The primary night time of on-field work has drawn to an in depth. The line of defense, edge rushers and linebackers set the tone for the remainder of the week in Indianapolis. CBS Sports activities grades the highest prospects alongside the line of defense and edge rusher, along with singling out another standouts. There’s a separate breakdown of the linebackers.
The Miami duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor didn’t partake in any of the festivities past the preliminary measurements. Clemson defensive deal with Peter Woods and Georgia defensive deal with Christen Miller have been among the many different high prospects to go down that path.
It must also be famous that Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is listed among the many edge rushers relatively than the linebackers with whom he competed as a result of Reese spoke to the media Wednesday and laid out his need to hurry the passer within the NFL.
The 2026 NFL Draft will happen April 23–25 in Pittsburgh. Yow will discover extra draft protection at CBSSports.com, together with weekly mock drafts and common evaluations of the highest prospects.
Measurements/testing numbers for high DL prospects
| Measurement / Drill | Peter Woods (Clemson) | Caleb Banks (Florida) | Kayden McDonald (Ohio State) | Lee Hunter (Texas Tech) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 6-2 ½ | 6-6 ¼ | 6-2 ⅛ | 6-3 ½ |
| Weight | 298 | 327 | 326 | 318 |
| Hand | 9⅛ | 10⅞ | 9⅝ | 9¼ |
| Arm | 31¼ | 35 | 32¼ | 33¼ |
| Wingspan | 76⅝ | 85¾ | 78⅛ | 80⅝ |
| 40-yard sprint | — | 5.04 | — | 5.18 |
| 10-yard cut up | — | 1.76 | — | 1.79 |
| Vertical | — | 32 | — | 21.5 |
| Broad | — | 9-6 | — | 8-4 |
Grading high DL prospects
Grade: N/A — Woods didn’t do any of the on-field drills and didn’t compete in testing. His measurables have been a bit disappointing, if something. He measured simply over 6-foot-2 and 298 kilos with 31¼-inch arms and a 76⅜-inch wingspan.
Grade: B+ — Banks was bodily spectacular as anticipated, however his day ended shortly into the on-field drills as a result of his cleats bothered him. Banks ran the 40-yard sprint in 5.04 seconds after measuring an 85¾-inch wingspan — the longest amongst mix defensive tackles since 1999.
Grade: B — McDonald is a stout, run-defending inside defender. He didn’t run the 40-yard sprint or take part in different explosive testing however did partake within the on-field portion. McDonald appeared stiff at instances, which is to be anticipated, however put forth an admirable effort in any other case.
Grade: B+ — Hunter has nice measurement for an inside defender, and his explosiveness and energy have been evident in on-field drills. His 40-yard sprint was a pedestrian 5.18 seconds. He actually excelled within the “Cross Rush” and “Run & Membership” drills.
Grade: N/A — Miller checked the field along with his measurements, together with a wingspan topping 80 inches, however didn’t do anything in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Different standouts
Apart from dropping his eyes within the “4 Bag Agility” drill, Durant was a standout in nearly each on-field drill, along with working the quickest 40-yard sprint amongst defensive linemen (4.75 seconds).
Halton is a bit lighter and definitely not so long as a few of his friends, however he made up for that with explosiveness. Halton had plus performances within the “4 Bag Agility” drill and the “Run & Membership” drill. He ran the 40-yard sprint in an official 4.82 seconds with a 1.70-second 10-yard cut up.
With former head coach Mike Elko available, Regis, in addition to teammate Tyler Onyedim, had a pleasant night representing the Aggies. He was a standout within the “Cross Rush,” “Run the Hoop” and “4 Bag Agility” drills. He is a bit more stout and a bit of on the lighter aspect however ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.88 seconds.
Barrett has the body of a participant who sticks round within the NFL for fairly a while. He’s extra highly effective than explosive however appeared actually easy in drills all through the night.
Marshall was a plus performer within the “Cross Rush,” “4 Bag Agility” and “Run & Membership” drills. He was a easy performer this season, and carried that over to his work on the NFL mix.
2026 NFL mix outcomes: Measurements, 40 instances and largest takeaways as testing begins
Kyle Stackpole
Measurements/testing numbers for high EDGE prospects
| Measurement / Drill | Rueben Bain (Miami) | Arvell Reese (Ohio State) | David Bailey (Texas Tech) | Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 6-2 ¼ | 6-4 ⅛ | 6-3 ½ | 6-2 ½ |
| Weight | 263 | 241 | 251 | 253 |
| Hand | 9⅛ | 9½ | 10¼ | 9¼ |
| Arm | 30⅞ | 32½ | 33⅝ | 30¼ |
| Wingspan | 77⅜ | 79½ | 79⅝ | 74¼ |
| 40-yard sprint | — | 4.46 | 4.50 | 4.59 |
| 10-yard cut up | — | — | 1.62 | 1.58 |
| Vertical | — | — | 35 | 32.5 |
| Broad | — | — | 10-9 | 9-7 |
| Measurement / Drill | Akheem Mesidor (Miami) | Keldric Faulk (Auburn) | R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma) | T.J. Parker (Clemson) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 6-3 | 6-5 ⅞ | 6-2 ¼ | 6-3 ½ |
| Weight | 259 | 276 | 241 | 263 |
| Hand | 10 | 9¾ | 8⅞ | 9½ |
| Arm | 32⅛ | 34⅜ | 31⅝ | 33⅛ |
| Wingspan | 78⅝ | 82¼ | 78⅛ | 79 |
| 40-yard sprint | — | — | 4.67 | 4.68 |
| 10-yard cut up | — | — | 1.63 | 1.61 |
| Vertical | — | 35 | — | 34 |
| Broad | — | 9-9 | — | 10-0 |
Grading high EDGE prospects
Grade: N/A — Bain was underwhelming by way of the measurements however didn’t do any athletic testing or on-field drills. He could have misplaced some floor with a number of the different edge rushers excelling.
Grade: A- — Reese was a bit of lighter for an edge rusher however confirmed off his velocity and explosiveness in athletic testing. He tied his teammate, linebacker Sonny Types, for the quickest 40-yard sprint of the night (4.46 seconds). He was additionally fluid and detailed by way of on-field drills, drawing reward from Browns linebacker coach and run recreation coordinator Jason Tarver.
Grade: B — Faulk has a protracted, filled-out body. He didn’t run the 40-yard sprint however did take part within the vertical leap (35 inches) and broad leap (117 inches), in addition to the on-field drills. Faulk is a bit of tighter within the decrease physique.
Grade: A- — Bailey just isn’t a 1-of-1 edge rusher in the identical manner Myles Garrett or the Bosas have been earlier than him, however he has positioned himself properly to be the primary at his place taken in April. Bailey is a bit undersized however examined properly within the explosive drills and paced the sphere with an official 4.50-second 40-yard sprint.
Grade: B — Thomas is a shorter, thinner edge rusher who depends on his quickness. He has good size and ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.67 seconds.
Grade: B- — One of many issues surrounding Howell coming into this week was his lack of best size, so his traditionally quick arms weren’t precisely stunning. He’s extremely twitchy and explosive. He was one other who stood out within the “Run the Hoop” drill. His 4.59-second 40-yard sprint was among the many greatest in his group.
Grade: N/A — After measuring 6-foot-3 and 259 kilos, Mesidor elected to name it every week and watch the remainder of the drills from the sideline.
Different standouts
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Types was the most effective performer, however nobody helped himself as a lot as Lawrence. Along with working the 40-yard sprint in 4.52 seconds, Lawrence had a 1.59-second 10-yard cut up, in addition to a 40-inch vertical leap and 130-inch broad leap.
Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan
Tucker’s presence has extra to do with the on-field work. His athletic testing was under common for his measurement. He was easy and versatile by way of the “Run & Membership” drill.
Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston Faculty
Hutchins was one I had propped up going into the Senior Bowl. Though it was a bit later than anticipated, the Boston Faculty product has began to construct some optimistic momentum. Hutchins is a twitched-up, lighter edge rusher who stood out within the Wave and Run the Hoop drills.
