The on-field portion of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine starts Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. For those of us on the outside of the NFL, the on-field workouts are the main event at the annual Scouting Combine.
Not only will the four days of workouts reshuffle draft boards and mock drafts, but it’s also downright fun to watch some of the best athletes in the country do incredibly athletic things.
Every year there are workouts that are incredibly consequential for a prospects’ draft stock. Either players with
questions need to answer them, or unheralded prospects put themselves on the map. This year is no different, and the outcomes of the workouts could figure heaviliy in the New York Giants draft strategy.
With all that in mind, here are my “must see” workouts. Which workouts are you looking forward to the most?
Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
It was actually news that Sonny Styles intends to work out at the Combine. There’s been a trend lately for top prospects to skip the on-field workouts and instead perform at their Pro Days. That Styles is working out says two things: First, that he wants to take the opportunity to compete, which is always great to see. And second, it says that he’s confident enough in his performance that he doesn’t want to wait for the more friendly environment of Ohio State’s facilities.
Styles also happens to be one of the best athletes at any position in this draft class and is fully expected to put on an absolute show in the on-field workouts. He could not only be a realistic pick for the Giants at No. 5 overall, but a favorite after this week.
Dillon Theineman (S, Oregon)
Speaking show-stealing workouts, Oregon safety Dillon Theineman could be the talk of the town after this weekend. Theineman is expected to measure in at a somewhat stocky 6-foot, 205 pounds, but there’s talk that he could run in the 4.3s and jump somehwere in the neighborhood of 43 inches.
The fact that Theineman doesn’t quite have the freakish size of Nick Emmanwori to go with his athleticism will tamp down on those comparisons a bit, but he has the potential to be an impact player at the next level.
If you aren’t familiar with Theineman, just know that he isn’t a workout warrior who’s coming out of nowhere. Theineman was primarily used in the box in Oregon because of the different ways in which he can impact the run and take away the underneith quick passes that fuel modern offenses. However he also has the range and ballhawking skills to play deep safety, which he routinely did at Purdue before transferring.
Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
McCoy is among the players with the absolute most on the line this week. His medical exams will be incredibly impactful as he tore his ACL roughly 13 months ago in a training accident and missed the entire 2025 season. Teams will want to know that the injury is healed, the joint is stable, and the long-term prognosis is positive.
They’ll also want to see that he’s been able to regain his athleticism after recovering from his injury, as well as how he stacks up against the rest of the class after not playing in 2025. McCoy’s 2024 tape suggests that he has the potential to be one of the best (if not the best) cornerbacks to come out of this class, but he’ll need to prove he has the wheels to solidify his draft stock post-injury.
Francis Mauigoa (OT, Miami)
Mauigoa is another player with a lot on the line this week. He doesn’t have injury concerns, however there are questions regarding what his best position is at the NFL level.
Mauigoa is a powerful, physical mauler of a lineman, and some have him as the top offensive tackle on the draft board. However, there are others who are concerned that he either lacks the arm length, the lower-body flexibility, or the lateral agility to stay at offensive tackle in the NFL.
There’s some talk that Mauigoa could put down some great performances in the 40-yard dash and vertical leap. However, it will be the short-shuttle, 3-cone drill, and his work in the position drills that tell the tale. Depending on how a big position group is broken up, Mauigoa will work out between Utah left tackle Caleb Lomu and Clemson right tackle Brett Miller, which should make for a solid comparison to see how Mauigoa stacks up against other tackles.
Also keep an eye on Iowa center Logan Jones who should be in the group as well. He isn’t a direct comparison to Mauigoa, but Jones ranks seventh on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” and should be one of the most athletic interior linemen.
The top receivers
The top tier if this year’s wide receiver class very well could be sorted out in Indianapolis. Right now, Carnell Tate is pretty commonly considered the top receiving prospect, but Makai Lemon (USC), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), and Denzel Boston (Washington) are all right there.
Tate is highly regarded as a technician and as a selfless teammate, however there are some questions regarding his size and speed. He could secure the WR1 position if he shows up above 200 pounds and runs in the 4.4’s, pretty much every question about him evaporates. Tyson’s questions, meanwhile, will have to be answered in his medical exams, but a great workout could go a long way toward helping teams feel comfortable with any risks.
Denzel Boston could leapfrog both Lemon and Tyson if his workout exceeds expectations and teams have concerns regarding Lemon’s size and Tyson’s health.
It’ll be interesting to watch and those four combine performances could play a huge role in the Giants’ draft strategy.
The top defensive tackles
The defensive tackle class is a bit light on talent at the top and there probably aren’t players who will command picks in the top half of the round. In fact, we aren’t really sure who will be the first defensive tackle off the board in April, and the Combine workouts could determine who goes when.
As things stand now, the top of the iDL depth chart is going to be some permutation of:
- Lee Hunter (Texas Tech)
- Kayden McDonald (Ohio State)
- Christen Miller (Georgia)
- Peter Woods (Clemson)
- Caleb Banks (Florida)
If we’re looking for fireworks, Peter Woods and Caleb Banks both have the potential to put on a show with their combination of size and the athleticism we’ve seen on tape. Woods and Banks also have a lot of questions to answer after 2025 seasons that certainly did not live up to expectations. The other three, Hunter, McDonald, and Miller, are all big tackles who’ve primarily been run stuffers in college. However, each has the potential to jump to DT1 if they show better pass rush upside in their workouts.
The second tier of wide receivers
I wanted to break up the wide receiver talk, but the second tier of receivers will also bear watching. The Giants have a need at wide receiver, which could be a desperate need after free agency. As things stand now, the Giants’ top receiving threats (Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Theo Johnson) are all great athletes, but also prone to drops in big moments.
Considering offensive performance is the biggest predictor of success from year to year, and the Giants can’t miss the opportunity to add reliable talent around Jaxson Dart. However, they may bypass the position in the first round.
If so, the workouts of players like Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee), Malachi Fields (Notre Dame), Elijah Sarratt (Indiana), Ted Hurst (Georgia State), and Bryce Lance (North Dakota State) become far more important.
