Biggest losers from 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

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Biggest losers from 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

Bailey Bassett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Mar 3, 2026 ·

4 min read

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The NFL Scouting Combine is a time for NFL Draft prospects to show off their skills. Players' measurements, football intelligence, and athletic abilities are all put to the test, and every season, a number of prospects boost their draft stock at the event.

There were certainly some big winners at this year's Scouting Combine. However, players are just as likely to hurt their value when their tangibles are put to the test. So, who were the biggest losers of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine?

Emmett Johnson , Nebraska , RB

The 2026 NFL Draft is relatively weak when it comes to the running back position. Jeremiyah Love is considered by many to be elite , but there isn't a lot of talent after him. In fact, Notre Dame teammate Jadarian Price is the consensus number two RB on the board. It is wide open for which ball carrier will be the third player at his position to hear his name called on draft day.

Emmett Johnson had a head start for being RB3 in this class, but he did himself no favors with a poor Scouting Combine performance. The Nebraska product was dead last among running backs in the 40-yard dash with just a 4.56 time . Johnson weighs just 202 pounds, making him far from a power back, so the lack of breakaway speed is worrisome.

Johnson was dead last among running backs in bench press repetitions, too. Just 16 reps prove that Johnson likely won't run through many defenders at the NFL level. A thin class at the running back position means Johnson might not fall too far down draft boards, but he will almost surely be leapfrogged by a number of ball carriers.

J'Mari Taylor, Virginia , RB

J'Mari Taylor performed just as poorly as Johnson at the Scouting Combine, making him one of the big losers of the event. Taylor was a projected fifth-round pick, but now he is in danger of falling out of the draft altogether. Taylor pushed 20 reps on the bench, he jumped 9'7" on the broad jump, and his vertical was 34.5".

Those are all bottom three marks among running backs. Taylor only has one year of D1 ball to his name. Before playing at Virginia, he was facing inferior competition as a member of the North Carolina Central football team. The fact that Taylor's combine numbers weren't impressive has to make some scouts concerned that he just isn't built to go up against the best of the best.

Malachi Fields , Notre Dame, WR

Two Notre Dame offensive players were already mentioned. Love and Price are expected to be drafted in the first and second rounds, respectively. Notre Dame receiver Malachi Fields was also projected as a second or third-round pick. Fields didn't inspire anybody with his Scouting Combine performance, though.

Most known as a deep threat, Fields' speed numbers underwhelmed. He ran just a 4.61 40-yard dash, which was the second-worst mark among receivers. Fields' athleticism as a whole has to be questioned after a 1.63 10-yard split time and a 4.35 20-yard shuttle performance, too.

Fields is 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, so he might be able to work as a possession receiver, but scouts who were hoping for more might be turned off after the Scouting Combine.

Kayden McDonald , Ohio State, DT

Kayden McDonald is a massive, run-stopping nose tackle. McDonald weighs 326 pounds, so he was never going to be a big standout at the Scouting Combine unless he put up big bench press numbers, which was an event he didn't even partake in. In fact, McDonald wasn't clocked in any combine events.

However, reports suggest he didn't look very smooth in drills . Ultimately, McDonald's main role at the NFL level will be to take up space, but teams may be scared off from taking a player in the first-round if he can't become more than just a run stuffer. A lot of Ohio State players thrived at the Scouting Combine, but McDonald wasn't one of them.

Peter Woods , Clemson, DL

Peter Woods' draft stock fell throughout the collegiate season. That continued during the Scouting Combine. Like McDonald, Woods didn't participate in combine events, but his measurables left something to be desired. The 6-foot-2, 298-pound defensive tackle not only didn't hit the 300-pound threshold, but he has short arms, too.

Woods' 31-inch arms are far below average for his position. This will only make life harder on the interior defensive lineman in the NFL, as he will have to win with timing, leverage, and hand power. This might be enough to force Woods out of the first round.

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