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The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books after front office interviews and four days of on-field workouts. As the New England Patriots continue to work through their different scenarios with the No. 31 overall picks, here’s who helped — and who may have hurt — their draft stock throughout the week in Indianapolis.
Running backs
Winner: Eli Heidenreich (Navy). One of the more versatile players in the draft, Heidenreich did it all for Navy recording over 900 receiving yards and nearly 500 rushing yards last season. He was fluid during on-field pass catching drills and then recorded a 4.44-second 40-yard dash to post a 9.12 out of 10 relative athletic score. With New England in the market for a RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, Heidenreich is on the board as a day three target.
Wide receivers
Winners:Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee) and Ted Hurst (Georgia State). It’s easy to see Chris Brazzell’s explosiveness and straight-line speed while watching him at Tennessee this past season, which made it no surprise to see him clock in a 4.37 40-yard dash with a 1.54 ten-yard split. Brazzell pairs that elite speed with size at 6-foot-4 and measured in with a 90th percentile wingspan. Staying with outside receivers, Georgia State’s Ted Hurst (6-4, 206) showcased his explosiveness with the best broad jump of any wideout (135”, 97th percentile) and paired it with a 4.42-second 40.
While Brazzell and Hurst are outside receivers with ball skills to potentially pair with Drake Maye, many inside receivers also stood out in their workouts. Likely first-round pick Omar Cooper Jr. ran a strong 4.42 40 for a more physical inside option. Alabama’s Germie Bernard and UConn’s Skyler Bell were also stellar in athletic testing and drill work.
Loser: Denzel Boston. A potential first-round option if he makes it to pick No. 31, Boston is a big-bodied receiver (6-foot-3, 212 pounds) who can win downfield with his size as a modern day X receiver. The main concern, however, is Boston’s long-speed and his choice to not run the 40-yard dash will only raise more concerns. Among the testing he did do, Boston posted a below average 35-inch vertical.
Tight ends
Winner: Sam Roush (Stanford). While early-round options like Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers expectedly shined during athletic testing, it was noteworthy to hear Mike Vrabel highlight the success of tight ends picked around the fourth or fifth-round. If that’s where New England targets the position, Roush could be a day three option. A massive tight end at 6-foot-6, 267 pounds, Roush ran a strong 4.70 40 for his size and paired it with the third-best vertical and the fourth-best broad jump at the position. It was no surprise to see him perform well in the blocking drills on-field as Roush is known best for his work in the run game — something New England needs.
Offensive line
Winner: Kadyn Proctor. Trimming down to 352 pounds, Proctor paired his elite size with some elite explosive grades as he became the only lineman at 350-plus pounds to record a vertical jump over 32 inches (32.5”) since 2003. Proctor was a streaky player throughout his career at Alabama, but has enticing tools and could be the best tackle on the board at pick No. 31 if available.
Looking for a potential Morgan Moses successor, Clemson’s Blake Miller and Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor are perhaps the top two options inside the top-50. Miller profiles as a Mike Vrabel-type of player while Iheanachor posted an elite 9.91 out of 10 relative athletic score. Relatively new to football, Iheanachor needs continued development — perhaps making him a perfect fit to sit behind Moses — but the traits are apparent (see: performance vs. Texas Tech’s elite edge duo).
Along the interior, Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon is a wide guard who posted elite explosive scores en route to a 9.42 RAS. He will be a plug-and-play starter up front but will come off the board early. New England will likely look for interior help in the middle rounds, where Chase Bisontis (9.93 RAS) and Jalen Farmer (9.69 RAS) impressed athletically. On late day three, Georgia’s Micah Morris, who played next to Jared Wilson, posted an elite 9.98 RAS at 6-foot-5, 334-pounds.
Defensive line
Winner: Malachi Lawerence (UCF). A mid-round favorite entering the week, Lawerence dominated the testing and likely saw his draft stock rise. The explosive pass rusher posted a 4.52-second 40-yard dash with a 1.59-second 10-yard split (89th percentile). Lawrence fits into the Patriots typical build along the edge at 6-foot-4, 253 pounds and paired it with an impressive 9.90 RAS. Lawerence already started hot this offseason at the Shrine Bowl and now will see his stock only continue to climb.
Loser: R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma). At 6-foot-2, 241 pounds, Thomas is known more for his explosiveness along the edge rather than his size — a concern when projecting his three-down ability at the next level. Thomas chose not to jump and then disappointed with his sprint scores posting an average 4.67-second run (including a 1.63-second 10-yard split).
Honorable motion: Cashius Howell (Texas A&M). Howell fits the size mold the Patriots look for along the edge as he measured in at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds. But, the productive pass rusher measured in with the shortest arm length (30 ¼”) of any edge rusher at the Combine since at least 1999 to pair with a 74 ¼” wingspan.
Linebackers
Winners: Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) and Kaleb Elarms-Orr (TCU). Another Vrabel-type player, Rodriguez was a captain for the Red Raiders and described as the quarterback of their defense. He was always around the football — highlighted by his 13 career forced fumbles, six interceptions and 25.5 TFLs — and checked the athletic box with a 9.23 RAS. A later-round option, Elarms-Orr is a bigger backer at 6-foot-2, 234 pounds but impressed with a 4.47-second 40 and a 40-inch vertical jump — the second best jump behind just Sonny Styles.
Defensive backs
Winner: Dillon Thieneman (Oregon). The Ducks safety did not disappoint, as Thieneman, a personal favorite, paired an elite 41-inch vertical jump with a 4.35-second 40-yard dash (97th percentile) to post a 9.67 RAS. Thieneman is an elite safety prospect — with his movement skills also visible during on-field workouts — who would easily slide into New England’s defensive scheme. The lone problem now, however, is that he might not even see pick No. 31.
Elsewhere in a safety class that shined, South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore had an elite day of testing if New England is more interested in a hybrid safety. The former track star sprinted a 4.42-second 40 and his 10-foot-10 broad jump tied for the top result at the position.
At cornerback, New England could use depth in the middle rounds. Stephen F. Austin’s Charles Demmings is another late-round favorite and Demmings dominated with an explosive 9.97 RAS which pairs with his good size (6-1, 193) at corner. Georgia’s Daylen Everette also impressed with 4.38-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds.