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The 2026 NFL scouting combine has seen a handful of players dazzle fans and talent evaluators with their athleticism, starting with an explosive group of defensive linemen and linebackers on Thursday afternoon. Years from now, we’ll know this group for featuring some of the best players in this draft class. But the players they’ll be trying to sack in the NFL will continue to get all the headlines — including this weekend.
Saturday features the isolation of the fantasy heroes: quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs. The combine has become a different entity than it was several years ago, but there are still things to watch for when the future PPR picks of America take their turn in the Underwear Olympics.
Like the other groups that have taken the field this week, don’t expect to see a bunch of high-end talent or marquee names taking the field in the workouts — or for this year’s quarterback class, marquee name.
Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman and national championship winner who is presumed to be the first overall pick to the Raiders this year, will not be working out in Indianapolis this weekend. Mendoza opted to wait until Indiana’s April 1 Pro Day workout before throwing in front of scouts (or really, helping his skill player teammates in attendance). Considering Mendoza is really the only viable option for the Raiders to pick first overall, it serves him no purpose to work out in Indianapolis. The stock can only go down from No. 1.
However, there will still be notable quarterbacks from big-time college football programs throwing Saturday. Alabama’s Ty Simpson, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Miami’s Carson Beck and Penn State’s Drew Allar are expected to throw this weekend. This will be especially notable for Allar, who broke his ankle in October and hasn’t thrown in public since then.
Quarterbacks don’t have all that much to lose throwing in drills as no one expects these guys to have any sort of chemistry with their targets, so it’s good to see potential starters go out there and compete.
Naturally, wide receivers will be joining the small group of quarterbacks working out and while player attendance in the drills are always fluid, there are plenty of exciting prospects jostling for position in the eyes of the teams drafting them and a strong workout could begin to separate a group that has a lot of mixed opinions right now.
The consensus top wide receiver in the draft, Carnell Tate from Ohio State, profiles as a potential No. 1 option at the next level. The order behind him will range heavily from person to person. Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, USC’s Makai Lemon, Washington’s Denzel Boston and Texas A&M’s Kevin Concepcion make up that tier behind him according to consensus big board rankings.
Tyson won’t be working out this weekend as he recovers from a hamstring injury. When he’s healthy he’s undeniably an exciting prospect with serious upside in the NFL.
If there is any intrigue with the workouts as far as the wide receivers go, former USC and Georgia wide receiver and return czar Zachariah Branch is expected to put on a show in the 40-yard dash. His unique style of play could make him exciting to watch in the drills. Branch routinely made defenders look silly in the open field and will be out to prove those skills as a ballcarrier will translate to the next level. Beyond Branch, the national champion Hoosiers also have two wide receivers projected to go on Day 2 of the draft in Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt. Both of those players can really help themselves with a productive weekend in Indianapolis with NFL teams.
Running backs will also be taking the field with the quarterbacks and wide receivers, rounding out the offensive skill player extravaganza over the weekend. The running back class lacks star power with only one clear headliner in Notre Dame superstar Jeremiyah Love, who plans to work out in the drills and run the 40-yard dash. While Love is a guarantee to be the first running back off the board this year, the rest of the group is a bit ambiguous and lacking overwhelming talent and star power. Love’s teammate Jadarian Price may be the second running back off the board and Penn State’s duo of Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton will also be vying for draft slots. Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson are two other running backs viewed as potential top-100 picks as of now.
The running back class is so wide open that it feels like there’s plenty of real estate there for the taking with a big performance in the drills. No one has a hard claim on territory outside of Love, so it’ll be interesting to see how they perform and who has the buzz following this weekend.