The Biggest Winners From the 2026 NFL Combine

Four days in Indianapolis gave us more clarity at the top of this draft class.

Several prospects left Indianapolis with stronger first-round cases and real momentum heading toward the draft. This class may have entered Indianapolis with questions about elite depth, but it left with several prospects pushing themselves into entirely different draft conversations. Here are four players to watch more closely after the combine.

Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

There are good workouts. Then there are record-setting ones.

Kenyon Sadiq ran a 4.39 at 241 pounds, the fastest 40-yard dash ever recorded by a tight end at the Combine. That alone would have been enough to turn heads. He followed it with a 43.5-inch vertical and an 11-foot-plus broad jump, numbers typically reserved for elite receivers.

The testing confirmed what evaluators saw on tape. Sadiq is not just a tight end. He is a matchup problem. His performance in Indianapolis firmly pushed him into the top-20 conversation, with the potential to go even higher depending on how teams value the position.

Tight ends rarely change draft boards this dramatically in one week. Sadiq did.

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

At 6-5 and 244 pounds, Sonny Styles moved like a safety.

He led all linebackers with a 4.46 40-yard dash, tied for the fastest 10-yard split, and paired that with a 43.5-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump. The production was expected. The testing removed any lingering doubt about how his athletic profile translates.

Styles entered the combine with top-10 buzz. He left Indianapolis with legitimate top-five momentum. Off-ball linebackers rarely go that high. Styles is now viewed as an exception. The size, the range, the burst. It all aligns with a player who could anchor a defense from Day 1.

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

The safety class needed clarity behind Caleb Downs. Dillon Thieneman provided it.

His 4.35 40 placed him among the fastest safeties in Combine history. His 41-inch vertical jump landed in the 98th percentile for the position. The explosiveness was elite. The versatility was already evident on tape.

Thieneman’s testing only reinforced what shows up on his tape. The speed and explosiveness are obvious, but they match a player who has already produced at a high level and plays with strong instincts in the secondary. He is not just a workout standout. He is a complete defender with the range and awareness teams look for on the back end. First-round status now feels secure. The question is how high he could go.

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

David Bailey may have solidified himself as the premier pass rusher in this class.

At 251 pounds, he ran in the low 4.5s, the fastest among edge defenders at this year’s combine. He moved smoothly in drills and displayed the same bend and acceleration that showed up on tape. His 10-yard split reinforced his first-step burst.

Before Indianapolis, Bailey was a likely top-10 selection. After it, top-three feels realistic. Elite edge rushers do not fall in today’s NFL. When one checks every box physically and technically, teams start thinking much earlier in the draft.

Indianapolis tends to clarify the top of the board. This year, Sadiq, Styles, Thieneman and Bailey made sure their names will be part of that conversation.