The opening day of on-field drills on the 2026 NFL Scouting Mix in Indianapolis offered defensive linemen, edge rushers and linebackers at Lucas Oil Stadium, the house of the Indianapolis Colts. Some prospects uplifted their inventory with standout efforts whereas others brought about groups to return and have a look at their school movie with a wonderful tooth comb.
Listed below are a number of the intriguing issues from Thursday’s on-field drills for the linebacker place, starting with the measurements and testing numbers of the highest prospects in CBS Sports activities’ high 50 rankings, courtesy of NFL Draft analyst Mike Renner:
Measurements/testing numbers for high LB prospects
| Measurement / Drill | Sonny Types (Ohio State) | Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas) | Jake Golday (Cincinnati) | Josiah Trotter (Missouri) | CJ Allen (Georgia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak | 6-5 | 6-2 | 6-4 ½ | 6-2 | 6-0 ¾ |
| Weight | 244 | 238 | 239 | 237 | 230 |
| Hand | 10 | 9⅝ | 9½ | 10¼ | 10⅛ |
| Arm | 32⅞ | 32⅜ | 31⅞ | 32¼ | 31½ |
| Wingspan | 80⅞ | 79 | 76⅞ | — | 75½ |
| 40-yard sprint | 4.46 | 4.51 | 4.62 | — | — |
| 10-yard break up | 1.56 | 1.58 | 1.60 | — | — |
| Vertical | 43.5 | 37 | 39 | — | — |
| Broad | 11-2 | 10-5 | 10-5 | — | — |
| 3-cone | 7.09 | — | 7.02 | — | — |
| Quick shuttle | 4.26 | — | 4.34 | — | — |
Grading high LB prospects
Grade: A+
Ohio State first-team All-Large Ten linebacker Sonny Types entered the mix as a projected top-10 decide, and after displaying jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism with a 43.5-inch vertical, he could also be making a case to go within the high 5 in April, positional worth be damned. NFL Media reported fellow linebackers had been rooting him on and leaping in unison throughout his try. He blew away his positional friends.
His 11-foot-2 broad bounce put an exclamation level on his elite athleticism. Types recorded the very best vertical bounce by a participant 6-foot-4 or taller since at the very least 2003, when NFL Community started gathering mix knowledge.
His mix efficiency was so explosive that he examined equally to Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Calvin Johnson, the artist previously often called Megatron.
That helped him generate a virtually good Relative Athletic Rating, rating because the No. 4 linebacker within the metric since 1987.
Grade: B+
Anthony Hill Jr. is much like Arvell Reese as a linebacker with edge-rush expertise, although he’s not fairly on the identical degree as Reese or Types. Nonetheless, he acquitted himself effectively Thursday. A 4.51-second 40-yard sprint at Hill’s dimension is a powerful outcome, and his 9.93 Relative Athletic Rating displays a superb day in Indianapolis.
He stays a tier under Types, who delivered a historic efficiency, however Hill’s exhibiting was sturdy sufficient to earn a B+.
Grade: B
Jake Golday measured and jumped effectively on the mix. He didn’t get out of the blocks shortly within the 40-yard sprint, as mirrored in his early break up instances, however he showcased sturdy closing velocity to complete with a 4.62. Total, Golday helped himself Thursday.
Grade: N/A — Josiah Trotter opted out of doing on-field drills on Thursday.
CJ Allen, Georgia: N/A
Grade: N/A — CJ Allen selected to not take part in on-field drills on Thursday.
NFL mix 2026: Grades for high DL/EDGE prospects, plus different standouts from on-field exercises
Josh Edwards
Different standouts
- Measurables: 6-foot-1, 231 kilos, 9¼-inch palms, 30⅞-inch arms
Grade: B
Texas Tech‘s Jacob Rodriguez was probably the most embellished linebacker in school soccer in 2025. He earned the Bronko Nagurski Award (nation’s high defensive participant), the Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive participant of the yr), the Dick Butkus Award (high linebacker), the Vince Lombardi Award (high lineman), unanimous All-American honors and Large 12 Defensive Participant of the 12 months recognition.
His tape is excellent, and he moved easily throughout Thursday’s exercises in Indianapolis, posting a 38.5-inch vertical, a 10-foot-1 broad bounce and a 4.57-second 40-yard sprint. Rodriguez’s measurables had been first rate, however the best way he strikes — mixed along with his manufacturing at Texas Tech — earns him a B grade.
- Measurables: 6-foot-6⅝, 221 kilos, 10½-inch palms, 35-inch arms, 86¼-inch wingspan
Grade: A
Eric Gentry is an authorized freak. He’s each the tallest linebacker and owns the biggest wingspan recorded on the NFL Scouting Mix since NFL Media started monitoring knowledge in 2003. A artistic defensive coordinator may have loads of enjoyable deploying him on the subsequent degree.
