Arvell Reese and David Bailey are potential top-five picks, and they did not disappoint Thursday night
The first night of on-field work has drawn to a close. The defensive line, edge rushers and linebackers set the tone for the rest of the week in Indianapolis. CBS Sports grades the top prospects along the defensive line and edge rusher, in addition to singling out some other standouts. There is a separate breakdown of the linebackers.
The Miami duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor did not partake in any of the festivities beyond the initial measurements. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods and Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller were among the other top prospects to go down that path.
It should also be noted that Ohio State's Arvell Reese is listed among the edge rushers rather than the linebackers with whom he competed because Reese spoke to the media Wednesday and laid out his desire to rush the passer in the NFL.
The 2026 NFL Draft will take place April 23–25 in Pittsburgh. You can find more draft coverage at CBSSports.com, including weekly mock drafts and regular evaluations of the top prospects.
Measurements/testing numbers for top DL prospects
Grade: N/A -- Woods did not do any of the on-field drills and did not compete in testing. His measurables were a bit disappointing, if anything. He measured just over 6-foot-2 and 298 pounds with 31¼-inch arms and a 76⅜-inch wingspan.
Grade: B+ -- Banks was physically impressive as anticipated, but his day ended shortly into the on-field drills because his cleats bothered him. Banks ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 seconds after measuring an 85¾-inch wingspan -- the longest among combine defensive tackles since 1999.
.@GatorsFB DT Caleb Banks put on an unreal performance today:- 6'6", 327 pounds - 5.04 40-yard dash- 32" vertical jump - 9'6" broad jump@nflnetwork | @Accenture pic.twitter.com/FLWDdfKUUn— NFL (@NFL) February 26, 2026
Grade: B -- McDonald is a stout, run-defending interior defender. He did not run the 40-yard dash or participate in other explosive testing but did partake in the on-field portion. McDonald looked stiff at times, which is to be expected, but put forth an admirable effort otherwise.
Kayden McDonald is puttin in WORK at the Combine pic.twitter.com/3JNaED2hpK— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) February 26, 2026
Grade: B+ -- Hunter has great size for an interior defender, and his explosiveness and power were evident in on-field drills. His 40-yard dash was a pedestrian 5.18 seconds. He really excelled in the "Pass Rush" and "Run & Club" drills.
"If they do the draft based on personality, we're looking at a Top 5 pick right there."Everyone in Indy is loving them some Lee Hunter.📺 #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/1cuC7882rD— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) February 26, 2026
Grade: N/A -- Miller checked the box with his measurements, including a wingspan topping 80 inches, but did not do anything else in Indianapolis on Thursday.
Aside from dropping his eyes in the "Four Bag Agility" drill, Durant was a standout in almost every on-field drill, in addition to running the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive linemen (4.75 seconds).
Halton is a bit lighter and certainly not as long as some of his peers, but he made up for that with explosiveness. Halton had plus performances in the "Four Bag Agility" drill and the "Run & Club" drill. He ran the 40-yard dash in an official 4.82 seconds with a 1.70-second 10-yard split.
With former head coach Mike Elko on hand, Regis, as well as teammate Tyler Onyedim, had a nice evening representing the Aggies. He was a standout in the "Pass Rush," "Run the Hoop" and "Four Bag Agility" drills. He is a little more stout and a little on the lighter side but ran the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds.
Barrett has the frame of a player who sticks around in the NFL for quite some time. He is more powerful than explosive but looked really smooth in drills throughout the evening.
Marshall was a plus performer in the "Pass Rush," "Four Bag Agility" and "Run & Club" drills. He was a smooth performer this season, and carried that over to his work at the NFL combine.
Measurements/testing numbers for top EDGE prospects
Grade: N/A -- Bain was underwhelming in terms of the measurements but did not do any athletic testing or on-field drills. He may have lost some ground with some of the other edge rushers excelling.
Grade: A- -- Reese was a little lighter for an edge rusher but showed off his speed and explosiveness in athletic testing. He tied his teammate, linebacker Sonny Styles, for the fastest 40-yard dash of the evening (4.46 seconds). He was also fluid and detailed through on-field drills, drawing praise from Browns linebacker coach and run game coordinator Jason Tarver.
Sheeeeeesh.@OhioStateFB LB Arvell Reese with a 4.47u 2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetworkStream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/j74Yd3XQCw— NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2026
Grade: B -- Faulk has a long, filled-out frame. He did not run the 40-yard dash but did participate in the vertical jump (35 inches) and broad jump (117 inches), as well as the on-field drills. Faulk is a little tighter in the lower body.
Keldric Faulk running the hoop pic.twitter.com/yBDlRN9Ov0— Billy M (@BillyM_91) February 26, 2026
