Sonny Styles Breaks Records and Top Draft Takeaways from Day 1 of 2026 NFL Combine

Ohio State's Sonny Styles opened the 2026 NFL combine in, well, style with an eye-opening performance during the workouts from the defensive front seven prospects.

After seeing the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks win the last two Super Bowls, the ability to disrupt opposing offenses by coming at quarterbacks in waves is a surefire way to win at the highest level. As such, the emphasis on talent among the defensive line and hybrid defenders is at all-time high.

Currently, the Bleacher Report Scouting Department has 11 front-seven prospects counted among the site's top 32 prospects. Names such as Ohio State's Arvell Reese, Texas Tech's David Bailey and the aforementioned Styles are headliners as top-15 talents. They didn't disappoint Thursday in Lucas Oil Stadium.

B/R scout Matt Holder broke down each of the Day 1 position groups to highlight those who impressed or disappointed to open on-field combine festivities.

Linebackers

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Ohio State's Arvell Reese matched collegiate Sonny Styles as the top two linebackers on the field during Thursday's combine workouts.

Sonny Styles, Ohio State

Styles stole the show in Indianapolis, nearly jumping out of Lucas Oil Stadium with a 43.5-inch vertical and 11'2" broad jump. Both of those numbers led all linebackers at the combine, and his vert was three and a half inches better than anyone else. His effort in the vertical was the best-ever from any 6'4" or taller prospect since the results became public in 2003.

Then, the former Buckeye tied for the top 40-yard dash time at 4.46 seconds.

The on-field drills were more of the same for Styles, as he looked smooth as the impressive all-around athlete he is. Everything just looked easy to the Ohio State product, confirming that he's a unique athlete at linebacker and an outlier when it comes to the draft's positional value conversation. 

Arvell Reese, Ohio State

Both Buckeyes headlined Thursday's coverage, with Reese tying Styles in the 40-yard dash. The former also logged a 1.58-second 10-yard split, which would have tied Cashius Howell for the fastest time among edge-rushers. Since Reese is being available as a hybrid to play both positions, those figures are outstanding.

His excellent workout continued into the position-specific drills, where Reese showed significant improvement with his lateral movement skills. Also, he displayed some bend during the pass-rush circuit, highlighting the linebacker's Swiss-army knife skill set.

Jake Golday, Cincinnati 

Golday showed off explosive traits by recording a 39-inch vertical jump—which ranked fifth among linebackers—and 10'5" broad jump (tied for third). The near-6'5", 239-pound defender posted a decent time in the 40-yard dash at 4.62 seconds. The time was somewhat disappointing as he showed more speed on film. That said, the former Bearcat's ability to drive on routes was reflected with a 1.60-second 10-yard split.

During position drills, Golday continued to look explosive and fast, highlighting his ability to be a quality coverage linebacker. The Cincinnati product checked a lot of boxes to cement himself as one of the top linebacker option in a strong position class. 

Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Entering the combine, Rodriguez's long speed was a bit of a question. However, he did himself a favor by running a sub-4.6-second 40-yard dash. The reigning Butkus Award winner also posted an impressive 38.5-inch vertical and looked smooth during the positional drills.

Rodriguez really showed off his athleticism, which was underrated before his workout in Indianapolis.

Edge Defenders

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Texas Tech's David Bailey ran as fast as he played during his time as a collegiate pass-rusher.

David Bailey, Texas Tech

Bailey started the workout by recording a 10'10" broad jump, third-best among the edges, and proceeded to run the fastest 40-yard dash of the group with a 4.5 flat. His 1.62-second 10-yard split is nothing to scoff at, either. 

More importantly, Bailey looked good and showed off some bend in a lot of the position-specific drills. The latter is especially important as his ability to corner at the top of the rush has been called into question recently. The Texas Tech product may not be Von Miller around the corner, but he showed and has enough bend to succeed in the NFL.

Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

Howell's lack of arm length is impossible to ignore, measuring in at 30¼" in Indianapolis. However, his game is rooted in having speed around the edge, and recording the fastest 10-yard split (1.58 seconds) highlighted that. Also, he managed to finish fourth with a 4.59-second 40-yard dash.

The SEC Defensive Player of the Year's movement skills were also on display during the untimed drills, cementing himself as a first-round pick with a good workout. 

TJ Parker, Clemson

While this season wasn't kind to Parker, he's done an excellent job at rebuilding his draft stock over the last couple of months. The Clemson product was a standout at the Senior Bowl and continued to turn heads with his combine performance. 

Parker showed off some burst during the 40-yard dash by posting a 1.61-second 10-yard split, which was tied for the fourth-fastest among edge defenders. He also looked smooth in the position drills, showing some improvement from this past season's tape.

Malachi Lawrence, UCF

Lawrence didn't enter the combine as a big name, but he certainly made a name for himself in Indy. He tested very well, finishing second in the vertical jump (40"), broad jump (10'10"), 40-yard dash (4.5 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.59 seconds). Additionally, the former Knight looked really smooth and showed off his bend during the position drills.

The tape backsup Lawrence's workout, too. He's an impressive pass-rusher who could rise up draft boards and become a Day 2 pick, especially since he also stood out at the East-West Shrine Bowl.

Defensive Tackles

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Penn State's Zane Durant is considered undersized for an interior defender but showed how athletic he is during Thursday's NFL combine workouts.

Zane Durant, Penn State

No defensive tackle did more to improve his draft stock Thursday than Durant. He recorded the fastest 40-yard dash at 4.75 seconds and, even better, he topped the position group with a 1.66-second 10-yard split. 

What made the former Nittany Lion's workout really special were the on-field drills, where he looked smooth and continued to show off some high-level athleticism. These athletic traits are promising for Durant's pass-rush ability, which remains a question mark heading into the draft.

Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana

Many are probably just hearing about Proctor after he crushed it during Thursday's workout, running a 4.79-second 40-yard dash (second-best among defensive tackles) and recording a 33-inch vertical jump (fifth-best). However, those who flipped on the Southeastern Louisiana tape could have seen this effort coming.

The FCS product's impressive athleticism was evident on tape, and it shone brightly in Indianapolis. On top of the previously mentioned numbers, Proctor was quick and smooth during the position-specific drills. 

Albert Regis, Texas A&M

Regis was one of seven defensive tackles to run a sub-4.9-second 40-yard dash and had a solid 1.72-second 10-yard split. Even better, he showed off some explosiveness by posting the second-best vertical jump at 34 inches and topped the charts with a 9'8" broad jump. The Texas A&M product was also eye-catching during the on-field drills to build up some draft stock.

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

McDonald didn't participate in any of the timed drills, which isn't a big issue for a prospect of his caliber. However, the former Buckeye struggled during the position-specific exercises. 

The class' top nose tackle slipped and had to start over during the wave drill and looked stiff/tight when asked to change directions or bend. Those issues are not a major red flag for a man of his size, but McDonald was viewed as someone whose athletic potential could portend a more productive pass-rusher in the NFL. That possibility didn't become evident during his combine workout.