NFL Combine Winners and Losers: Who Boosted Their 2026 Draft Stock?

There is a notion that NFL teams set their draft board in February, and only the truly remarkable — positive or negative — individual performances inspire adjustments between the start of the NFL Scouting Combine and the draft in April.

At this time last year, Titans GM Mike Borgonzi said his board was essentially set. After drafting Cam Ward No. 1 overall in April, he reiterated the board at the top never moved in Nashville.

The same is likely true this time around, with Fernando Mendoza comfortable with growing expectations he's the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.

We're going to skip right over a great week for Ohio State prospects — almost every Buckeye left Indianapolis a winner — in a bit of retribution from losing to Mendoza when they last visited Lucas Oil Stadium.

Behind Mendoza, there's plenty of room for jockeying. Here are the prospects who had the best and worst week at the combine.

These prospects helped their draft stock

OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia: Rumblings around Freeling not being ready and needing another year in the UGA weightlifting program went whisper silent after an elite-level athletic performance in Indy. He buzzed a sub-5 40 at 6-7, 315.

QB Taylen Green, Arkansas: We knew this was coming, but there's still a reconciling of what Green does in shorts and how he has performed on game day. At 6-6, his 44-inch vertical and 4.37 time in the 40 will stir plenty of interest. Whether he can prove he's a quarterback is the next question.

RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame: Not much he could have done at Lucas Oil Stadium would have dropped Love on draft boards, but he sealed his status as a likely top-12 pick with a workout that proves to scouts everything they saw on film was accurate.

QB Ty Simpson, Alabama: His competition for the QB2 spot on draft boards comes down to system fit. Simpson is light on experience but comports himself like a pro already. He threw with better zip and placement than some expected.

RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas: Maybe the best ever combine by a running back? If you buy into Relative Athletic Score, Washington is that guy. He scored a 10 of 10, the best of any running back in 40 years of data dating to 1987. The 223-pounder underlined the freak comps on his draft profile with a 4.33 40 and 39-inch vertical. In a weaker draft class at running back, Washington is a riser.

These prospects hurt their draft stock

WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame: Fields is a big possession receiver and helped himself at the Senior Bowl. But poor athletic testing and speed numbers bring an anvil down on his stock. A 4.61 in the 40 and 1.63 10-yard split hits Fields with the double whammy of doubting his release off the line and ability to beat any NFL cornerback over the top.

QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt: Microphones continue to be a perilous adventure for Pavia, whose session with the media was all about salty swagger and no sign of humility. It's the chip on Pavia's shoulder that got him this far, but how can he assimilate to an NFL locker room if he's not the alpha? There's no chance he'll be drafted as a starter and backups pay dues daily or are force-fed humble pie as pros. At 5-10, his road to making an NFL roster is difficult to envision.

DT Peter Woods, Clemson: A non-participant in Indy, the trouble for Woods — and Miami's Rueben Bain — was on the measuring tape. His arm length of just 31 inches for a 6-foot-2 defensive tackle will limit his scheme fit. Both interior defensive linemen are athletic and were productive on the college level but falling short of NFL minimum thresholds like arm length limits their draft day ceiling.