After a day of podium interviews for the defensive linemen and linebackers, the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine action finally moved into Lucas Oil Stadium for the on-field and athletic testing for those positions on Thursday. While several highly-touted prospects opted out of testing, a few who did definitely helped themselves. 

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

Styles has already earned a first-half of first-round draft stock for his outstanding play as a safety-turned-linebacker for Ohio State. His athletic size and profile is a perfect blend of the two. 

At 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, Styles has a large wingspan at almost 81 inches, with 10-inch hands. His arms are on the short side at just under 33”, but his athletic testing left that as about the only possible nitpick to an amazing Combine for Styles. 

• 43-inch vertical jump, which is the highest ever at the Combine for someone over 240 pounds

• 11’2” broad jump--the fourth-highest ever for a linebacker

• Styles also shone brightly beyond the concrete measurables. 

One of the things they test with the linebackers is flexibility. It’s done off to the opposite sideline of the stadium from where the 40s are being run, and it happened to be right in front of me. I watched the LB group go through what looks almost like a medieval torture rack kind of pose, grabbing a wood bar with both hands behind their back while lying on their chest. A trainer then instructs the LB to raise the bar up as high as possible behind them while still lying on the ground. 

Many of the backers got to about 45 degrees of lift, though not all. Styles almost looked like he was reverse bench-pressing it, fully extending his arms behind his back almost effortlessly. I snapped a picture (this is BYU’s Jack Kelly, and it’s about as close as anyone came to Styles’ display):

Not that Styles needed to prove he’s a great athlete, but proving it as emphatically as he did opens the door for him to creep into the top-5 overall in April. 

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

At 251 pounds, Bailey blazed a 4.50 40-yard dash, the fastest of any of the EDGE group--and it wasn’t particularly close. His 10-yard and 20-yard splits were also the best of the EDGEs, with the obligatory noting that nearly a third of the group opted not to run. 

His explosiveness on game film was validated by how well he burst out of the box. While he didn’t have the best 10-yard split, Bailey still got to top speed very well and showed body control in drills.

Malachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF

Lawrence lit up the Shrine Bowl a month ago with his blend of quickness and power, and his strong draft season continued on Thursday. 

While he’s a bit lighter and shorter than ideal, his athletic testing was nearly off the charts. For a player of his relative size at his position, Lawrence is one of the best athletes ever to hit the Combine:

Lawrence was a consistent pressure generator for the Knights, with the ability to win in a variety of ways. With his supreme athletic testing and potential, expect to see a lot more of Lawrence in the top 50 of big boards and mock drafts. 

Jack Kelly, LB, BYU

A player I have yet to watch enough film on to have a great feel for his game, Kelly’s athletic performance has made it imperative I watch more of his work in the Cougars’ defense. He’s a former dirt bike circuit racer who apparently incorporated the motor into his 6-foot-2, 240-pound frame. 

Kelly was among the top testers in every drill, from 40 (4.57) to vertical (37”) to recording one of the fastest 20-yard splits on the 40 ever (2.05) of any player weighing at least 240. His best work on tape (that I’ve seen) is being unleashed as a blitzer, and there are any number of teams who could use a guy with Kelly’s athleticism and hair-on-fire style. There’s a lot to work with in Kelly, and he proved that in Indy. 

Other “winners” from Thursday at the Combine

• Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State--solidified as a top-10 player

• Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech--amazing 6.90 3-cone drill

• Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State--much smoother in Indy than he showed for PSU

• Kyle Louis, LB, Pittsburgh

• Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati

• Zane Durant, DT, Penn State--best 10-yard split amongst DTs

• Kaleb Proctor, DT, SE Louisiana

• Albert Regis, DT, Texas A&M

• Namdi Obiazor, LB, TCU

• Anthony Hill, LB, Texas