NFL combine winners and losers, Thursday edition

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Hundreds of college football standouts are in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. The week of action began on Tuesday with coach and general manager media availability.

Thursday brought the main reason for fans to tune in: on-field drills and testing. Measurements came in for those linebacker and defensive line prospects, as well.

That data provided plenty more information on the draft class as a whole. We now have a wider understanding of prospects at linebacker, defensive line and kicker.

Scouts, analysts, fans and front offices tuned in for Ohio State’s dynamic duo of Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, who stole the show. Texas Tech’s David Bailey also crashed the party and made a case as a potential top-3 selection come April.

On the first big day of action from Indianapolis, who were some big winners and losers? Here’s our choices from Thursday’s combine action:

Winner: DT Caleb Banks

Banks made his case Thursday to be the first defensive tackle selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He measured in as the tallest (6-foot-6) and third-heaviest (327 pounds) defensive tackle in the group with the longest arms (35 inches).

His athletic testing numbers were an important, especially in the jumps. His broad jump was tied for second among all defensive tackles at 9 feet, 6 inches and he hit 32 inches in the vertical jump. He had to call his day early due to his cleats irritating his feet, but he made an impression.

Loser: Edge Rueben Bain Jr.

There’s no way around it: Bain’s arm length was a question coming into the week. He was surprised by it being such a topic of conversation but his arms measured in at under 31 inches – some of the shortest arms for the position in recent years.

The film says Bain relies more on powerful moves that belie his short arms. He knows how to work around those limitations effectively; you don’t lead the FBS in pressures on accident.

Winner: LB Sonny Styles

Thanks to his teammate Reese’s rise during the 2025 season, Styles lost his status as LB1 in this class. Some fans are warming up to the Buckeyes linebacker and he showed off on testing day.

First, he measured in bigger than his teammate Reese at 6-foot-5, 244 pounds and 32 ½-inch long arms. He was expected to test well and he backed that up on the field.

He started things off with a 43 ½-inch in the vertical jump, a record for someone who hits both his height and weight measurements. He hit 11 feet, 2 inches in the broad jump to lead the position in both events. He put a bow on the performance with a 4.47 40-yard dash, tied for the best at the position.

Loser: Edge Cashius Howell

Luckily for Howell, Bain’s arm length took the headlines. But Howell’s arms were even shorter at 30 ¼ inches – putting him among the shortest arms for the edge position of the last decade.

Howell’s game is more built on bend and burst than power like Bain. That makes his measurements more concerning. If he’s able to be long-armed by most tackles in the NFL, it shrinks the ways he can be effective as an edge rusher. It’s a harsh truth teams will have to reckon with when considering whether or not to draft him in the first round.

Winner: DT DeMonte Capehart

The 2025 Clemson Tigers defense will have many draft picks come April. Cornerback Avieon Terrell, defensive tackle Peter Woods and edge rusher T.J. Parker could all be off the board by the end of Round 1.

Capehart proved today that there are other talents worth considering as well.

He measured in at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds with 33 ⅞ inch arms. That’s the kind of size teams like to see at the position because it offers alignment versatility. Then, he stepped onto the field for drills.

Capehart ran 4.85 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the fourth-fastest time of the day at the position. Everyone faster than him were at least 15 pounds lighter than him. He then hit 33 ½ inches in the vertical jump and looked light on his feet during drills.