What We Learned

2026 NFL combine: What We Learned during Friday's activities in Indianapolis

Published: Feb 27, 2026 at 12:35 PM Updated: Feb 27, 2026 at 07:18 PM

by Gennaro Filice, Dan Parr, Nick Shook & Eric Edholm

INDIANAPOLIS -- Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs hit the podium at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, while defensive backs and tight ends showed their stuff on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf.

Here's what we learned:

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Tune in to NFL Network and NFL+ for live coverage of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday and Sunday.

ON THE FIELD

1) Pride speeds into the spotlight. Missouri CB Toriano Pride surprised the NFL -- and himself -- after his 4.32-second 40-yard dash on Friday, which stands as the second-fastest at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine so far.

The 5-foot-10 3/8, 185-pound Pride surely benefitted from the decision by several top cornerbacks to sit out the 40-yard dash, including a handful who might have been candidates to run some of the faster times at the combine. After a 4.36-second unofficial first 40 attempt, Pride shaved off another four-hundredths of a second, earning an ovation from the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd.

Pride's 4.32 is tied for the 14th-best mark since 2003 among cornerbacks. He also turned in good numbers in the vertical jump (37.5 inches) and broad jump (10-foot-8).

NFL Network's Stacey Dales visited Pride after his first unofficial time of 4.36 seconds, with Pride telling her he wanted to aim for a 4.34. He did even better than that.

"This guy is tickled silly about that run," Dales said on the NFL Network broadcast immediately following Pride's second 40 attempt.

Pride also told Dales he feels he's been a bit overlooked during the pre-draft process. After two years at Clemson, Pride transferred to Mizzou in 2024. He had a pick-six in his first game at MU but later was benched that first season.

In 2025, Pride bounced back and started 12 of 13 games, with two interceptions, including another pick-six, while playing more consistently. If Pride was underrated prior to Friday, he certainly did everything in his power during the 40 to change that.

-- Eric Edholm

2) Tight end hits new heights. Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers broke the vertical-jump record for tight ends (going back to 2003) at the combine on Friday, getting within a half inch of tying the event's best mark in that span, regardless of position. Stowers jumped 45.5 inches, which came up just shy of safety Gerald Sensabaugh's record mark of 46 inches, set back in 2005.

Stowers also set the high-water mark at the combine among tight ends in the broad jump, with a leap of 11-foot-3 inches. That number is good enough to crack the top 25, regardless of position, since 2003.

These are astounding numbers for the 6-3 3/4, 239-pound tight end, who started his college career as a quarterback at Texas A&M. Stowers ended up at New Mexico State and lost the QB job to Diego Pavia, then converted full time to tight end. They both followed their former New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill to Clark Lea's program at Vanderbilt, where Stowers and Pavia became a successful passing-game duo, with Stowers catching 111 passes for 1,407 yards and nine TDs the past two seasons combined.

Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq was expected to be the showstopper at tight end during the workouts -- and he was, recording a vertical leap of 43.5 inches, which tied the 2026 combine mark, and hitting 11-foot-1 in the broad jump, which was also briefly the best number in that event.

Then Stowers bested both marks by two inches apiece.

Stowers didn't crack Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50 prospects, but he's seen by draftniks as a possible Day 2 pick. It's considered a somewhat leaner year at tight end, but Stowers' big, athletic showing helped put a nice sheen on it Friday night.

-- Eric Edholm

3) Pedigreed CB prospect keeps checking boxes. As a former five-star recruit out of Florida football factory IMG Academy, Daylen Everette's always had the pedigree. And at Georgia, he was a starter for the last three seasons, earning third-team All-SEC honors in the past two. Add in solid ball production and willingness in run support, and it's a pretty enticing prospect résumé. Yet, it feels like Everette has been overlooked in the pre-draft process. But that could change after the cornerback's showing on Friday in Indianapolis.

After checking in with solid size (6-1 1/4, 196 pounds, 31 7/8-inch arm), Everette scorched the Lucas Oil Stadium track with a 4.38-second 40-yard dash. Supplementing that eye-catching time with solid efforts in the jumps (37-inch vertical, 10-foot-4 broad) and some smooth work in position drills, Everette just continues to check boxes in his football life.

Everette played in a bunch of high-profile matchups during his 55 games (41 starts) at Georgia, often acquitting himself quite well under the brightest lights. He was named MVP of the 2024 SEC Championship Game after snagging a pair of picks off Texas' Quinn Ewers, and then he intercepted Alabama's Ty Simpson in this past year's conference title bout. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart showered praise on the 21-year-old last month during a Senior Bowl interview on NFL Network.

"Plays big in big moments," Smart said. "And I'm very fortunate to have watched him practice for four years and cover some guys like Ladd (McConkey) and the guys we've had come out, and he's just a physical presence for us. And football still, at the end of the day, comes down to tackling and blocking, and he's hard to block and he's a good tackler."

-- Gennaro Filice

4) Thieneman showcases rare athleticism at safety. At his podium session on Thursday, Dillon Thieneman expressed lofty ambitions for the 40-yard dash.

"I do have a target," Thieneman stated. "My goal is to get to 4.3."

Mission accomplished. The well-rounded safety ran a scintillating 4.35 40 on Friday, further underscoring his explosiveness with a 41-inch vertical leap. And then he capped off the potent performance with some silky-smooth work in position drills. All in all, the native son of Westfield High School -- located in the Indianapolis suburbs -- put on quite a show at Lucas Oil Stadium, continuing to boost his red-hot draft stock.

Thieneman spent his first two college seasons at Purdue, starting every game, stuffing the stat sheet and earning All-Big Ten honors on a couple of moribund Boilermakers teams. Then he transferred to Oregon and immediately established himself as one of the best players on the Ducks' top-10 defense, ultimately becoming a second-team AP All-American. Over the course of three seasons and 39 college games (all starts), Thieneman lined up all over the field, exhibiting the kind of multi-level versatility that's in high demand among modern NFL defenses. And he constantly earned praise for his cerebral play, with my colleague Lance Zierlein calling him "an extension of his defensive coordinator, aligning and adjusting the secondary to motion and pre-snap shifts."

With speed, savvy and solid size at 6-foot 1/8 and 201 pounds, Thieneman is receiving plenty of first-round buzz, which isn't exactly common for the safety position. But Daniel Jeremiah ranks the 21-year-old as his No. 23 overall prospect. Combining three wildly productive college seasons (SEE: 308 tackles, eight interceptions and 14 pass breakups) with an electric combine workout, Thieneman has put together an alluring draft dossier.

-- Gennaro Filice

OFF THE FIELD

1) 'Bama QB makes case to be long-term answer for NFL team. Ty Simpson's tumultuous first and only season as Alabama's starting quarterback plunged him into uncertainty entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

He knows the challenges he faced painted a complicated picture. But he also believes his experience at Alabama -- both as a starter and a backup to Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe -- makes him a valuable prospect for any NFL team seeking a long-term answer under center.

"I'm ready. I'm a franchise quarterback," Simpson said Friday at the combine. "Alabama prepares you most for the NFL. With the infrastructure that they have and the guidance from Coach (Nick) Saban, Coach (Kalen) DeBoer, Coach (Ryan) Grubb, all the coordinators that I had before, I ran an NFL-type system. It definitely prepared me for saying those long play calls, saying those checks, making sure that I get us in the right protection.

"And also, everybody talks about my starts, but I played in other games besides that. I've played against really good NFL players. I think about my freshman year, learning from the No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner (Bryce Young). Going on defense, going on scout team, I got Will Anderson Jr., Dallas Turner, Henry To'oTo'o, I got Kool-Aid (McKinstry) on one side, I got Terrion (Arnold) on the other side. There's a number of first- and second-round draft picks that I went against and who I was in the locker room with. The Alabama locker room is as close to a locker room in the NFL as you can get."

It's a case made for many products from Alabama, long considered an NFL factory over the last two decades. It also might not be quite strong enough to hold up against Simpson's intriguing but inconsistent tape from the 2025 season.

We'll see if Simpson's argument will convince a team, or if his performance -- including his intent to throw Saturday in Indianapolis -- carries the most weight in April.

-- Nick Shook

2) Manziel giving pointers to Heisman runner-up Pavia. While former Browns QB Johnny Manziel is more of a cautionary tale when it comes to translating college stardom to the NFL, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia has welcomed Manziel as a mentor as he prepares to make the jump.

"He's given me what to look out for, what it's like, how to stay in the process," Pavia told reporters on Friday. "He's given me some good advice, for sure. He always reaches out, too. Checks up on me. Makes sure I'm good. He's just a friend to me. He's given me some mentorship. He's been around me. He's been around my family. He's just a great person for those that really don't know."

Similar to Manziel, Pavia has become something of a lightning rod, fueled in part by his reaction after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Fernando Mendoza. In an Instagram post after the award ceremony, Pavia wrote "F-all the voters ... Family for life." There are also concerns about Pavia's height after he measured 5-9 7/8 last month at the Senior Bowl, well below the NFL standard for his position.

He sought to set the record straight on Friday when it comes to perceptions about him.

"I feel like there's a lot out there, but I just want everyone to know that what's true about me is I'm humble and I get my confidence from my process," Pavia said. "If you saw how much I put into this, you would see where I get my confidence from."

Pavia said he will be throwing when QBs take the field at the combine on Saturday but will save his athletic testing for his pro day.

-- Dan Parr

3) Tate stakes claim on WR1. The 2026 NFL Draft is blessed with another deep, versatile crop of wide receivers, but who's the top dog in the class? Presented with that question on Friday in Indianapolis, Ohio State's Carnell Tate didn't stutter.

"Me, no question," Tate immediately replied. "I bring it all to the table -- whatever you need to do, I got it."

The debate figures to rage on throughout the pre-draft process. Our resident prospect rankers are split, with Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein backing Tate, while Bucky Brooks favors Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson. Meanwhile, USC's Makai Lemon received the 2025 Biletnikoff Award as college football's top wideout, and big-bodied Washington product Denzel Boston has plenty of fans in the draft cognoscenti. But Tate believes he provides the complete package.

"I got the contested catch, I got that route-running and I also bring it in the run game -- a lot of receivers don't do that," Tate confidently stated. "So, I'm able to impact the game, with or without the ball in my hands."

One thing that certainly helps Tate's case: Ohio State's staggering success at the position. Over the past four drafts, the Buckeyes have produced five first-round receivers: Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. Tate credits an iron-sharpens-iron environment in Columbus.

"The competition there -- we're all pushing to be the best receiver on the field that day and that practice," Tate said. "Typically, when you're the best receiver at Ohio State, you're the best receiver in the country."

A polished route-runner who averaged a robust 17.2 yards per catch in 2025, Tate packs an acrobatic game into his slender 6-3 frame, routinely dunking on corners with downfield dynamism. The second-team AP All-American just led the country with five receiving touchdowns on throws that traveled 40-plus yards, per Pro Football Focus, while also pacing the Big Ten with six TDs on contested targets. He's aiming to put his long speed on display in Indy, revealing on Friday that the 40-yard dash is the only athletic test he'll perform during Saturday's workout.

-- Gennaro Filice

4) Love ready to run, catch -- and block. Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love is selling himself at the combine as a complete running back.

That's not a stretch when you consider Love's production for the Irish, rushing for 35 TDs and nearly 2,500 yards the past two seasons combined. Throw in his receiving skill and the fact that Love never lost a fumble in his Notre Dame career, and it's pretty clear that Love can do a lot for an NFL team.

But the trait Love most wants to boast about at the combine? His blocking.

"I mean, nobody's really beat me in blocking," Love said. "Like, I pretty much dominated everybody (who has) tried to rush me. So I feel like that's just underrated."

The stats pretty much back it up, too; PFF credits Love with allowing zero sacks, four pressures and only one hit in 120 career pass-rush snaps. The one hit Love allowed came in his college debut in 2023.

Don't get it twisted -- Love still views himself as a "weapon," he said, and compared his style of play to the Lions' Jahmyr Gibbs. "I can definitely see some comparison there," Love said.

Considered the clear RB1 in this class by most analysts, Love has opted to perform the full battery of tests at the combine, including the 40-yard dash and positional work. He said it wasn't a hard decision at all to work out, even with potentially more to lose than to gain.

"I mean, just to showcase my skills," Love said. "I'm not afraid to go out there and just be myself. You know, I feel like I'm very fast. I feel like I got some good moves in my bag. So why not go out there, run my 40 and do some position drills?"

-- Eric Edholm

5) Mendoza eyeing all-time great as possible mentor. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he said Friday at the combine that he'd be happy being selected anywhere.

"I know (the Raiders) have the No. 1 pick, but anything can happen in the draft," Mendoza said. "Excited for the opportunity and whatever team drafts me, I am going to give everything I got to them."

Mendoza added: "I'm just trying to be the best me possible, and whatever team drafts me, I'm grateful, whether it's the No. 1 pick, or whether it's, you know, the 199th pick."

If that draft placement sounds familiar, it's because it was the famous landing spot of Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL Draft -- the same Brady who is a minority owner of the Raiders. During Mendoza's formal combine interview with the Raiders, he said he was able to say "a brief hi" to Brady on the phone, and that he'd love to one day meet Brady in person.

Mendoza's appreciation for Brady is strong, and the quarterback would relish the chance to work with the future Hall of Famer.

"Yeah, I mean, who hasn't admired Tom Brady? I mean, more Super Bowl rings than anybody ... anybody!" Mendoza said. "So, that opportunity would be fantastic. Tom Brady, I believe, is the greatest quarterback of all time -- by a wide margin -- and to be able to have the opportunity to be mentored by him, would ... mean so much.

"Especially to learn, and I'm all about learning. So from Day 1, you know, I've got to learn a lot. It's gonna be a long journey, and to potentially have a mentor like that, it would be pretty impressive and pretty meaningful."

-- Eric Edholm

6) Beck would be thrilled by NFL reunion. Before Carson Beck led Miami to the national championship game last season, he spent five seasons at Georgia. His offensive coordinator for the first three of them? None other than new Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken.

Beck didn't start a single game while Monken was Georgia's OC but did complete 36 of 58 passes for 486 yards and a 6:2 TD-to-INT ratio in 11 games as a reserve, serving as the backup to Stetson Bennett for the two-time national-champion Bulldogs.

Beck spoke Friday at the combine about his time with Monken, whom Beck first met when he was 7 or 8 years old, playing youth baseball with Monken's son while Monken was the Jaguars' wide receivers coach.

"I love him personally," Beck said. "I've been able to have a really good relationship with him over the years, and obviously at Georgia, he taught me a lot of what I know. So again, he's an amazing coach."

Beck called himself an "18-year old kid ... (who) thought I knew everything" when they first worked together in 2020. Now he's a 23-year old who's seeking a job in the NFL -- and the Browns might be quarterback-hunting again. Beck said he'd relish the chance to finish what they started in Athens, Georgia nearly six years ago.

"I had the opportunity to talk with him a little bit the other day, when I was done with all my interviews, we walked and chatted for a little bit," Beck said. "I love Coach Monken. He's an awesome coach and a great guy. ...

"If Coach Monken were to be my coach again ... I mean, I'd be super stoked."

-- Eric Edholm

7) One of draft's top receivers provides peek into meeting with Bills. As the 17th-highest rated prospect in NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah's rankings, Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson might be long gone by the time the Bills are on the clock with No. 26 overall pick in this year's draft. That's apparently not stopping WR-needy Buffalo from performing its due diligence on him, though.

Tyson told reporters the Bills are among the teams he's met with at the combine, and he shared his initial impressions of first-year head coach Joe Brady.

"Really cool," Tyson said. "Loves ball for sure. He was trying to get me on a couple of questions, but he didn't get me."

Tyson said he will only bench press at the combine, which means questions about his health and durability could linger in the lead-up to the draft after he missed time in each of his four college seasons due to injury. He had his 2022 season cut short, suffering tears of his ACL, MCL and PCL as a freshman at Colorado. He then redshirted after transferring to Arizona State, playing in a few late-season games when cleared to return from the knee injury. He missed ASU's postseason games with broken collarbone in 2024 and sat out four games in 2025 with separate hamstring injuries in each leg.

Not surprisingly, Tyson said the topic has come up in his conversations with NFL teams in Indianapolis, but he sounded optimistic that his best football remains ahead of him.

"I talk about it a good amount," he said. "Shoot, the first two were mechanism injuries. Can't really help it. We play a physical sport. Never had soft-tissue injuries. Kind of just working through that right now. I feel like if you look at my history, after every injury I came back better than ever."

-- Dan Parr