Lucas Oil Field, NFL front office types and the dulcet musings of Rich Eisen. That can mean only one thing: With Milan's closing ceremonies behind us, it's time for the Underwear Olympics to begin.
As is almost always the case, this year's incoming crop of fresh faces contains a lucky few for whom this weekend's pageant of sprinting, throwing and jumping is not crucial. Likely No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza will not throw, and fellow top prospect Jordyn Tyson has announced he'll also be sitting it out.
But for the vast majority of invitees, this weekend's Scouting Combine will be their final chance to meaningfully improve their draft stock in the eyes of evaluators trying to keep hundreds of kids' names straight. For our purposes, here are a few to keep an ear out for while you're chopping vegetables, doing your taxes or re-stringing that old guitar this weekend.
Quarterbacks
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
This is a draft underpinned by former first round quarterback hopefuls, with Klubnik as one of the foremost examples. Expected to measure in at around 6'2" and 210 pounds, the 22-year-old from Austin, TX had a stellar 2024 (36 TDs passing, 7 rushing). Running as one of the top prospects in the class just eight months ago, Klubnik now needs to punch his way back into the Day 2 conversation.
He has the physical tools to do it. A former five-star recruit, Klubnik is plenty athletic, running for a couple of 50-yard scores as a junior. He's expected to clock a 40-yard dash time close to 4.6. But it's the show he could put on as a passer that could get the proverbial heads turning. Klubnik doesn't have a howitzer, but he can get plenty on the ball, and from a variety of arm angles. He should also interview well; his teammates voted him a permanent team captain for a reason. A proper Mahomes impersonation against air could still see him nail down QB3 status behind Mendoza and Simpson.
Drew Allar, Penn State
Another prospect whose star has risen and crashed in the last 16 months, Allar's stock has been scuttled by a tumultuous 2025 for the Nittany Lions, culminating with a broken ankle suffered in October. But it was recently announced that he has recovered enough to partake in the Indy festivities, and for the 6'5", 230-pound Allar a strong showcase could get his arrow turned around in a hurry. Allar isn't likely to be asked to make an immediate impact, but with ideal size, arm strength and some bulldozing power as a runner, the Josh Allen comps he's drawn for years won't abate anytime soon.
A 35-game starter in college and the No. 1 QB recruit in the country four years ago, Allar is nevertheless not ready for the precision and decision-making speed required in the men's league — right now he's much closer to being Spencer Rattler than Josh Allen. But a chance to sit and learn on the right team could work wonders.
Cole Payton, North Dakota State
Speaking of aspirational comps, get ready to hear 'the next Taysom Hill' a time or two this weekend in reference to one Cole Payton. Fortunately, that one won't be so outrageous. At around 6'3" and 230 pounds, the Nebraskan southpaw is a powerfully built and willing runner. But plus scramblers have become a dime a dozen; what jumps off the screen is the NFL-caliber zip when dialing long distance.
Payton's a one-year FCS starter with a wonky delivery, so the odds are against him ever taking an NFL snap past August. But he'll have a chance to juke the odds a little more in his favor on Saturday.
Running Backs
Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
Price's much more famous running mate will take part in testing this weekend, which is nice. But it's also a mild surprise; with his draft stock already maxed out, Love has far more to lose by participating this weekend than to gain. The opposite is true for Price, who could position himself to be the second running back off the board in April (this draft's thin on RBs) by locking in some of his projected measurables (5-11/209, 4.42 40 time).
Price suffered an Achilles tear in 2022 and never came close to playing his way out of Love's shadow. Considering the caliber of player Love turned out to be, the league appears willing to forgive him the latter. Addressing any lingering explosion/lateral agility concerns this weekend could be all Price needs to lock in his status as an early Day 2 selection.
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska
After two fairly nondescript seasons, Johnson exploded as the Cornhuskers' feature back in 2025 (1451 yards, 5.8ypc, 46 receptions). With 85 receptions over his final two seasons, Johnson's shown some passing down potential that could ingratiate him to NFL teams.
That being said, Johnson was the majority of a modest offense last fall; incredibly, no other Cornhusker logged more than 50 touches. At 5-11/200 with average explosion, Johnson's prolific season rushing the football is still under some scrutiny. He'd be doing himself a favor to show up in Indy with some freshly added muscle. Beating his rumored mid-4.5 40-yard time would also help.
Mike Washington, Arkansas
We often get a running back who leaps from total anonymity into the national sports media consciousness with a freaky slate of combine testing. In 2024 it was Isaac Guerendo; last year, Bhayshul Tuten. Mike Washington might be next.
Emerging from the shadows for a Razorbacks squad that would prove once again outmatched, perhaps only Love himself cuts a more imposing silhouette than Washington among draft hopefuls at the position. At over six foot and 220 pounds, Washington has the first step burst of a much smaller player. He also took a chunk off the health bars of a few defensive backs when lowering his shoulder to finish runs in the open field.
Washington boasts only one season of even above average production, and he's in no way ready to contribute on passing down situations anytime soon — even with a big performance this weekend there's an excellent chance this guy quickly fades into our memories, as Guerendo is already threatening. But in a class commonly being characterized as 'Love and everybody else', Washington's size-speed package could get him noticed in a big way.
Wide Receivers
Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
Our second Golden Domer is the big-bodied Fields, who is hoping to pair glowing reports on his Senior Bowl performance with some eye-popping athletic testing. That part should pose little challenge for him, as the 6-4/215 Fields made the Bruce Feldman freaks list two years ago. After two solid seasons at Virginia, Fields transferred for his final season of eligibility only for his numbers to winnow in Notre Dame's run heavy attack. But he averaged over 17 yards per catch and flashed some tantalizing ball skills when called upon.
Fields should shine in the bench press, vertical and broad jump, and if he can manage a 40-yard dash time under 4.5 that should cement his spot as a Day 2 commodity.
Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State
Last year it was Texas' Isaiah Bond who boasted that he'd be the one to threaten Xavier Worthy's record. The betting favorite to post the fastest 40 time this year is the diminutive Thompson, who overcame his 170-pound frame to total 1054 yards and 6 TDs for a bad Bulldogs team.
Thompson was wallpaper until his age-22 season, suggesting NFL success is unlikely. He needs to light up the combine to prove the athleticism is worth looking past his limitations. That should be no problem for the former Texas track star, who was reportedly clocked as fast as 23.7mph by GPS last year.
Zachariah Branch, Georgia
Another Feldman's Freaks alum, Branch is another five-star top recruit of yesteryear flying a smidge under the radar. A compact but muscular yards after catch specialist who also boasts the straight-line speed necessary to keep corners honest, Branch hopes to fall somewhere on the the Zay Flowers-Amon-Ra St. Brown continuum of players you just get the ball to and let them go to work. He's also a weapon in the return game.
At around 5-11/180, Branch is expected to get to a 4.4 40 time. Plenty quick, but it's his 10-yard split time that could push him toward the back end of the first round: Were he to repeat it, his 1.44 time in college would immediately become one of the fastest times ever recorded by a wideout.
Kendrick Law, Kentucky
This guy's a deep cut. At (a probably exaggerated) 6'0" and 200 pounds, Law's build is closer to that of a running back than a receiver. His collegiate production does nothing to alleviate questions about his future at the position; after three nondescript years as a Crimson Tide reserve, last fall Law 'broke out' for a tame 540 yards and 3 TDs receiving.
But the show that Law is capable of putting on for the scouts would get him noticed. Law was legendary in the 'Bama weight room, benching more than double his weight and squatting over 650. A candidate to flirt with a 40 time of 4.3 flat, someone envisioning Law as their Tyrone Tracy conversion project wouldn't be shocking.
Tight Ends
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
The tight end position has been home to more and more of the NFL's best pound-for-pound athletes over the last decade or so, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down this year. Listed at 6-3/245, Sadiq looked and played every bit of that if not bigger last year. With 8 TDs in 2025 on just 51 receptions, Sadiq's already established himself as one of the very best red zone closers in the class, but he also plays with a twitchy, bowling ball style with the ball in his hands that is not typical for the position.
Ranked 11th on Feldman's 2025 list, Sadiq put up 435 on the bench and cleaned 635 last year. Expected to vert well over 41 inches, Sadiq will record one of the best jumps by a tight end of all-time if he participates. Already a shoo-in to be a Day 1 pick, Sadiq figures to take a some-not-all approach to Combine testing participation. Whether we get to see his rumored 4.45 speed in the 40 remains to be seen. Here's hoping we at least get to see him jump out of the building this weekend.
Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
Mild cop out with these tight ends, as Sadiq is the runaway top name in the class and Stowers won't make it out of the third round. On the lean side at 6-4/235, Stowers is a former quarterback and Texas high jump state champ who used his gifts to great success in two years with the Commodores. Stowers can't match Sadiq's raw foot speed, but a 40 time in the 4.5s would still make him the envy of many NFL suitors, as would his rumored 11-foot broad jump.
As is so often the case with tight ends nowadays, Stowers offers dangerously little as a blocker, and what he does still needs refining — he was still a quarterback as recently as 2022. But between him and Sadiq we could see one-fifth of the vertical jumps over 40 inches by tight ends this century recorded this week. What a time to be alive.
—Luke Wilson
