NFL Draft intel: Sonny Styles' buzz, Jermod McCoy's medicals and QB with most to gain at NFL Scouting Combine

Each week, Yardbarker monitors the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. 

We're answering the biggest questions about the draft and the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which is already underway. With that in mind, here are five: 

Who's one player everyone could be talking about after the NFL Scouting Combine? 

Arvell Reese (6-foot-4, 243 pounds) may not be the only Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker selected in the first round of the 2026 draft. Sonny Styles (6-foot-4, 243 pounds) should also hear his name called early, especially if he performs to expectations at the combine. He'll begin on-field workouts with the other linebackers on Thursday.  

"If there's one player in this setting, in these drills and the testing portions, that is going to blow people away, I would say it might be Styles," NFL Media insider Tom Pelissero said Monday on "Good Morning Football." 

Before the 2025 season, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported Styles vertical jumped 40 inches during offseason training. Former California Golden Bears LB Teddye Buchanan (now with the Baltimore Ravens) posted a 40-inch vertical at the 2025 combine, the highest mark among LBs. 

Styles isn't just a workout warrior, either. This past season, the LB led the Buckeyes in tackles (83) and tied for second in passes defended (three). 

"[Styles is] without a doubt the best linebacker athlete I've ever scouted," wrote CBS Sports' Mike Renner in his positional rankings. "He has a good chance to be the highest off-ball linebacker since Devin White went fifth overall in 2019." 

How will Tennessee Volunteers CB Jermod McCoy's medical evaluation impact his draft stock? 

The medical evaluation on Wednesday will be crucial for McCoy, who missed the 2025 season because of a torn ACL. If he receives a clean bill of health, he could still be a first-rounder, but the DB will slide in the draft if he doesn't.

Former Eastern Carolina Pirates CB Shavon Revel Jr. was considered a potential first-rounder before tearing his ACL in September 2024. He fell to the third round of the 2025 draft, where the Dallas Cowboys took him with pick No. 76.   

McCoy was named first-team All-SEC in 2024 after grabbing four interceptions and recording nine passes defended in 13 games. That has some experts believing he'll remain in the first-round conversation if his ACL checks out. 

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah rated McCoy (6-foot, 193 pounds) as his No. 2 DB behind LSU Tigers star Mansoor Delane (6-foot, 190 pounds) in his updated positional rankings. 

"Overall, McCoy has the speed, movement and ball skills to start Day 1," wrote Jeremiah. 

Will the size of USC Trojans WR Makai Lemon be a concern? 

Lemon is vying for WR1 in the draft along with Arizona State Sun Devils standout Jordyn Tyson (6-foot-2, 200 pounds)  and Ohio State's Carnell Tate (6-foot-3, 195 pounds). But will concerns about his size prevent him from being the first WR taken in April? 

Lemon was listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds in 2025. Colleges tend to tack on an extra inch or two, so take that number with skepticism. He'll be measured at the combine later this week before working out with fellow WRs on Saturday. 

"We're gonna find out how big this guy is in Indy, and it doesn't matter, and I don't care what anyone says," The Ringer/Scouts Inc. contributor Steve Muench said Feb. 19 on "The McShay Show." "There are a lot of receivers that have come out at 5-foot-10 and not had the NFL career we hoped for them." 

Lemon, however, is a skilled route runner, reducing concerns about his size. Per Pro Football Focus, he averaged 3.13 yards per route run in 2025, the ninth-best mark in the FBS (min. 63 targets). Yards per route run divides receiving yards by the number of routes a player ran to calculate his efficiency. 

How will Miami Hurricanes DE Rueben Bain Jr. fare at the NFL Scouting Combine?

Bain (6-foot-3, 275 pounds) is set to work out with other defensive linemen on Thursday. The Miami star could continue to divide scouts at the combine. 

"Bain had dominant moments on his 2025 tape. He is also a polarizing prospect among scouts," wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler for a story published Monday. "Will his verified measurements and athletic testing answer some of those questions? Or will they make him even more polarizing?" 

Bain — whose arms were listed at 30 3/4 inches in 2025 — lacks the ideal arm length for an NFL edge-rusher. Their arms are typically 33 1/2 inches. 

That didn't seem to be a problem, though, as he helped Miami make its first College Football Playoff trip this past season. Sports Info Solutions credited 2025 second-team All-American Bain with a career-high 73 pressures. 

Will a team fall in love with Arkansas Razorbacks QB Taylen Green at the NFL Scouting Combine? 

Alabama Crimson Tide QB Ty Simpson (6-foot-2, 208 pounds) is considered the top passer at the combine, but could Green steal the show? 

"Arkansas' Taylen Green epitomizes athletic upside at the game's most important position," wrote Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski, who deemed Green as the prospect with the most to gain, in a story published Monday. "That combination is an enormous reason to identify him in this category."

Green (6-foot-6, 224 pounds) could flaunt his speed in the 40-yard dash if he runs it. In 2025, the QB ran for a career-high 777 yards and eight TDs. 

In the throwing session, Green must show improved accuracy to prove that teams should keep him on their radars. He completed 198-of-326 passes (60.7 percent, below average) in 2025.