2026 NFL Draft's Biggest Risers and Fallers After Combine

Football's vernacular and viewpoint change once the NFL combine ends, and evaluations shift towards objective analysis within the evaluations.

A baseline has now been established with heavy concentrations on specific areas, such as 10-yard splits, explosive numbers and relative athletic scores. An individual's talent level, as seen through film work, is mostly subjective. The combine provides some tangible proof of what had been previously seen throughout the process.

The potential hang-up is an overemphasis on testing instead of on-field performance. Sometimes, poor testing or measurements serve as a deterrent for professional organizations despite a prospect being a collegiate standout. Fairly or unfairly, this fine line often determines draft slotting.

No one should slough off a poor or even great workout and say it doesn't matter. It does in NFL circles. Teams are looking at everything with a holistic approach to separate all of the available talent in an attempt to gain an advantage.

Coming out of the 2026 event, the following six prospects (three positive and three negative) did the most to help or hurt their standing prior to arriving in Indianapolis.

Riser: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

AP Photo

The fact Sonny Styles barged his way into the top-five conversation despite being a pure off-ball linebacker says everything about what the former Ohio State Buckeye accomplished at the 2026 NFL combine.

Of course, Styles' status isn't based purely off workout numbers. He entered this season as the class' projected LB1 (and could still be depending on how teams view former collegiate teammate Arvell Reese). At that point, Styles was already in the first-round conversation and entered this past week's festivities as a top-15 prospect.

But let's look at it a different way to place some context around his physical profile. Styles is taller, faster and more explosive than Brian Urlacher when the Hall of Fame linebacker entered the professional ranks. Both even played safety at points during their collegiate careers.

Granted, Urlacher went ninth overall in 2000, but he came from a much smaller program and found himself in a much stronger class. Styles played on a national championship-winning defense and grew into the defensive leader at Ohio State, as the defender who wore the green dot for the program.

The first-team All-American provided an exclamation point when he posted a perfect 10 relative athletic score, according to Kent Lee Platte. At that point, positional value took a back seat. He can easily be viewed as a defensive centerpiece to warrant a top-five selection, particularly among this incoming crop of talent.

To prove oneself in that manner and legitimately earn the distinction of an elite talent, regardless of position, no one can achieve more at the combine.

Faller: Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Athletic and measuring thresholds are important, specifically to certain NFL organizations. Some teams won't even consider certain prospects if they don't meet certain requirements, even if an individual should be considered an outlier based on their ability to play the game.

With that in mind, Texas A&M's Cashius Howell took a significant hit during combine week based on his lack of length. Howell's arms measured 30 1/4 inches. As ESPN's Matt Miller noted, he would have the shortest arms of any edge-rusher drafted in the first round since at least 1999.

The question at this point is whether Howell will even be considered in the first round—which is exactly why he's now listed as the prospect who took the biggest hit this past week, because the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year had been projected as a top-25 prospect throughout the majority of this cycle.

To be fair, Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. also lacks length and measured under 31 inches in arm length. However, Bain's arms are still slightly longer, he was easily one of the best two or three players in this entire draft class this past season and his game is more well-rounded as an every-down prospect with explosive power to set the edge, rush the passer and work up and down the line of scrimmage.

Is his arm length ideal? Of course not, but Bain should easily be off the board at some point relatively early in April's first round.

Whereas, Howell's game is predicated on quickness and relentlessness. He's not going to be an ideal edge-defender, because he struggles at the point of attack and his lack of length is a reason why.

At this juncture, the unanimous All-American should probably be viewed as a potential pass-rush specialist worthy of a Day 2 pick.

Riser: TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

AP Photo

The incoming tight end class is intriguing, because a significant amount of potential exists within the group even if many of the prospects didn't fully dominate throughout their collegiate careers.

At the time, Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq was the class' runaway TE1. His combine testing further proved why. So, he's not included here, because he was already at the level he currently is.

On the other hand, Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers posted eye-popping numbers to insinuate his growth potential is immense after not being considered one of the incoming group's top prospects.

From a workout perspective, Stowers achieved a 9.46 (out of 10) relative athletic score, according to Kent Lee Platte. The John Mackey Award winner set positional combine records with a 45.5-inch vertical and 11'3" broad jump. Who did he just edge out in both categories? Sadiq, who pieced together an all-time workout himself.

Elite athleticism, particularly to the level that Stowers showed, will help mitigate lingering concerns about him not being a complete tight end prospect. Stowers is primarily a detached option, who can help in the passing game but really struggles at the point of attack as a blocker. Teams are willing to overlook those shortcomings if a modern tight end can be weaponized in the passing game.

As such, the two-time first-team All-American will likely hear his name called on Day 2 instead of being an early Day 3 option, as he was originally graded by the B/R Scouting Department heading into the NFL combine.

Faller: WR Denzel Boston, Washington

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The NFL combine serves as an opportunity for a prospect to show out by doing exactly what he does. The event should serve as confirmation of what's seen during games. Denzel Boston failed the assignment.

The previous statement may come across as harsh, but he went to Indianapolis as a potential first-round pick. He's been consistently viewed as an option in the 20- to 32-pick range, because he's a traditional X-receiver with the body-type and skill set to provide instant help to an NFL offense.

During a week where prospects were running great through every single position group and posting outstanding numbers, Boston didn't run a 40-yard dash and posted a middling vertical jump (35 inches) compared to other wide receiver efforts.

Obviously, the 6'4", 212-pound target's game isn't predicated on outright speed. Instead, he's a big-bodied threat, who can physically overwhelm defensive backs. As such, the hope was he'd jump a little better to back up the tape of being a high-point specialist to win 50-50 balls. To make matters worse, Boston flashed inconsistent hands with multiple drops throughout his positional workout.

Boston's game is supposed to be built on being a big, physical and reliable target when working outside the numbers or over the middle of the field. He didn't necessarily show those things during the biggest interview of his football life.

Obviously, the combine is only a piece of the evaluation puzzle and one disappointing performance shouldn't completely dictate how a prospect is viewed. However, NFL evaluators are looking for differentiators among another deep wide receiver class. Boston's effort could have easily pushed him out of the first round altogether.

Riser: QB Drew Allar, Penn State

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

The incoming quarterback class has gone from underwhelming to tantalizing.

Entering the NFL combine, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza was viewed as the only legitimate first-round option. While that still may be the case, the position group's second tier of prospects have done a good job reestablishing themselves over the last month.

Case in point, Penn State's Drew Allar entered the 2025 season as a prospect viewed with first-round potential. The 21-year-old didn't get off to a rousing start before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury on Oct. 11, which required surgery.

Allar admitted he's still not 100 percent healthy even though he threw Saturday.

"As soon as I really got back to school and started my rehab process my whole focus towards my rehab process has been getting to this point, being healthy enough to have the chance to put myself out there and throw," the quarterback told reporters during his combine media session.

Inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Allar reminded everyone why many believed in his growth potential initially. He showed effortless arm talent, looked more compact in his throwing mechanics and proved to be consistent throughout the majority of the session. Plus, he displayed a certain level of toughness and competitiveness just by going out there and throwing since he had every excuse not to do so.

What Allar's bounce-back performance added to Garrett Nussmeier performing well at the Senior Bowl after explaining his mysterious oblique injury during this past season, Ty Simpson showing up healthy in Indianapolis and looking like a possible first-round pick himself and Taylen Green putting up historic athletic numbers, the incoming quarterbacks are far more intriguing today than they were when last season ended.

Faller: DL Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Nose tackle may be the deepest and strongest positional group in this year's class. Seriously.

Entering NFL combine week, Ohio State's Kayden McDonald was viewed as the top prospect among the interior space-eaters. But the designation always came with a caveat, especially when the position is being strongly considered for a first-round draft pick.

As B/R scout Matt Holder noted in his positional report from Thursday's workouts, "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."

If McDonald doesn't have the natural upside to be a potential three-down player, he automatically loses value as a prospect. Considering how much competition can be found among this year's nose tackles—including Florida's Caleb Banks, Texas Tech's Lee Hunter, Iowa State's Dominique Orange, etc.—McDonald may have lost his grasp on NT1 and possibly won't be the second name coming off the board.

Among a devalued position, a prospect needs to show a skill set above and beyond what the typical skill set dictates. McDonald didn't do so when he took the field in Indianapolis.