2026 NFL combine: Top draft prospects, best workouts, risers - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Individual drills for prospects in the 2026 NFL draft started Thursday, with defensive linemen and linebackers taking the field. Defensive backs and tight ends will be next Friday, followed by quarterback, running back and wide receiver prospects Saturday. Offensive linemen will finish the combine with on-field workouts Sunday.

Who ran well in the 40-yard dash? Who dominated the rest of the on-field work? Draft experts Matt Miller, Jordan Reid and Field Yates are recapping all four days of the combine workouts, evaluating the top performances from every position, picking prospects who are rising (or potentially falling) and addressing notable under-the-radar showings.

Let's get into the breakdown of all the action at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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DL/LB: Takeaways | Risers | Top names | Notes

Notables who did not work out: CJ Allen (Georgia), Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami), Gabe Jacas (Illinois), Akheem Mesidor (Miami), Peter Woods (Clemson)

Reid: This linebacker class is awesome. From testing to on-field drills, the players who were expected to be standouts certainly delivered. Sonny Styles (Ohio State) will be the talk of the position group, but the depth shined as well. Jake Golday (Cincinnati), Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas) and Kyle Louis (Pitt) are three others who helped their draft stock. Golday and Hill are viewed as top-50 prospects, while Louis is considered a Round 3 player. The competition level at the position was on full display, as it seemed they were jostling with each other to catapult up the draft board.

Miller: Arm length was thetopic of the day, as Bain (30 7/8 inches) and Texas A&M's Cashius Howell (30 1/4) measured under 31 inches. According to ESPN Research, those lengths would be the