Winners and Losers For Every Position at the NFL Combine

by Zak Drapeau

Sportz Nation - 3/2/2026

Graphic by NFL via PFF.com

Quarterback

Winner: Drew Allar, Penn State

Drew Allar couldn't test after Tearing his ACL only 4 months ago but BOY OH BOY did he show off his arm in on-file workouts. Multiple QBs showed off their accuracy this year as it is truly a group marked for their precision, but no other QB showed off his arm strength like Allar while still being on the money.

Allar is fighting to be QB3 off the board come April behind Mendoza and Simpson and if his medical reports show his rehab going well, this Combine just gave him that ranking easily.

• An honorable mention should go to Taylen Green whose workouts were good but tested off the charts in pure athleticism especially for a 6'6" Quarterback.

Loser: Jalon Daniels, Kansas

Daniels was at one point a top Quarterback in his class and has fallen so much since. After this combine, any draft pick that goes to him will likely be a 6th or 7th rounder based solely on his former promise being worth something to an NFL team.

Running Back

Winner: Mike Washington Jr, Arkansas

Washington was a Day 3 pick after the season, a 3rd rounder after the Senior Bowl and now likely a 2nd rounder after the combine, WHAT an offseason.

Washington had the best testing and one of the best workouts among the Running Back groups and that includes Jeremiyah Love. His speed and agility combo along with his 6'1"-233 pound frame makes him RB2 now on my board.

• Honorable mention to Seth McGowan who had a great workout especially as a dual threat. His agility and ability to turn the ball up field probably worked him from a Day 3 pick to a 3rd or even a late 2nd rounder.

Loser: Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Johnson was a lot of people's RB3s heading into this event even though he was my RB5, but he certainly has dropped for most after the combine. He didn't test well, his measurements came back smaller than we thought and he didn't wow in the workouts ever.

This RB class isn't anything special compared to previous years and Johnson's Combine has frankly made it worse. He still be a Day 2 pick somewhere thanks to his aggressive running at Nebraska but has very little hope for more than that.

Wide Receiver

Winner: Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati

Caldwell showed up to the Combine with one of the best frames in his position than proceeded to run the 4th best 40-yard dash time of 4.31. After proving his speed, Caldwell would then grab he silver medal for receivers in both vertical and broad jumps while standing at 6'5".

Caldwell may have been plainly average in the on-field drills as far as his hands and fluidity are concerned but his athleticism and size may have stolen the entire show this weekend. Rarely do we see the combination of the two this pronounced and when we do, it comes from guys like Nick Emmanwori, DK Metcalf and Vernon Davis. Caldwell's combine has easily brought his stock from Day 3 to Day 2.

• Skyler Bell out of UConn deserves a shout here as well. The Biletnikoff finalist had the smoothest on-field catching drills and proved his season in Connecticut was no fluke thanks to his separation and hands.

Loser: Denzel Boston, Washington

Two of the top receivers in this class hurt their stock this weekend in two different ways but Denzel Boston looked worse. Boston's lack of testing was troublesome and lends an ear to his lack of agility as a 6'4" X-receiver. Boston had a good career in Washington but he solidified a Day 2 draft pick from the combine as teams will likely see him as too unathletic to see otherwise.

• Carnell Tate is the other top receiver who looked bad but his downfall was in testing too much. Tate's speed scores were towards the bottom of his position group and then his on-field workouts which he should've excelled in were only average.

Tight End

Winner: Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

Before the weekend started we knew that Sadiq would lead his group in most athletic scores thanks to his value as best in his class but also his size as a 6'3"-245 pound Tight End. What he did this weekend was even better than we expected.

Sadiq's speed, jumping and bench press were all 1st or 2nd in his class and his workouts showed what we already knew about his pass catching. The best showing came from his 26 bench press reps which will help counter Sadiq's biggest question as a prospect which is blocking.

Loser: Miles Kitselman, Tennessee

Kitselman was my TE10 and was looking at a Day 3 pick anyway but his testing has probably taken him off team's boards altogether. Kitselman will have some value as a blocker and make a team's practice squad for it but not much after that.

Tackle

Winner: Monroe Freeling, Georgia

Several Tackles had a great day Sunday but none more than Monroe Freeling. After posing a pefect frame at 6'7", 315 pounds with 34 3/4" arms and 10 3/4" hands, Freeling then proved his athleticism in broad jumping and testing 2nd best in his position in the 40-yard dash as well.

• Top Tackle Spencer Fano also had an incredible day of testing. He clearly has the best athleticism in his position and would be the winner of the group however his arm measurements are well below what we expected and probably will force him to move inside.

• Max Iheanachor also deserves a shout for testing the best in speed for his position with an ideal NFL-frame.

Loser: Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M

Not many Tackles had an overall bad day but Crownover definitely takes the cake in that regard. Crownover has an elite frame for the position but his on-field workouts were very rigid and showed he has a long way to go as an NFL-Tackle.

Guard

Winner: Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M

Bisontis is in the mix for first Guard off the board in Day 2 after Ioane and Pregnon are gone. His arm length was not great but his quickness and agility were on full display and was even flashy at some points.

• Gennings Dunker had a pretty great day of testing but also showed a skill set closer to a Guard than as a listed Tackle.

Loser: Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Texas A&M

As the third Aggie I've listed in a row, Reed-Adams was much more similar to Crownover in terms of being behind on his agility.

Center

Winner: Parker Brailsford, Alabama

HM: Logan Jones

It was hard to pick between Brailsford and Logan Jones for Centers but Brailsford was the better athlete. in the 6th percentile in speed and jumping with above average quickness was elite even for a 290-pound frame. Brailsford is very much in the mix for the 2nd Center to come off the board and probably took it this weekend.

Loser: Brian Parker II, Duke

Parker came in looking to make a jump to the Top-3 of this position after a good season at Duke but fell short. His workouts were a bit better than his testing but he proved his worth as a Day 3 pick.

Defensive Tackle

Winner: Caleb Banks, Florida

HM: Gracen Halton

Caleb Banks is easily the biggest of his position in this class and after the Combine has somehow shown himself to be one of the quickest as well. A member of Bruce Feldman's Freak List, Banks lived up to the moniker with a 5.04-40 and 9'6" broad jump at 327 pounds. At 6'6" tall, 35" arms and a hair under 11" hands Banks showed that he has elite agility for his NFL-size frame and solidified a 1st-round pick come April.

Loser: Lee Hunter, Texas Tech

After being one of the biggest risers from the Senior Bowl, Hunter showed that he is much better on the field than in testing after this weekend. We all knew he wasn't an elite athlete but his testing was very underwhelming at one of the worst atheltic scores of the weekend.

Edge Rusher

Winner: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

On the opposite end, Dennis-Sutton had probably the 4th or 5th best athletic showings in the Combine for me. Great and fluid speed, the 2nd best jumping scores of his position and a good 3-cone drill proves he has elite twitchiness in po asition where twitch matters a lot. After a bit of an underwhelming season, DDS probably put himself back into 2nd round discussions.

Loser: R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma

HM: Rueben Bain Jr.

Thomas came into the Combine at only 241 pounds and promised us all he'd make up for it with elite athleticism. You can imagine our disappointment when his entire testing was below average. Thomas will still be taken in the first 50 picks I expect although if he's not, this will be why

• Rueben Bain should be mentioned here as well after coming in shorter and lighter than expected. Before the Combine he was mentioned as a tweener but now it seems he will be limited to having his hands off the ground which could force him out of the Top-10 come April.

Linebacker

Winner: Sonny Styles, Ohio State

And the biggest winner of the weekend is none other than Sonny Styles. Tall and strong: check. Fast and twitchy: check. Linebacker skills as a tackler and man coverage skills: Yup.

Styles should be a bonafide Top-10 pick now and has proved his capability of being a versatile and dangerous Swiss-Army knife on the defensive end we haven't seen since Kyle Hamilton came out in 2022.

Loser: Taurean York, Texas A&M

York was fighting for a Top-5 ranking in his position and looked okay in drills but tested terribly. Despite posting the 2nd best Bench Press, he had the worst jumping score and terrible arm measurements to boost.

Cornerback

Winner: Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin

HM: Chris Johnson

Rising up the boards significantly was Charles Demmings who was basically showing off at the Combine. Demmings was as twitchy as he was fluid and while he won't be clsoe to the first Corner taken off the board showed a serious potential to make it in the league as a boundary Corner thanks to technique and raw ability.

• Chris Johnson made the most noise as far as the top Corners of the class. Continuing his rise since the end of the season, Johnson has serious 1st-round talks around his name now.

Loser: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

McCoy has been my CB1 since last season but his injury might be worse than we thought. A full 400 days since Tearing his ACL, McCoy still couldn't perform at the Combine and even though he may be the best Corner of the class, he might need his leg to do it.

Safety

Winner: Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

Thieneman looked really good in everything he did, plain as that. Safeties are the group I most watch for freaky talents but Thieneman impressed me a different way. He wasn't truly elite in anything but he was truly great in everything. This VERY solid athletic score along with his proven versatility as a zone coverage and downhill Safety will do him extremely well in the league.

Loser: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

The Toldeo Safety was making major waves as the possible 2nd Safety off the board in April but underwhelmed this weekend. He measured well at 6'3.5" tall with over 32" arms but tested poorly.

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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft.

-Z.D. (@DrapeauZak)