With the college football season complete, the 2026 NFL scouting combine is one of the last major chances draft prospects have to make an impact on NFL teams.
Throughout the week, prospects will take part in interviews and on-field drills, all with the goal of convincing an NFL team they are worth a draft pick. While some players head into the event knowing they’ll get drafted no matter how they perform, a few players will see their status rise dramatically after delivering standout physical displays.
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For NFL fans who don’t follow college football with the same amount of fervor, the combine provides football fans with an early glimpse at future NFL stars. Want to see if that quarterback prospect actually has a cannon for an arm, or if that wideout really is as fast as everyone says? This is the opportunity for both fans and NFL teams to find that out.
Thursday begins on-field workouts for kickers, defensive linemen and linebackers, with tight ends and defensive backs on Friday, quarterbacks, wide recievers and running backs on Saturday and offensive linemen on Sunday.
Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides updates of the 2026 NFL scouting combine, including the latest rumors, news and standout performances during the event. We’ll also follow news across the league.
How to watch the 2026 NFL scouting combine
Dates: Feb. 23 through March 2 (on-field workouts from Feb. 26 through March 1)
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium | Indianapolis
TV channel: NFL Network
Follow along with the latest news coming out of the 2026 NFL scouting combine.
Live56 updates
Thu, February 26, 2026 at 8:36 AM PST
Andy Backstrom
Miami EDGE Reuben Bain Jr. is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft class.
On one hand, he’s a tenacious pass rusher who dominated during the Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff run.
On the other hand, his arm length has been the subject of scrutiny as he prepares to make the jump to the next level.
At the NFL combine, Bain’s arms were measured at 30 7/8 inches, according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, meaning, per ESPN’s Benjamin Solak, Bain has the third-shortest arms for an edge rusher in the mockdraftable database.
For reference, Aaron Donald’s arms are two inches longer than Bain’s, per ESPN’s Matt Miller.
That said, longtime NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein made an important point on X:
“Bain’s explosive power in both his hands and hips combined with his natural leverage create consistent advantages in wrestling mode when both parties are trying to control or manipulate the other through force and leverage,” Zierlein wrote.
“Length matters but it is relative to the combatants. There are plenty of long-armed tackles who are late or sloppy with their punch causing their advantage to completely evaporate.”
Thu, February 26, 2026 at 7:36 AM PST
Jori Epstein
As front-office executives and player representatives meet across lobbies, hotel rooms and hallways of the NFL scouting combine, an annual tradition returns.
Speculation about teams’ next moves and players’ next destinations often far outpaces the reality of deals that will materialize in the coming weeks and months. But the speculation is not usually emerging from thin air. More often, it reflects the conversations teams are having with each other and with player agents, as each party susses out what’s possible by discussing the many plans that are not.
So with an unusual free-agent quarterback market shaping up, let’s break down some of the buzz traveling through combine meetups — with the acknowledgment that much of it will reach its peak of reality in teams’ meetings this week.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 2:32 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
It looks like second-year Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward will have a new center in 2026.
The Titans are releasing Lloyd Cushenberry, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Cushenberry signed a four-year, $50 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, per Rapoport, who also reported that the LSU product was due $8 million this season.
Cushenberry is coming off shoulder surgery, according to Rapoport, but, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 2020 third-round pick was released with a failed physical designation.
Schefter also reported that the Titans have released safety Xavier Woods, who has previously played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers as well.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 2:01 PM PST
Yahoo Sports
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 11:34 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 11:30 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey says he’ll participate in all on-field testing except for the short shuttle, ESPN’s Jordan Reid reports.
Bailey led the FBS with 14.5 sacks this season, while ranking second in the NCAA with 19.5 tackles for a loss, culminating in All-American honors.
Bailey was mocked to the Washington Commanders seventh overall in Yahoo Sports’ latest NFL mock draft with Charles McDonald and Nate Tice.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 9:58 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 9:54 AM PST
Andy Backstrom
The Chicago Bears have given linebacker Tremaine Edmunds permission to seek a trade, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Edmunds became a two-time Pro Bowler with the Buffalo Bills, who drafted him 16th overall out of Virginia Tech in 2018. He’s spent the past three seasons with the Bears.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 9:51 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
OU edge rusher R Mason Thomas, frequently projected as a late-first or second-round draft prospect, confirmed he plans to participate in on-field workouts at this year’s combine, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler reported Wednesday.
Thomas was a second-team All-American in 2025, with 15.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss over his past two seasons at Oklahoma, including three fumble recoveries — two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 9:27 AM PST
Jason Owens
The Dallas Cowboys have offered Brandon Aubrey a contract that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
That offer is apparently not enough. Per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are offering Aubrey a multiyear deal valued at close to $7.5 million per season. Per Watkins, Aubrey is seeking closer to $10 million per year, a contract that would dramatically reset the market for kickers in the NFL.
Kansas City’s Harrison Butker is the highest-paid kicker in football with a four-year, $25.6 million contract ($6.4 million per year).
Read more on the Cowboys’ conundrum here.
Wed, February 25, 2026 at 7:09 AM PST
Frank Schwab
When Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese showed up to his NFL scouting combine media availability on Wednesday morning, the nameplate at his podium said his first name was “Vell.”
That surprised him.
“No, no, no. You can stick with Arvell,” Reese said at the podium, via Chat Sports.
What’s clear is that all NFL fans who don’t know Reese’s name will soon, and probably by the end of the week.
In an NFL Draft that has only one quarterback expected to go in the first few picks, Reese might end up as the second overall pick off the board after Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Reese’s athleticism, versatility and production are going to appeal to teams in the top five.
Reese said Wednesday that he has already met with the Jets, who have the second pick of the draft. Interviews at the combine do not tip off that a player will go to a certain team, but it also shouldn’t be a surprise that teams selecting in the first few picks of the draft want to get to know Reese better. He’s one of the most intriguing talents in the draft.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 5:45 PM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Lions GM Brad Holmes confirmed that the organization has been in touch with veteran running back David Montgomery following his age-28 season.
Despite averaging the second-highest YPC average of his career (4.5), Montgomery averaged a career-low 9.3 carries per game and did not log a single start. In 2025, Montgomery was relegated to more of a complementary role alongside starter Jahmyr Gibbs after working in tandem since 2023.
Montgomery has two years remaining on his contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028. He signed a two-year, $18.25 million contract extension with the club in 2024.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 5:37 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
Kyler Murray and Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort haven’t talked since the 2025 season ended, according to an ESPN report Tuesday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this month that the Cardinals have been seeking a trade partner to take on Murray, 28, and his lucrative contract.
Ossenfort said Tuesday at the NFL combine that “all options are on the table” for the Cardinals at the sport’s most prestigious position, noting that Murray and fellow quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett — who started Arizona’s final 12 games of its 3-14 season after Murray suffered a foot injury in Week 5 — and Kedon Slovis are all under contract for 2026.
Read more here.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 5:01 PM PST
Ryan Young
Drew Allar is going to throw this week after all, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Allar went down with a season-ending ankle injury at Penn State last season, but is now recovered and ready to go.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 3:34 PM PST
Jason Owens
Trent Williams is one of the San Francisco 49ers’ most valuable players.
But the All-Pro left tackle carries a significant salary cap hit in 2026 as he enters the final year of his contract with no more guaranteed salary. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the two sides are “struggling to find a contractual solution” to reduce his scheduled $38.8 million salary cap hit for next season.
If the two sides can’t reach a compromise, Williams could ultimately be headed for a release and free agency, per the report.
49ers general manager John Lynch addressed the team’s negotiations with Lynch at the NFL combine after Schefter’s report. For more, read here.
Trent Williams and the 49ers could be headed for a breakup.
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)Tue, February 24, 2026 at 3:19 PM PST
Ryan Young
The 49ers have struck a deal to hire former Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as a new personnel executive.
The Vikings fired Adofo-Mensah after four seasons late last month, something that was reportedly not expected despite some “tension” in the organization.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 2:56 PM PST
Criss Partee
The Dallas Cowboys reportedly have an offer ready on the table for Brandon Aubrey that would make him the highest-paid kicker in the league, according to Clarence Hill of All City DLLS. Per Hill, Aubrey wants more than what Dallas is currently offering which is why the deal still is not done.
Aubrey has been a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection in each of his first three years in the NFL.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 2:14 PM PST
Criss Partee
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator had high praise for his All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell, saying that “This is Jack Campbell’s defense, and everyone in that locker room knows that.”
In just three years in the NFL, Campbell has become a clear-cut leader in the Lions locker room. In 2025, Campbell became a Pro Bowl player for the first time by recording 176 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 2:04 PM PST
Andy Backstrom
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton told reporters Tuesday at the NFL Combine that he’s handing play-calling duties over to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb, whom he promoted earlier this offseason.
“I would only do that if I felt like it would help our team,” Payton said.
He added: “I do think he has a gift.”
Read more here.