
Each week, Yardbarker monitors the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
We're answering the biggest questions about the draft. With that in mind, here are five:
During the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Bain's arms measured at 30 7/8 inches, well below average for NFL edge-rushers (33 1/2 inches). Per Mockdraftable, former Ohio State Buckeyes DE Nate Williams had the shortest arm measurements (30 5/8 inches) at the combine since 1999. He went undrafted and never played a regular-season game.
Bain's arms, however, didn't prevent him from becoming a wrecking ball at Miami. The 6-foot-2, 263-pounder logged a career-high 15.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Talent evaluators don't seem to care much about Bain's shorter arms, either. In his latest mock draft — which features thoughts and opinions from league executives — The Athletic's Mike Sando has the Washington Commanders taking him with pick No. 7.
"I could see Bain going as high as 2 to the Jets," an executive told Sando. "He reminds me of Terrell Suggs, someone who can bring that play style to your defense — a heavy-handed, old-school player who is the most physical of the edge guys."
Former Baltimore Ravens star Suggs — who ranks eighth in career sacks (139) since 1982 — lacked ideal arm length (32 inches) for a pass-rusher. He turned out fine.
Allar (6-foot-5, 228 pounds) could've been the QB who rose the most at the combine, but Taylen Green (Arkansas Razorbacks) stole the show. The 6-foot-6, 227-pounder set a record for QBs in the vertical jump (43.5 inches) and ran a 4.36 40-yard dash.
Allar, meanwhile, didn't run the 40 or jump. He just threw but failed to make a huge impression.
"Drew Allar struggled early, with errant throws on out routes and an initially sloppy performance," wrote CBS Sports' Josh Edwards, who gave him a B for his throwing session. "At times, he looked like he was fighting his lower body due to inconsistent footwork, but he grew more comfortable as drills progressed and performed his best during the second half of the throwing session."
NFL Mock Draft Database projects Allar as a third-rounder, which seems about right. His size could make him an intriguing developmental QB, but he struggles under pressure, unlike top NFL starters. Per Sports Info Solutions, he posted a below-average 74.3 passer rating when pressured in four seasons at Penn State.
Stowers (6-foot-4, 239 pounds) likely solidified himself as TE2 in the draft behind Oregon Ducks TE Kenyon Sadiq (6-foot-3, 241 pounds) in Indianapolis. At the combine, he had a vertical jump of 45.5 inches, the best mark for a TE since 2003.
Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers with a 45.5" vertical jump, the best by a tight end at the combine since 2003. pic.twitter.com/omkvCxDpDG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2026
"Stowers is the No. 2 tight end on my board, but this is the type of performance that makes GMs bet on upside and potential," wrote ESPN's Matt Miller after the combine. "He could work his way into the top 40."
The Denver Broncos select Stowers with pick No. 62 in Tankathon's latest mock draft. The TE, who had a career-high 769 receiving yards in 2025, could be an excellent weapon for Denver QB Bo Nix.
Thieneman, who finished second on the Ducks in tackles (92) in 2025, should vault into Day 1 after the combine. The DB ran the fourth-fastest 40 (4.35) among safeties and had the second-highest vertical jump (41 inches).
"Wow, what a performance by safety Dillon Thieneman on Friday night," wrote The Draft Network's Jaime Eisner in a story published Monday. "Some thought he could be a first-rounder before the 2026 NFL Combine, but there's little doubt that he deserves to go on night one now."
In his updated mock, ESPN's Jordan Reid has the Dallas Cowboys taking Thieneman (6-foot, 201 pounds) with pick No. 16 in a proposed trade with the New York Jets.
Per Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports, the Cowboys didn't meet with the LB at the combine but plan to hold a private dinner with him before Texas pro day in March or April. If Dallas drafts him, the logical move would be shifting him from off-ball linebacker to edge-rusher — filling the void left when it traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the 2025 season.
"Hill is definitely getting drafted as an edge," a longtime NFL scout told Miller before the 2025 season. "He's a great linebacker, but he's too valuable coming off the corner and getting the quarterback. I just hope Texas lets him do more of it this year."
Texas, though, kept him at off-ball LB, which may have been a mistake. He could've been more impactful had the Longhorns used him on the edge more.
Hill (6-foot-2, 238 pounds) had 12 sacks over the past two seasons. Ohio State LB Arvell Reese (6-foot-4, 241 pounds), meanwhile, logged seven. The Buckeyes star is expected to be a top-five pick in the draft and full-time edge-rusher when he turns pro.
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