Last week, I wrote in depth about which things from the NFL Scouting Combine matter most for RBs, WRs, and TEs. I recommend at least reading the key takeaways from that piece ahead of reading this article. The bottom line is that the Combine matters to NFL executives. While many of the data points don't carry a strong signal for future NFL production, they can impact NFL Draft capital.

NFL Scouting Combine Takeaways: Prospects To Watch For Fantasy Football

How did the top 2026 RB draft prospects fare at the NFL Scouting Combine?

We have a relatively weak RB draft class compared to previous seasons, but Jeremiyah Love didn't disappoint. Below is how the backs projected as Day 1 or Day 2 picks in mock drafts fared.

• Jeremiyah Love | Notre Dame: Love measured 6'0" and 212 pounds, and ran a blistering 4.36-second 40-yard dash. His Speed Score was 117.3, placing him in the 82nd percentile since the 2017 class. He offers the prototypical size-speed combination NFL teams covet. Love, projected as a top-10 pick ahead of the NFL Combine, performed in line with those expectations.
   
• Jadarian Price | Notre Dame: Price measured 5'11" and 204 pounds, posting a 40-yard-dash time of 4.49 seconds. Those numbers meet the NFL thresholds for a Day 2 pick, but his Speed Score of 99.9 is in the 48th percentile. Still, Price was an explosive playmaker in college. He took 19% of his carries for 10-plus yards—the best mark in the 2026 class. Price projects as a low-end Round 2 pick in mock drafts.
   
• Jonah Coleman | Washington: Coleman didn't participate in drills, but measured 5'8" and 220 pounds. Coleman checks the size boxes for a potential heavy workload back.
   
• Emmett Johnson | Nebraska: Johnson measured 5'10" and 202 pounds. He ran a 4.56 40-yard dash, resulting in a 93.4 Speed Score (57th percentile). While Johnson is in the good-enough range in terms of size, his Speed Score could concern teams, considering only 13% of his attempts went for 10-plus yards in college (33rd percentile). Still, Johnson did notch a 4.29-second short shuttle—a sneaky data point when comparing to successful NFL RBs—falling just under the 60th percentile. It is also important to note that Johnson is one of the best receiving backs in the class (16% best-season target share), so speed isn't everything for his archetype. Johnson projects as a Round 3 selection.

RBs that improved their draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine

Given the weakness of the overall RB class, we could see some teams lean more into athleticism in Round 3 and beyond. That opens the door for some climbers based on NFL Combine performances.

• Mike Washington Jr. | Arkansas: Washington set the world on fire, measuring 6'1" and 223 pounds, running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash. His 126.9 Speed Score is the best mark since the 2017 class. While Washington's big-play ability in college doesn't match his testing, with only 13% of his carries going 10-plus yards (33rd percentile), this is the type of performance that could push him up draft boards in a weak class. Washington was considered a Round 4 prospect in mock drafts ahead of the NFL Combine.
   
• Adam Randall | Clemson: Randall measured 6'3" and 232 pounds and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. His Speed Score of 113.2 (74th percentile) ranked third behind Washington and Love. Similar to Washington, his track speed didn't translate in college. Only 14% of his totes went for 10-plus yards (38th percentile). Randall will only be 22 when the 2026 NFL season kicks off, so some teams could see untapped potential. He was viewed as a Round 7 pick in mock drafts ahead of last weekend.

How did the top 2026 WR draft prospects fare at the NFL Scouting Combine?

We could have 10-plus WRs go inside the first two rounds of the NFL Draft this season. Below is a quick overview of the prospects for which we collected notable data points from the NFL Scouting Combine.

• Carnell Tate | Ohio State: Tate registered a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, but reports surfaced that multiple GMs had him timed in the 4.45 to 4.47-second range. It's 2026, and we still get multiple times on these things; someone call Claude. Aaron Glenn had him around 7.5 seconds (jk jk). In all seriousness, Tate's official time of 4.53 falls in the good-enough bucket. He measured 6'2" and 192 pounds, with 10.25-inch hands. Tate has an elite career contested-catch rate of 69%. Those big mits make sense. Tate should still be one of the top WRs off the board.
   
• Jordyn Tyson | Arizona State: Tyson didn't participate in on-field drills due to a hamstring injury. However, he checked the size boxes at 6'2" and 203 pounds.
   
• Makai Lemon | USC: Lemon certainly won the award for the wildest aura. There is some speculation that he bombed team interviews, but with unnamed sources, it's hard to know whether the reports are valid or a smokescreen. Teams could say this sort of thing if they want Lemon to slide to them in the NFL Draft. On a positive note, there was much speculation about Lemon's size, but he lands in the good-enough bucket at 5'11" and 192 pounds.
   
• KC Concepcion | Texas A&M: Concepcion didn't run, but checked the size boxes, measuring 6'0" and 196 pounds. Both fall right in the range we are seeking.
   
• Denzel Boston | Washington: Boston didn't run the 40-yard dash, but he posted a 35-inch vertical leap (39th percentile since 2018). There is some correlation between the 40 and the vertical leap. The median 40-yard-dash time for WRs in this range since 2018 was 4.48. Boston was not a highly productive WR in college, with a 33rd-percentile Career Receiving Yards Per Team Pass Attempt of 1.30. He is a big WR at 6'4" and 212 pounds who wins at the catch point (61% contested-catch rate), but that is weak production for a Round 1 pick. It would be good to get an official 40-yard dash time at his pro day.
   
• Omar Cooper Jr. | Indiana: Cooper has been gaining steam in mock drafts over the past month and ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash. He was never a dominant player in college, but many film-based evaluators believe he is the better prospect than his more productive teammate, Elijah Sarratt. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has Cooper's grade at 6.36 (62nd percentile), above Sarratt at 6.22 (55th percentile).
   
• Elijah Sarratt | Indiana: Sarratt didn't run but easily cleared the NFL's threshold requirements for a potential Day 2 pick at 6'21/2". There are some concerns in the scouting community that Sarratt can't separate at the NFL level. Still, he was a strong contested-catch player that Fernando Mendoza preferred over Cooper over the last two seasons. Sarratt's 10-inch hands align with his strong contested-catch rate of 57%.
   
• Chris Brazzell II | Tennessee: Brazzell was a plus downfield threat with a career 15.4-yard average depth of target (aDOT). He accumulated 26% of his targets 20-plus-yards downfield. Brazzell ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at 6'4" and 198 pounds. Brazzell was never a dominant target-earner in college, but he checks boxes that NFL teams like and could offer help as a field stretcher. Brazzell likely solidified his position as a Day 2 pick in the NFL Draft.
   
• Zachariah Branch | Georgia: Branch posted a sizzling 4.35-second 40-yard dash (82nd percentile). He is a playmaker, but at 5'9" and 177 pounds, his deployment in the NFL could be capped. Branch lived on targets behind the line of scrimmage (45%), rarely challenging vertically (12%).
   
• Malachi Fields | Notre Dame: Fields measured 6'41/2" and 218 pounds, but those numbers align with expectations. Unfortunately, he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash, which is below the threshold most teams are looking for from a Day 2 NFL Draft selection. There have been 92 WRs selected in Rounds 2 through 3 since 2018. Only four (4%) ran a 4.60-plus 40-yard dash. Fields is in danger of falling down draft boards.

Which late-round WRs might have improved their draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine?

We often hear that NFL Combine drills are purely for cross-checking purposes (i.e., does the testing match the film). Still, the reality is that players do move up and down NFL Draft boards based on their testing. We see a stronger correlation between NFL Draft capital and these drills than future production.

Let's look at some players projected to go in Round 5 or later based on mock draft data and see who might get a slight bump up NFL draft boards.

• Jeff Caldwell | Cincinnati: Caldwell measured 6'5" and 224 pounds, and ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash. That is an extremely rare combination of size and speed. He also notched a 42-inch vertical. Last year, Dont'e Thornton ran a 4.30 at 6'5" and 205 pounds. He was a Round 4 pick. Caldwell was average as a target earner for his career at 19%, but did have a 36% share season. His career yards per route run (YPRR) of 2.75 comes in at the 62nd percentile. He will be 23.5 when the 2026 season kicks off, making him an older prospect. Before the NFL Combine, Caldwell was a Round 7 hopeful, but his size-speed combo could lock him into a draft spot.
   
• Bryce Lane | North Dakota State: Lane measured 6'3" and 204 pounds, running a 4.34-second 40-yard dash. His vertical leap was 41.5 inches. Like Caldwell, Trey Lance's younger brother is an older prospect. Lance played against lesser competition in the FCS, but he fared well with a 3.07 YPRR (72nd percentile). He will be 25 when the 2026 NFL season gets underway, making him an older prospect (31st percentile). Historically, age has been much more important than NFL Combine testing. Still, it only takes one team to fall in love with his traits. Lance was projected as a Round 5 to Round 6 pick ahead of the NFL Combine.
   
• Eric Rivers | Georgia Tech: Rivers doesn't meet the prototypical size thresholds at 5'10" and 176 pounds. However, teams loosen those restrictions as the draft goes on, and Rivers ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash with a 37-inch vertical leap. Rivers' best target share season was 31% and had a respectable 2.40 career YPRR (52nd percentile). He is also an older prospect who will be 24 next season. Rivers was a borderline Round 7 pick in mocks ahead of the NFL Combine.

How did the top 2026 TE draft prospects fare at the NFL Scouting Combine?

We had an astronomical 27 TEs receive invites to the 2026 NFL Combine, well above the average of 19 per season. Heading into the weekend, three prospects were considered clear Day 1 or Day 2 picks.

• Kenyon Sadiq | Oregon: Sadiq was one of the biggest stars of the NFL Combine, measuring 6'3" and 241 pounds (in the good-enough bucket) and running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash. His 129.8 Speed Score ranks No. 1 out of all TE prospects since the 2018 class, topping Kyle Pitts (126.1). The NFL cares about Speed Score at the TE position more than any other based on correlation to Draft Capital.
   

• The Oregon product also posted a ridiculous 43.5 vertical leap (89th percentile). Sadiq was not a high-end producer in college. His Career RYPTPA of 0.74 is at the 23rd percentile, and his career 9% target share is at the 25th percentile. While Speed Score matters for TEs, there is still the question of why Sadiq was unable to become a focal point for The Ducks during his three seasons. Still, he will only be 21.5 (89th percentile) when next season starts, and he was projected as a top-20 pick coming into the combine. He is likely a lock for Round 1 draft capital after this performance, and could climb into the mid-teens.
   
• Eli Stowers | Vanderbilt: Stowers measured 6'4" and 239 pounds. That is a tad light for a full-time TE, but Stowers posted a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and a 45.5 vertical leap. His 115.5 Speed Score falls in the 70th percentile. Stowers is an older prospect than Sadiq (23.4), but was a more productive college player with a 1.50 RYPTPA (49th percentile) and delivered a best-target share season of 25%. Stowers projected as an early-Round 3 pick ahead of the NFL Combine.
   
• Max Klare | Ohio State: Klare didn't participate in the athletic testing drills. He measured 6'4" and 246 pounds, checking the thresholds we are seeking for TE prospects. Klare is currently projected as a mid-Round 3 pick in mock drafts.

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