Feb. 20, 2026, 3:44 p.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 are the wide receivers.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Colts‘ wide receivers under contract before free agencyMichael PittmanAshton DulinJosh DownsAnthony GouldColeman OwenEli PancolWhat is the Colts’ need at wide receiver this offseason?

How much change could be coming to this unit this offseason?

Pierce has earned himself a big payday this offseason. A priority for GM Chris Ballard should be finding a way to re-sign him. Spotrac recently projected what that contract might look like.

Depending on what happens with Daniel Jones — another free agent — the Colts could choose to use the franchise tag on Pierce as well. This would prevent him from hitting the open market and provide the two sides with more time to work out a long-term deal.

Pittman is under contract, but could be a cut candidate. According to Over the Cap, Pittman is set to earn $24 million next season and has a cap hit of $29 million.

If the Colts were to move on from Pittman, the team would create $24 million in salary cap savings.

The reality is, only one of Pierce or Pittman may be on the Colts’ roster in 2026.

What we know right now is that Downs, Dulin, and Anthony Gould will make up part of the Colts’ wide receiver room in 2026. Assuming one of Pierce or Pittman isn’t on the team, then bolstering the depth at wide receiver will be a need — although likely not one that the Colts invest premium draft capital into.

Wide receivers invited to 2026 NFL combineAaron Anderson, LSUVinny Anthony II, WisconsinChris Bell, LouisvilleDillon Bell, GeorgiaSkyler Bell, UConnMalik Benson, OregonGermie Bernard, AlabamaDenzel Boston, WashingtonZachariah Branch, GeorgiaChris Brazzell II, TennesseeBarion Brown, LSUDeion Burks, OklahomaJeff Caldwell, CincinnatiJosh Cameron, BaylorKevin Coleman Jr., MissouriKC Concepcion, Texas A&MOmar Cooper Jr., IndianaCJ Daniels, MiamiCaleb Douglas, Texas TechMalachi Fields, Notre DameEmmanuel Henderson Jr., KansasChris Hilton Jr., LSUJordan Hudson, SMUTed Hurst, Georgia StateCaullin Lacy, LouisvilleBryce Lance, North Dakota StateJa’Kobi Lane, USCKendrick Law, KentuckyMakai Lemon, USCEric McAlister, TCUDonaven McCulley, MichiganEric Rivers, Georgia TechChase Roberts, BYUElijah Sarratt, IndianaDe’Zhaun Stribling, MississippiJ. Michael Sturdivant, FloridaCarnell Tate, Ohio StateZavion Thomas, LSUBrenen Thompson, Mississippi StateJordyn Tyson, Arizona StateReggie Virgil, Texas TechHarrison Wallace III, MississippiJalen Walthall, Incarnate WordKaden Wetjen, IowaAntonio Williams, ClemsonColbie Young, Georgia