The first night of on-field work has drawn to a close. The defensive line, edge rushers and linebackers set the tone for the rest of the week in Indianapolis. CBS Sports grades the top prospects along the defensive line and edge rusher, in addition to singling out some other standouts. There is a separate breakdown of the linebackers.
The Miami duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor did not partake in any of the festivities beyond the initial measurements. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods and Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller were among the other top prospects to go down that path.
It should also be noted that Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is listed among the edge rushers rather than the linebackers with whom he competed because Reese spoke to the media Wednesday and laid out his desire to rush the passer in the NFL.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place April 23–25 in Pittsburgh. You can find more draft coverage at CBSSports.com, including weekly mock drafts and regular evaluations of the top prospects.
Measurements/testing numbers for top DL prospects
| Measurement / Drill |
Peter Woods (Clemson) |
Caleb Banks (Florida) |
Kayden McDonald (Ohio State) |
Lee Hunter (Texas Tech) |
| Height |
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 dash |
— |
5.04 |
— |
5.18 |
| 10-yard split |
— |
1.76 |
— |
1.79 |
| Vertical |
— |
32 |
— |
21.5 |
| Broad |
— |
9-6 |
— |
8-4 |
Grading top DL prospects
Peter Woods
CLEM • DT • #11
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Grade: N/A — Woods did not do any of the on-field drills and did not compete in testing. His measurables were a bit disappointing, if anything. He measured just over 6-foot-2 and 298 pounds with 31¼-inch arms and a 76⅜-inch wingspan.
Caleb Banks
FLA • DL • #88
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Grade: B+ — Banks was physically impressive as anticipated, but his day ended shortly into the on-field drills because his cleats bothered him. Banks ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 seconds after measuring an 85¾-inch wingspan — the longest among combine defensive tackles since 1999.
Kayden McDonald
OHIOST • DL • #98
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Grade: B — McDonald is a stout, run-defending interior defender. He did not run the 40-yard dash or participate in other explosive testing but did partake in the on-field portion. McDonald looked stiff at times, which is to be expected, but put forth an admirable effort otherwise.
Lee Hunter
TXTECH • DL • #2
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Grade: B+ — Hunter has great size for an interior defender, and his explosiveness and power were evident in on-field drills. His 40-yard dash was a pedestrian 5.18 seconds. He really excelled in the “Pass Rush” and “Run & Club” drills.
Christen Miller
UGA • DL • #52
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Grade: N/A — Miller checked the box with his measurements, including a wingspan topping 80 inches, but did not do anything else in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Other standouts
Zane Durant, Penn State
Aside from dropping his eyes in the “Four Bag Agility” drill, Durant was a standout in almost every on-field drill, in addition to running the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive linemen (4.75 seconds).
Gracen Halton, Oklahoma
Halton is a bit lighter and certainly not as long as some of his peers, but he made up for that with explosiveness. Halton had plus performances in the “Four Bag Agility” drill and the “Run & Club” drill. He ran the 40-yard dash in an official 4.82 seconds with a 1.70-second 10-yard split.
Albert Regis, Texas A&M
With former head coach Mike Elko on hand, Regis, as well as teammate Tyler Onyedim, had a nice evening representing the Aggies. He was a standout in the “Pass Rush,” “Run the Hoop” and “Four Bag Agility” drills. He is a little more stout and a little on the lighter side but ran the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds.
Nick Barrett, South Carolina
Barrett has the frame of a player who sticks around in the NFL for quite some time. He is more powerful than explosive but looked really smooth in drills throughout the evening.
Jackie Marshall, Baylor
Marshall was a plus performer in the “Pass Rush,” “Four Bag Agility” and “Run & Club” drills. He was a smooth performer this season, and carried that over to his work at the NFL combine.
2026 NFL combine results: Measurements, 40 times and biggest takeaways as testing begins
Kyle Stackpole
Measurements/testing numbers for top EDGE prospects
| Measurement / Drill |
Rueben Bain (Miami) |
Arvell Reese (Ohio State) |
David Bailey (Texas Tech) |
Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) |
| Height |
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 dash |
— |
4.46 |
4.50 |
4.59 |
| 10-yard split |
— |
— |
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) |
| Height |
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 dash |
— |
— |
4.67 |
4.68 |
| 10-yard split |
— |
— |
1.63 |
1.61 |
| Vertical |
— |
35 |
— |
34 |
| Broad |
— |
9-9 |
— |
10-0 |
Grading top EDGE prospects
Rueben Bain Jr.
MIAMI • DL • #4
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Grade: N/A — Bain was underwhelming in terms of the measurements but did not do any athletic testing or on-field drills. He may have lost some ground with some of the other edge rushers excelling.
Arvell Reese
OHIOST • LB • #8
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Grade: A- — Reese was a little lighter for an edge rusher but showed off his speed and explosiveness in athletic testing. He tied his teammate, linebacker Sonny Styles, for the fastest 40-yard dash of the evening (4.46 seconds). He was also fluid and detailed through on-field drills, drawing praise from Browns linebacker coach and run game coordinator Jason Tarver.
Keldric Faulk
AUBURN • DE • #15
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Grade: B — Faulk has a long, filled-out frame. He did not run the 40-yard dash but did participate in the vertical jump (35 inches) and broad jump (117 inches), as well as the on-field drills. Faulk is a little tighter in the lower body.
David Bailey
TXTECH • LB • #31
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Grade: A- — Bailey is not a 1-of-1 edge rusher in the same way Myles Garrett or the Bosas were before him, but he has positioned himself well to be the first at his position taken in April. Bailey is a bit undersized but tested well in the explosive drills and paced the field with an official 4.50-second 40-yard dash.
R Mason Thomas
OKLA • DL • #32
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Grade: B — Thomas is a shorter, thinner edge rusher who relies on his quickness. He has good length and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds.
Cashius Howell
TXAM • DE • #9
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Grade: B- — One of the concerns surrounding Howell coming into this week was his lack of ideal length, so his historically short arms were not exactly surprising. He is incredibly twitchy and explosive. He was another who stood out in the “Run the Hoop” drill. His 4.59-second 40-yard dash was among the best in his group.
Akheem Mesidor
MIAMI • DL • #3
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Grade: N/A — After measuring 6-foot-3 and 259 pounds, Mesidor elected to call it a week and watch the rest of the drills from the sideline.
Other standouts
Malachi Lawrence, UCF
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles was the best performer, but no one helped himself as much as Lawrence. In addition to running the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, Lawrence had a 1.59-second 10-yard split, as well as a 40-inch vertical jump and 130-inch broad jump.
Nadame Tucker, Western Michigan
Tucker’s presence has more to do with the on-field work. His athletic testing was below average for his size. He was smooth and flexible through the “Run & Club” drill.
Quintayvious Hutchins, Boston College
Hutchins was one I had propped up going into the Senior Bowl. Although it was a bit later than anticipated, the Boston College product has started to build some positive momentum. Hutchins is a twitched-up, lighter edge rusher who stood out in the Wave and Run the Hoop drills.
