Feb. 22, 2026, 8:13 a.m. ET

The NFL combine begins soon, running from Feb. 23 to March 2. To preview this important pre-draft event, we will be taking a position-by-position look at which prospects were invited and the level of need that the Indianapolis Colts have at each spot.

The NFL combine is held at Lucas Oil Stadium and is an opportunity for the top NFL draft prospects in this year’s class to go through measurements and various on-field drills, some of which are specific to their position group, and others measure the player’s overall athleticism.

For NFL teams, this event is another data point for them as they build out their draft profiles and big boards. However, it’s a significant data point, with players potentially flying up and down draft boards depending on how they perform.

In addition to the on-field drills, teams also get the opportunity to meet with players one-on-one as well, which is another important part of the evaluation process as they get to know them both on and off the field.

Up next in our preview is the defensive line.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Colts‘ defensive linemen under contract before free agencyDE Laiatu LatuDE JT TuimoloauDE Durell NchamiDE Viliami Fehoko Jr.DT DeForest BucknerDT Grover StewartDT Adetomiwa AdebaworeDT Tim SmithWhat is the Colts‘ need at defensive linemen this offseason?

The need at defensive end is very high. For one, if you look at the current depth chart, this position group is very thin, with Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis all free agents.

But in addition to that, more pass-rush production is needed. GM Chris Ballard acknowledged this as well, saying that “more fuel” was needed up front.

As a collective defensive front, the Colts ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric in 2025.

Then at defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are entering the final year of their current deals in 2026.

GM Chris Ballard also expressed the need to get younger and faster on defense this offseason. While not specifically mentioning defensive tackle in that sentiment, that is a position that could fall into that category.

The depth of this unit also has to be added to with Neville Gallimore a free agent. Adetomiwa Adebawore is in the final year of his rookie deal as well.

Defensive linemen invited to 2026 NFL combineVincent Anthony Jr., DukeDavid Bailey, Texas TechRueben Bain Jr., MiamiCameron Ball, ArkansasCaleb Banks, FloridaJaishawn Barham, MichiganNick Barrett, South CarolinaRayshaun Benny, MichiganDeMonte Capehart, ClemsonBrandon Cleveland, N.C. StateDontay Corleone, CincinnatiKeyron Crawford, AuburnCaden Curry, Ohio StateDani Dennis-Sutton, Penn StateZane Durant, Penn StateBryson Eason, TennesseeDeven Eastern, MinnesotaLogan Fano, UtahKeldric Faulk, AuburnSkyler Gill-Howard, Texas TechGeorge Gumbs Jr., FloridaDavid Gusta, KentuckyGracen Halton, OklahomaZxavian Harris, MississippiRomello Height, Texas TechCashius Howell, Texas A&MAidan Hubbard, NorthwesternLee Hunter, Texas TechQuintayvious Hutchins, Boston CollegeGabe Jacas, IllinoisDarrell Jackson Jr., Florida StateBobby Jamison-Travis, AuburnMarvin Jones Jr., OklahomaJoshua Josephs, TennesseeTim Keenan III, AlabamaNyjalik Kelly, UCFMalachi Lawrence, UCFMax Llewellyn, IowaAnthony Lucas, USCJackie Marshall, BaylorChris McClellan, MissouriKayden McDonald, Ohio StateAkheem Mesidor, MiamiChristen Miller, GeorgiaDerrick Moore, MichiganTrey Moore, TexasTyler Onyedim, Texas A&MDomonique Orange, Iowa StateLT Overton, AlabamaT.J. Parker, ClemsonPatrick Payton, LSUKaleb Proctor, Southeastern LouisianaJack Pyburn, LSUAlbert Regis, Texas A&MMason Reiger, WisconsinTyreak Sapp, FloridaGary Smith III, UCLAR Mason Thomas, OklahomaNadame Tucker, Western MichiganDamonic Williams, OklahomaWesley Williams, DukePeter Woods, ClemsonZion Young, Missouri