Yes, it’s March. No, no one actually played a single down of competitive football this past weekend, so that snarky allusion to futbol from last Sunday still holds. But if you’re honestly interested in what will unfold when the NFL actually gets back to business this coming fall, the NFL Combines are indeed where the season truly starts,
It’s a leisurely yet hectic four days plus where the football gods descend upon Indianapolis, where just about every decent steakhouse and hotel room is occupied by a generous expense account and/or NIL donor list. When spread out over the cavernous Lucas Oil Stadium dome, even that many people seems sparse and the environment at times eerily quiet. And a goodly number of top names guaranteed of top draft positions no longer have either the urgency or need to show off exactly how strong, fast or agile they are. In an era where these results carry an inordinate amount of weight and a cottage industry of pundits and rankers take their lead from Combine weekend results, no agent worth their weight in salt will dare risk a top client falling a few slots even temporarily. So while Fernando Mendoza graced Indianapolis with his outsized South Florida smile, we will simply have to rely upon the fourth quarter of January’s championship game to judge whether or not he’s indeed going to be the top draft pick. That’s probably the chalkiest bet one can make.
As to which mere mortals are worth booknoting, a whole bunch of experts took time to weigh in. OUTKICK had a few summative thoughts in their newsletter this morning:
We are seeing sub-4.4 times like they are handed out at a drive-thru. Naturally, the question is whether these college kids are actually getting faster or if we are just caught in a speed trap of recency bias. We saw 22 players clock in under 4.4 seconds this year. That is a massive jump from the 20-year average of 13. Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson hit a blazing 4.26.
STEEELERS NOW’s Ben Meggitt checked in on Friday:
The defensive ends wasted no time making their presence felt at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. In a league that increasingly values speed off the edge and the ability to disrupt quarterbacks, this year’s edge group showed exactly why they are among the most coveted prospects in the draft. On Thursday night, Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese solidified himself as one of the stars of the 2026 NFL Draft class with an incredible 4.46-second 40-yard dash, which he ran at 241 pounds. Reese is nearly a lock to go high in the first round, and seems to be the favorite for the New York Jets to take at No. 2 overall.
And on Saturday BLEACHER REPORT’s Paul Kasabian took note of who fantasy players might want to add to their dynasty league lists:
Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs took center stage on Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium. There probably shouldn’t have been any doubt that Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love will be a top-10 draft pick, but he locked that certainty for good on Saturday as he did both running back and wide receiver drills.
Jeremiyah Love recorded an official 4.36-second forty at this year’s Combine, the fastest time among RBs with a 90+ NGS production score over the last 10 years. Love now holds a 94 overall score, tied with Sonny Styles for highest in this year’s class.
And yesterday his colleague Scott Polacek some other names who made a mark on getaway day:
It was the offensive linemen’s turn on the final day of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, and a number of them appeared to bolster their draft status with impressive performances.
It’s safe to say Utah’s Spencer Fano was a top-caliber prospect coming into the combine, and that didn’t change Sunday. According to the latest big board from B/R’s NFL Scouting Department, Fano is the No. 13 overall player and top offensive tackle in the draft. He is also ranked as the best run-blocker, best pass-blocker and most versatile of the offensive tackle.
Iowa’s Gennings Dunker was an All-Big Ten selection this past season, but it wasn’t just his football skills that stood out Sunday. It was also his hair, which was flying around as he ran the 40-yard dash(.)
For now, that’s about as much exposure as we’re gonna get to these future standouts, and now we’ll at least have a sense of familarity and recency to rely upon when the process culminates with the NFL Draft at the end of next month. For the first time, it’s gonna grace the gritty hamlet of Pittsburgh, which is just about as ideal and apropos a setting for steel resolve and determination as any, and almost as centrally located in Indianapolis.
And now, we humbly return you to your off-season.
Courage…