Losers of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine
In my other article this week, I went through some players that I thought did well for themselves at the Combine. However, not everyone had a great week in Indianapolis. Several players damaged their draft stock through underwhelming performance, unflattering measurables, or off-the-field concerns. Here, we’ll go through the players who hurt themselves at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Take heart though: a bad day at the Combine does not destroy your chances of becoming a high pick. Players have their Pro Days and their college tape to fall back on if need be.
EDGE Rueben Bain Jr, Miami
While Bain barely did anything at the Combine, one particular measurement was the talk of the day. His arms measured 30 and 7/8″, which is extremely short for an edge rusher. Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell had even shorter arms (30 and 1/4″), but at least he showed out in the drills and with his movement. Bain didn’t do drills or run the 40, so all we have to talk about is his arm length. That’s not a good impression to leave. His tape is excellent, and it only takes one team to love him. However, we just saw Patriots OT Will Campbell struggle due to his short arms, so Bain isn’t dealing with the best optics right now.
DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn
Faulk is a divisive prospect. His detractors are concerned about his low level of production, while supporters point out that Auburn’s scheme was detrimental to his stats. Their main emphasis is on Faulk’s prototypical measurements. He’s tall, he has long arms, and if you were to build a DE in a lab, he might be the result. With that in mind, he needed to confirm those opinions at the Combine. I don’t think he did. Faulk didn’t run the 40, and the drills were a mixed bag for him. He slipped a bunch during change-of-direction tasks in particular. Teams worried about his bust potential won’t feel better after this weekend.
CB Will Lee III, Texas A&M
Lee snuck into my first mock draft at the very end, but that won’t happen next time. His 4.52-s 40 wasn’t impressive, but at 6’1.5″, I’m not overly concerned about it. Unfortunately, he caught my eye with the dreaded hip stiffness flaw. During the backpedal drill, each time he switched directions, there was a bit of lag as his hips tried to make the turn with the rest of his body. If you watch the other corners, you’ll see how fluid they look when they move. Lee didn’t have that, which makes me worry about him against shifty receivers. This is a problem that the Combine was built to detect, and it could drop Lee out of day 1.
TE Miles Kitselman, Tennessee
If you’re not even a slightly big name but stand out to me for the wrong reasons, that’s not a good sign. While everyone else was helping their position groups set speed records, Kitselman posted a poor time of 4.90 s in the 40. I’d be alright with that if he had elite blocking skills, but he’s big enough to star in that role either (6’5″, 251 lbs). Alarmingly, he struggled more than anyone in the sled push drill, straining to move the device. He even dropped a couple of passes that should’ve been easy. My hope is that this performance was mostly about nerves and that he’ll be better at his pro day. Otherwise, the UDFA pool likely awaits.
WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
You have to feel for Fields, who had been on a roll throughout the offseason. His tape has been reviewed positively, and he crushed the senior bowl. Fields slowed that momentum (literally) by running a pedestrian 4.61-s 40 time. He also had some drops during the gauntlet, but he’s normally great at catching the ball, so I’ll look past that. The speed issue is the alarming one. Those who have watched Keon Coleman flounder in Buffalo know that his speed was a pre-draft concern as well. If evaluators think that Fields can’t separate against pro DBs, his chances of being a first-round pick are done. A pro day boost would go a long way.
WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Here’s a name that I didn’t expect to be writing as part of this list. Tate is widely considered one of the best receivers in the class, and for good reason. OSU is a WR factory, and he played exceptionally for the Buckeyes. It was thus a shocker that he ran a 4.54-s 40, slotting him among the slower players. He didn’t stand out as a pass catcher either, but that’s more about how well the group did as a whole. The slow time may not hurt Tate, as his tape remains fantastic. It makes me want to watch his film again though, as he seemed to play faster than that number. GMs will need to reconcile that puzzling mismatch.
QB Taylen Green, Arkansas
This one might surprise you given all of the other outlets that are talking Green up. To give him his props, his 43.5″ vertical jump, 11’2″ broad jump, and 4.36-s 40 are all QB records at the Combine. That’s even more impressive when you remember that he’s 6’6″ and 227 lbs. Unfortunately, those things aren’t good predictors of pro success. Green’s main weakness, his scattershot accuracy, showed up during the throwing session, where he was the QB on the field. TV analysts glowingly compared him to Terrelle Pryor, but did they forget that Pryor had to switch to WR? I think Green’s best shot at a pro career is to do the same position change.
OT/G Spencer Fano, Utah
Yes, I’m back at it again with the dreaded arm length discussion. After what happened to Will Campbell in the NFL playoffs, you have to talk about it. Otherwise, you aren’t doing your due diligence. A right tackle in college, Fano had a measurement of 32 and 1/8 inches, below the 33″ threshold many teams use. That could cause clubs to view him more as a guard, which would push him down boards. It’s unfortunate, as he looked fantastic athletically and in the drills. He moves great and does all the tackle things well. If he can’t reach far enough to stop pro edge rushers though, a position change could be inevitable.
OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
NFL Network spent most of Sunday’s first session talking up Freeling as a rising star. Given the dearth of LT prospects in this draft, it’s tempting to try and force one into existence. The problem was that although the analysts extolled his athleticism, most of the time I saw him, he was falling over. Trips and stumbles took him out during multiple drills, forcing him to redo them. That’s a sign of a base that isn’t sufficiently solid. Sometimes he was too wide with his stance, and in other instances he wasn’t wide enough. In a deep class of linemen, that could be enough to spook some teams into picking other linemen.
People Who Hate Speed
I’m excited to say that there were fewer disappointments at this Combine than most, so I’ll go a little tongue-in-cheek for my penultimate “losers”. It’s true though: if you despise fast players for some reason, this Combine probably terrorized you. Starting with the defensive linemen and continuing through the offensive linemen, every position group except for one was the fastest recorded at a Combine since tracking began in 2003 (the QBs, who were second-best, ruined the sweep). Maybe I should’ve titled this section “Veterans Hitting the Free Agent Market”, as teams may forgo high-priced free agents in favor of these speedsters.