206 NFL Draft roundtable: Burning questions as scouting combine kicks off

The week of the NFL Scouting Combine has arrived. Upon arriving in Indianapolis, prospects will be put on a conveyor belt going through lengthy medical evaluations, measurements, in-person interviews with media and teams alike, and on-field testing. CBS Sports Draft analysts Ryan Wilson, Mike Renner and I answer some of the biggest questions being asked this week.

Leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on April 23-25, prospects will be going through pro days, as well as 30 visits with individual teams.   

Also, head coaches and general managers will speak to the media Tuesday and Wednesday. It serves as an information gathering opportunity ahead of free agency officially opening March 11. The roster construction transactions made over the next two weeks will inform which needs teams still must address to fill through the draft. 

1. What’s the biggest storyline entering the combine?

Ryan Wilson: “Which quarterback not named Fernando Mendoza can separate themselves. Ty Simpson is QB2 but we live in a pre-draft world where he could face competition for it. Carson Beck is going to be a popular name because he’s smart, has a big arm and can run an offense. There are the flaws, of course, but he had a nice bounceback season at Miami and that will resonate with a lot of teams. Garrett Nussmeier is in a similar situation, though his 2025 tape was marred by inconsistencies and injuries, and he probably would’ve been better served coming out a year ago. Other names who could move the needle with good weeks in Indy: Taylen Green, a 6-foot-6 athletic marvel with a big arm who has struggled with turnovers during his career. Sawyer Robertson is a gunslinger who will push the ball down the field, but he doesn’t have a big arm and his decision making will be a concern for some teams.”

Mike Renner: “Who will go #2 overall? It’s far from a clear-cut draft class and the Jets could go truly any direction given their roster.”

Josh Edwards: “The biggest storyline is indirectly related to the NFL Draft. What happens with Malik Willis, Tua Tagovailoa, Daniel Jones and other veteran quarterbacks? It can be said with relative certainty that Fernando Mendoza will be the No. 1 overall selection to the Raiders, but what happens with those veteran quarterbacks will go a long way in determining who may be in the mix for that second tier of draft-eligible quarterbacks, including Alabama’s Ty Simpson and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.”

2. Which position group are you most excited to watch?

Wilson: Defensive line. “The defensive line group gets better the more you watch.  Peter Woods had a good-but-not-great 2025 season, especially when you compare it to his 2024 campaign. Caleb Banks missed much of the season with a foot injury only to show up at the Senior Bowl and dominate all three days of practice. If that’s what he looks like when he’s knocking the rust off, he’s a top-15 pick all day long. Kayden McDonald, Dom Orange, Lee Hunter, Darrell Jackson Jr. – they’re all stout vs. the run with room to improve as pass rushers. And then there are players like Skyler Gill-Howard, who has an amazing story, a former D2 special teams player who walked on at Northern Illinois before finding his way to Texas Tech last season.”

Renner: Linebackers. “I think this is a historically good linebacker class so that’s going to have my attention. I have similar grades on a few of the top prospects there so it will help me break ties.”

Edwards: Wide receivers. “I am not sure there is a bonafide No. 1 receiver in this draft class and it is even less likely that fans see any of them compete at the NFL Combine, but I think the depth of the group is really appealing. It is possible we see a really competitive environment among those groups because there is a lot of money to be made as they jockey for positioning.

Although it was not asked, I am most excited to see measurements for the offensive linemen, because some questions among that group will finally be answered.”

3. Which prospect will erupt at the combine?

Wilson: WR Jeff Caldwell, Cincinnati. “First things first: Jeff Caldwell made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List,” which is a great start. At a verified 6046, 208 lbs., his 11-9 broad jump would tie the all-time WR record and provide more proof of his explosiveness. He also busted out a 1.50-second 10-yard split and that, along with his enormous catch radius, makes him a physical outlier and an intriguing prospect.”

Renner: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama. “I will go with Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor. I think when his weight is under control he’s a special athlete for the position. With how much is riding on his performance in Indy, Proctor should show up in peak condition.”

Edwards: CB Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina. “First thought was Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, but his stock is already rising. As teams chase the next Nick Emmanwori (a fool’s errand, in my opinion), Kilgore’s display of athleticism should be well-timed.”

4. Which prospect is most at risk of disappointing?

Wilson: “Any of the defensive backs who run slow 40 times, even though we have example after example of elite players who didn’t run sub-4.4s and are still really, really good. Kyle Hamilton, Kamari Lassister and Brian Branch are recent examples. Hell, Ed Reed ran a 4.57 at the combine, wasn’t taken till the bottom of Round 1, and was regularly the fastest, most instinctive player on the field. Don’t overthink it: if a guy is balling out on tape, that probably means he’s a pretty good player.”

Renner: “With how much agents micro-manage the pre-draft process nowadays, no one disappoints anymore. If they aren’t going to test well, they simply show up with a hamstring injury and then do drills at their pro day. From a pure frame perspective, though, Caleb Downs would be my pick. In pictures next to his 5-foot-9 brother Josh, Caleb looks around an inch or two taller. A 5-foot-10 safety going top-10 would historically be a massive outlier.”

Edwards: “As Mike said, if a prospect is not feeling top of their game or are afraid they will not stack up favorably to their peers, then they will not compete in Indianapolis. The most disappointing happenstance to occur would be verification of sub-par arm length on top prospects like Utah offensive tackle Spencer Fano or Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain.”

5. Who will run the fastest 40-yard dash?

Wilson: WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State. “His personal best high school 100-meter time of 10.18 seconds put him in the 98th percentile of all high school sprinters on the planet. He also won the Texas 3A 200-meeter title with a time of 21.27, and finished second in the 100-meter during his junior year (when he ran 10.40). That speed shows up on the football field too.”

Renner: WR Chris Hilton, LSU. “I’ll go with LSU wide receiver Chris Hilton. He’s averaged 19.0 yards per catch for his career and can really roll.”

Edwards: WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia. “Branch was going to be my pick for prospect who is going to erupt, but I also think he may be the fastest. When looking at track numbers out of high school, Branch has the edge over others like Mississippi State’s Brenen Thompson. His overall athletic profile in other disciplines, such as long jump and triple jump stand out as well.

LSU’s Barion Brown and Kentucky’s Kendrick Law are a few others who have not been mentioned, but should fly.”

6. Which quarterback not named Fernando Mendoza will have the best combine?

Wilson: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU. “Nussmeier can spin it. And he can really spin it when he’s healthy and the defense isn’t allowed to hit him. We saw that at the Senior Bowl, where he reminded people that he’s actually really good. I’d expect the same type for performance in Indy. The biggest hurdle for Nussmeier is staying healthy, because there was a reason he had first-round buzz ahead of the ’24 and ’25 seasons.”

Renner: Ty Simpson, Alabama. “Can I say none? I think Alabama’s Ty Simpson should look good in a setting like that. I think his arm strength will shine if he’s fully healthy.”

Edwards: Garrett Nussmeier, LSU. “The shared characteristic between Nussmeier and Simpson is that they are both coach’s sons. They should interview well and excel on the whiteboard. I’ll give the edge in accuracy and ball placement to a healthy Nussmeier, so that is the determining factor.”

7. Which under-the-radar prospect is bound to become a household name after the combine?

Wilson: WR Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Kansas. “Emmanuel Henderson Jr. is a former five-star recruit and Alabama transfer who boosted his draft stock after transferring to Kansas. He has rare track speed (Brenen Thompson notwithstanding) that transitions seamlessly to the field, evidenced by his 94-yard kickoff return and 214-yard receiving day against Cincinnati. He has legit contested-catch and high-point ability, coupled  with elite acceleration, and it’s that physical profile that can put him on a lot more folks’ radar after a big combine performance.”

Renner: WR Brenen Thompson, Mississippi State. “He is super twitchy. I don’t think there’s a single test he won’t light up.”

Edwards: RB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas. “I’ll use this as an opportunity to talk up one of ‘my guys’ in this class. Washington has the size to be a feature back in the NFL, but he moves really well and also contributes in the pass game. There is not a clear cut RB2 in this class, so Washington could find his way into the second round.”

8. Who needs a huge combine the most to boost their draft stock?

Wilson: WR Denzel Boston, Washington. “Denzel Boston might be one of my favorite players in the draft but if he runs a 4.60 in Indy, he’ll go from likely first-rounder to almost certainly Day 2. That can be the curse of overthinking it, but it’s also a function of teams remembering Keon Coleman, who arrived in Indy as a physical contested-catch machine, mustered just a 4.61, and still found his way to the top of Day 2 … only to be a huge disappointment through two NFL seasons. Boston is a much more explosive player, but it’s often difficult to overcome the inertia of traditional NFL comparisons.”

Renner: OT Blake Miller, Clemson. “I think Clemson OT Blake Miller fits this bill. Because it’s his biggest selling point on tape. He needs to put up elite explosiveness numbers to solidify himself as a first-rounder.”

Edwards: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama. “The bloom has been off the rose so to speak. Without a defined OT1 in this class, Proctor has an opportunity to re-assert himself in the top half of first round mocks if he shows up focused and performs at a level justifying his 5-star pedigree out of high school.”

9. Which prospect has the most to gain from medical evaluations?

Wilson: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee. “A projected top-15 pick based on his sophomore tape, Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy didn’t see the field in 2025, even though he tore his ACL in January of that same year. That said, that sophomore tape is impressive, even among a CB class that could have four others find their way into the first round. McCoy is expected to be cleared to workout at the combine – we’ll see if he actually does – but the team medicals will be more important than any on-field drill work he might do in late Feb.”

Renner: WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State. “From a pure dollars and cents perspective, Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. He has the biggest injury red flags of any top prospect. A clean bill of health could take him from mid-first to top-10.”

Edwards: C Connor Lew, Auburn. “Lew was pushing first-round prior to his injury in my opinion. Not everyone can sign Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, so Lew has an opportunity to re-stake his claim as the top center with a clean bill of health.”

10. What’s your favorite team-prospect pairing at this point in the draft process?

Wilson: Penn State OG Vega Ioane to the Chargers. “If Jim Harbaugh was to write Chargers fan fiction, his ideal interior offensive lineman would be Ioane. He played left guard in 2025 but in his career he’s also played right guard, and even taken some snaps at center. The biggest issue isn’t whether he’s a Day 1 starter in LA, it’s whether he’s long gone by the time the Chargers are on the clock at No. 22.”

Renner: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders. “It might be corny to say Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, but I love it for Raiders fans. They’ve been through a lot the past couple decades and it looks like they finally have a quarterback-head coach pairing that could be special.”

Edwards: Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor to the Patriots. “New England invested a lot into its offensive line last offseason, but it remained a point of weakness through the playoffs. Veteran Morgan Moses has kept the seat warm for Iheanachor in Foxboro. He is a mean, powerful right tackle.

Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard to the Falcons is another fun one.”

The 2026 NFL Draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.