plan for developing counters and run-game technique.
Nadame Tucker, EDGE, Western Michigan
Small-school EDGE prospects live or die on two things in Indy, verified measurables and verified movement. The question isn’t can he play, it’s whether his athletic profile is NFL-caliber, and is he mentally ready to jump multiple levels of competition
Interviews are massive in terms of football IQ, and coachability, and any strong testing number gives scouts permission to trust the traits over the level-of-competition concern.
Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU
The combine is about role and buy-in, so teams will ask whether he’s an off-ball linebacker full-time, a hybrid EDGE, or a weapon you move around, and they’ll use interviews to see how he communicates and whether he embraces doing the unglamorous stuff. Testing and drills need to confirm the explosion that makes him different, because that’s what justifies building packages around him.
Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
He has to prove NFL linebacker clarity and if he can he be a true three-down MIKE or WILL. Teams will lean hard on interviews and athletic testing to validate that he can carry match routes and close in space, not just shoot gaps. If he tests elite and shows command in meetings, he can be valued as a modern every-down impact linebacker.
Keionte Scott, DB, Miami
Scott’s value is tied to being a true nickel-hybrid rather than a boundary-only corner, so teams will scrutinize short-area burst, change of direction, and whether his skill set translates cleanly to the role they need. If he tests like a high-end space athlete and sells teams on a defined role, he can become a strong Day 2 target instead of a tweener.
Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
He’s the classic medical swing prospect in this years class. He missed the 2025 season with a torn ACL, so the combine is about stability tests, and whether teams believe he’ll be the same mover when he has to plant in man coverage. If the medicals and movement look clean, he stays in as a legitimate Round 1 prospect; if there’s any lingering concern, teams start pricing in a redshirt year or reduced early-career availability. That means going down a round.
D’Angelo Ponds, DB, Indiana
His tape says he plays bigger, but the combine will still force the size conversation. His height, weight, and arm length will frame whether teams keep him outside, peg him as nickel-only, or view him as matchup-dependent. The athletic testing is huge here because undersized corners have to win with burst, change-of-direction and recovery speed, and interviews matter because coordinators want to know what roles he can handle mentally.
