2026 NFL Draft Winners and Losers from Pro Day Circuit

With the scouting combine done, pro days are the last remaining way for prospects to improve their 2026 NFL draft stock.

Programs around the country have been hosting and will continue to host workouts for their draft-eligible players, offering a final opportunity to impress the scouts and general managers in attendance.

Not every pro day performance is a memorable one, however. Some players can even hurt their draft stock with a poor outing.

It's important not to read too much into a single workout session, but a rough display could be the difference between making it onto a team's draft board and getting dropped entirely.  

With that in mind, let's highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the pro day circuit.

Winner: LB Keli Lawson, UCF

AP Photo/John Raoux

Keli Lawson wasn't invited to attend the NFL Scouting Combine, but the UCF linebacker may have just helped himself become a Day 3 draft pick thanks to a stellar pro day outing.

Lawson didn't make many waves as a prospect following four years of collegiate ball at Virginia and seemed to remain an NFL long shot following a transfer to UCF for his final year.

The rangy, athletic 6'4" linebacker only contributed 34 tackles—25 of them solo—two sacks and a pass defense in the 12 games (three starts) he played with the Knights.

While his defensive contributions within a deep UCF linebacking corps didn't jump off the page, Lawson clearly has the athleticism to continue playing at the next level.

At the program's pro day, he posted an eye-popping 11'3" broad jump—a mark that would have topped any other at his position during combine testing and ranked No. 4 all-time—and a 41-inch vertical leap that would have ranked No. 2 amongst the linebacker participants in Indianapolis.

Given his size and athleticism, coupled with his ability to chip in on special teams (Lawson recorded a field goal block in his first UCF game) and come up with game-changing plays (notably returning a fumble for a score against West Virginia), Lawson should now be on teams' draft radar.

Winner: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

AP Photo/Vasha Hunt

Ty Simpson is one of the most intriguing quarterbacks in the 2026 class. Although he's the consensus No. 2 prospect at the position behind Fernando Mendoza, Simpson isn't a first-round lock and still has plenty of question marks surrounding him ahead of the upcoming NFL draft.

Simpson helped put some concerns to rest during a strong throwing session at Alabama's pro day last week.

Working with many of receivers he's become familiar with during his lengthy tenure at Tuscaloosa, the 23-year-old connected on crisp passes and showed good zip on the ball.

According to ESPN's Jordan Reid, one NFC executive believed that Simpson's "arm was a little average on tape", but changed his tune during the pro day session, stating "it's much stronger than I anticipated after seeing him up close."

At one point, Simpson connected on a 60-yard dime that should leave little doubt about his ability to hit the deep ball. It was the type of performance the signal-caller was hoping for when he elected to give scouts one final look before the draft.

"Why not?" Simpson said (per ESPN). "Go have fun. Go sling it. You watch the tape of the pro day, there wasn't any easy throws. I didn't want to make it easy."

Simpson has been considered a fringe first-rounder for much of the pre-draft process, but a Day 1 selection now looks far more likely in wake of a stellar pro day performance.

Loser: WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

Malachi Fields entered the offseason looking like a candidate to be one of, if not the first wide receiver off the board in 2026. While he's still considered a potential Day 1 selection, his pre-draft process hasn't gone nearly as well as he would have hoped.

Fields underwhelmed at the combine last month, most concerningly running a painfully slow 4.61-second 40-yard dash.

While his other metrics weren't as poor, the Notre Dame product's 40 was the second-slowest of his positional group in Indianapolis. Only BYU's Chase Roberts put up a worse time amongst the 34 wideouts who participated in the drill.

The Fighting Irish pro day represented a chance for Fields to improve on that sluggish time and show scouts he's faster than his combine performance would suggest. Despite indicating he would give the 40 another go, he instead opted not to run at all on campus.

While Fields did participate in other pro day activities, such as throwing up 15 reps on the bench and shaving some time off his combine shuttle performance, it was concerning that he skipped over a chance for redemption in the 40-yard dash.

Fields should still end up hearing his name called relatively early in the draft, but his poor showing at the combine and lack of initiative at pro day could drop him into Day 2.

Winner: WR Deuce Spann, Pittsburgh

AP Photo/Adrian Kraus

Tall, athletic wide receivers are in high demand in the modern NFL, but teams were overlooking a prospect who fit that description during the leadup to the 2026 draft.

Despite a lack of hype going into Pittsburgh's pro day, Deuce Spann, a 6'4", 210-pound wideout prospect, put his name on the map with a performance to be remembered.

Spann had his best collegiate season with the Panthers in 2025, but was still limited to 13 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. He finished a three-year stint at Florida State with a meager 10 receptions and left Illinois after one year, scoring a career-best two touchdowns during that 2021 campaign.

Spann could have a far better pro career after displaying dazzling speed during the 40-yard dash. Although the pro day timing was unofficial, onlookers reportedly gasped when he blitzed through the drill in 4.37 seconds. The wideout also showcased his elite leaping ability, hitting 37 inches on the vertical test.

Despite the results, he said he was underwhelmed by his vertical jump and noted he had been regularly reaching 40 inches during practice.

While a single pro day showing won't vault him too far up draft boards after a lackluster collegiate career, Spann now has a chance to get taken late on Day 3.

Even if he doesn't hear his name called, that athletic showcase should help him become a popular target for teams looking to give him a chance in training camp.

Winner: LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

AP Photo/Paul Vernon

Arvell Reese is one of the most well-regarded defensive prospects in the 2026 class.

Despite his lofty status as the No. 1 player at the linebacker position and No. 4 overall prospect on the B/R Scouting Department's big board, he wanted to further prove himself at Ohio State's pro day last week.

Reese really didn't need to do a thing to secure a draft slot early on Day 1, but the junior looks to have cemented a guaranteed place in the top 10 with another herculean showing.

ESPN's Louis Riddick was in attendance and heaped praise on the performance while admonishing any would-be detractors:

While his pass-rushing technique needs refinement and drew some criticism, the hybrid linebacker had scouts buzzing with the rare combination of speed, athleticism and strength he packs into a 6'4", 241-pound frame. Reese already ran a strong 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine and there was no reason to believe he hurt his stock during the pro day workout in Columbus.

At the combine, Reese spoke about his versatility and what that may entail in the future.

"Teams have pretty much been asking me what I want to do and see where my mind was at," he said. "I've been telling them I think I'm an outside linebacker/edge. I haven't even scratched the surface with really what I can do pass rushing."

Reese finished the 2025 campaign with 69 tackles—10 for a loss—and 6.5 sacks. He could come off the board as early as No. 2 overall to the New York Jets, a team that could use a dynamic defensive talent to help get back on track during its rebuilding effort.

Winner: QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

AP Photo/Michael Conroy

It's only a matter of time before the Las Vegas Raiders make Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Despite this foregone conclusion, the Indiana superstar still elected to show up and participate at the Hoosiers pro day.

The event had plenty of hype, given it was the Heisman Trophy winner's lone public pre-draft workout after he declined to appear at the Senior Bowl and only opted for measurements at last month's combine.

Mendoza was asked why he wanted to participate at Indiana's pro day after skipping the other major pre-draft events. The answer was a selfless one that the Raiders—who sent a sizable contingent to witness the event and spend time with the quarterback after—should be happy to hear.

"At the combine, you're throwing to different receivers, it's a whole different thing," Mendoza said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "And I want to make sure I give my guys the best chance. I want to throw at pro day with my guys, with my running backs and be there with the boys."

Mendoza spent the afternoon linking up with standout wideouts Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarrat, two prospects expected to be taken on Day 2 next month, as well as tight end Riley Nowakowski and running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black—a trio of prospects who all rate within the top-205 of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board.

After watching the session, Vegas' brass should feel optimistic that the pending No. 1 draft pick will be able to quickly establish that same type of natural chemistry with his new receiving corps.

Mendoza's textbook mechanics and impressive arm strength—including a missile to Cooper that traveled 60 yards in the air—wowed the armada of onlookers at the national championship-winning program's pro day. While there were a couple of small miscues during the throwing session, the quarterback was nearly perfect and only reinforced his status as the clearcut No. 1 pick.

Loser: QB Taylen Green, Arkansas

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Taylen Green created plenty of buzz when he showcased his incredible athleticism at the combine. Rather than build on that performance during Arkansas' pro day, the Razorbacks' signal-caller hurt his stock with a wildly inconsistent passing performance.

Green had plenty of hype surrounding him stemming from his athletic display in Indianapolis. The quarterback posted some historic numbers, including a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, 43.5-inch vertical jump and an 11'2" broad jump. Doing all this while measuring up at nearly 6'6", 230 pounds led scouts to rave about his potential in the NFL.

Unfortunately for Green, his athleticism couldn't assuage the very real concerns about his unrefined throwing motion and lengthy delivery. He noticeably struggled during passing sessions in Indy and continued to be inconsistent during Senior Bowl practices.

Green could have vastly improved his draft stock by showing out in Fayetteville, but the 23-year-old didn't move the needle with his performance. While he did confirm how powerful his arm is on several deep completions, his mechanics and accuracy are still well off what teams are hoping to see from an NFL-caliber prospect.

While Green is likely to get drafted at some point—he's the No. 169 overall player and No. 8 QB on the B/R Scouting Department's big board—it seems like Day 3 will be where he lands. There's a long road ahead and plenty of refinement needed before the Arkansas product is ready to shine at the next level.

Winner: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

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Tennessee played host to one of the most anticipated pro days of the year on Tuesday, an event that saw Jermod McCoy—a highly-regarded cornerback prospect—participate in his first public workout of the offseason.

McCoy has been a noticeable absence from much of the pre-draft process due to an ACL tear he suffered during a training session in January 2025. The Volunteers star was considered a potential early-round draft pick in wake of a second-team All-American and All-SEC showing in 2024, but the injury led him to miss the entire 2025 college football season. Despite being cleared to participate, McCoy opted to skip both the Senior Bowl and combine to focus on his pro day.

The lengthy absence didn't have a negative impact on McCoy. Facing great pressure to excel during his lone opportunity to test in front of a large crowd of scouts, general managers and other NFL decision-makers, the defensive back displayed natural talent and athleticism that will allow him to shine at the professional level.

McCoy blitzed through the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, posted a 38-inch vertical and hit 10'7" on the broad jump during a head-turning performance. The showing will only further improve the stock of a player who was already ranked No. 2 at his position and No. 14 overall on the B/R Scouting Department's prospect big board.

Given McCoy's impressive on-field performances when he was last healthy—he finished 2024 with 44 tackles, seven pass defenses and four interceptions—and elite testing numbers in Knoxville, a spot in the first half of the first round of the 2026 NFL draft now seems assured.