Pre-Combine predictions

For the last 39 years, players, coaches and fans have all focused their attention on Indianapolis for the NFL Combine. Where careers can be made, and players can convince teams that their talents far exceed what was expected of them.

This year will be no different, and there are some key players whom we should all look out for.

Brenen Thompson - WR, Mississippi State

It’s unlikely that Xavier Worthy’s 40-yard dash record is going to fall this draft, but if someone was going to do it, Thompson is the player to look out for.

His explosiveness will allow him to shine in the combine environment and potentially have teams look past his smaller-than-ideal build.

He’s currently floating somewhere around the fourth round, but if he has a good combine showing, he could potentially be off the board in the second round.

Caleb Banks - DT, Florida

Banks is one of the most athletic defensive linemen of his class, and the combine will either back that up or have his draft stock take a serious hit.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, his size is already what NFL scouts are looking for, but if he performs well in Indianapolis, he could see himself already with a team within the first fifteen picks of the draft.

Playing in the SEC as a defensive lineman is already a tremendous test, but the combine could be just what Banks needs to push him higher up the board, especially since he was injured for most of the 2025 season.

Jeff Caldwell - WR, Cincinnati

The only way to explain what we could see from Caldwell in the combine is to bring it back to DK Metcalf’s 2019 combine showing.

Caldwell and Metcalf have similar builds, and both entered the combine with a need to prove themselves and their athleticism. Metcalf obviously had a combine performance that is still referenced to this day, and Caldwell could potentially find himself in that category after this weekend.

If Caldwell can demonstrate his athleticism in Indianapolis, there is a much higher chance that coaches will be willing to try to mold him to be their next big-bodied receiver.

Sonny Styles - LB, Ohio State

Styles is already likely to be a Day 1 draft pick, and going to the combine is unlikely to change that, but what it could do is make him a top 10 pick.

If he puts up numbers like Micah Parsons did in the combine, his draft stock will greatly improve. Going to the combine is a bold choice that shows teams he believes in his talents and athleticism enough to demonstrate what he's capable of.

If Styles’ collegiate career is anything to go by, he’s going to be a fantastic linebacker in the NFL, but the combine can show teams that he’s ready to prove it to them.

Kenyon Sadiq - TE, Oregon

Similar to Styles, Sadiq is at the combine to try to hear his name called earlier in the draft. He clearly believes that his abilities will match up to those of some of the better combine performances from tight ends in the past.

His last season at Oregon was a fantastic one for a tight end, but he does struggle occasionally with his blocking. If he wants to prove to teams that they should look to draft him in the first round, he’s going to need to rely on his athleticism.

Sadiq is still young in comparison to other players entering the draft, so even if some of his skills are less refined, teams are going to want an athletic tight end that they can mold to their system.

Gwen Evans is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gme5218@psu.edu.