2026 NFL Combine standouts: Wide receivers, running backs & quarterbacks

Saturday at the NFL Combine saw most of the offensive skill position players take the field. Running backs had their workouts first, followed by the quarterbacks and the wide receivers going together. This was after the front seven went on Thursday, then the secondary and tight ends on Friday. 

The New England big need for the Patriots is, of course, wide receiver. Eliot Wolf spoke this week about wanting to add playmakers on offense. The team is picking too late to grab one of the top receivers, so it’s more about trying to find playmakers later on. 

Wolf talked about running backs this week as well. After releasing Antonio Gibson the team has no clear-cut option for the third running back spot, so an addition would make sense - especially on Day 3. It’s a thinner running back class, but players had a chance to make their case on Saturday.

Big picture, the Patriots are set at quarterback. Not just with starter Drake Maye, but Joshua Dobbs remains under contract as the backup. There is a philosophy that it’s always good to be adding at the position though, so any potential late Day 3 or projected UDFA standouts are names worth knowing. 

Who fits on that standout list, with an eye on the Patriots? Let’s go through it (you can find the full Combine results here)...

Wolf talked this week about valuing explosiveness at running back. Washington did a great job of checking those boxes in the testing. His 4.33-second 40 and 1.51 10-yard split both paced the position, while his 39-inch vertical and 10-foot-8-inch broad jump ranked second. After the testing he was visibly emotional on the field, clearly this stuff matters to him.

Washington did all of that at 6-foot-1, 223 pounds. Coming into the day he was a projected early Day 3 pick. With that performance in a thin running back class though, he could have moved himself into the Day 2 conversation - which might be too early for the Patriots to take a back. 

Claiborne was another plus tester, coming in with a 4.37-second 40 at 5-foot-10, 188 pounds. He also moved smoothly through both ball carrying and receiving drills. An overall strong performance that should help him land inside the top 200. 

Donaldson didn’t do any of the on-field testing, but looked like a natural going through the receiving drills. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, given the 6-foot-2, 230-pound back is a converted tight end. He’s a projected late Day 3 pick. 

Hard to ask for much more from Green. The 6-foot-6, 227-pound Arkansas signal-caller set or came close to setting Combine quarterback records across the board in testing. That included record-setting jumps with a 43.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-2-inch broad jump. His 4.36-second 40 was two tenths off of the QB record. A projected mid-Day 3 pick it’s hard to see how he’s a fit for the Patriots, but he belongs on a list of Combine standouts. 

Bell had one of the best all-around Combine performances from the wide receiver group. The 6-foot, 192-pound wideout ran a 4.40 40 and ranked top three at the position with a 41-inch vertical and 11-foot-1-inch broad jump. He had an excellent gauntlet (a drill often cited by experts as being among the most-telling at the Combine) and looked solid running routes as well - in particular looking comfortable on the fade route where some other receivers in his group struggled. This should be enough to lock him into being a Day 2 pick.

After running in the 4.5s in his first go, Bernard came back with a 4.48 40 on his second run - a great time at 6-foot-1, 206 pounds. He showed excellent agility as well with an excellent 6.71-second 3-cone and 4.31-second short shuttle. His route-running checked the boxes as well, and he may have moved himself into being a top-50 pick.

A projected second-round pick heading into the day, Brazzell should start getting some late-first-round buzz after his performance on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 198-pound receiver ran a 4.37-second 40. However, Brazzell looks more polished as a mover than some of the other receivers his size with pure straight-line speed.

Hurst profiles similarly to Brazzell, and also had himself a good workout. At 6-foot-4, 206 pounds he ran a 4.42-second 40, and his 11-foot-3-inch broad jump led the position. He also showed good ball skills on an inaccurate pass while running go routes. He's another player that was on the line of the top 100.

Already a projected first-round pick, Concepcion didn't do any testing. His gauntlet was excellent though. He did what he needed to do in Indy.

At 6-foot-5, 216 pounds Caldwell ran an eye-popping 4.31-second 40 with a positional-best 1.48-second split to go with a 42-inch vertical and 11-foot-2-inch broad jump. Just insane numbers for a player his size.

Caldwell comes into the process with limited production. He spent most of his college career at FCS Lindenwood before transferring to Cincinnati last year. In his lone season of FBS ball he caught 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Given that a big combine performance meant more to him than most, and he delivered. He was initially projected as a fringe draft pick, but that should now change.

Lemon should go too early for the Patriots to have a chance to take him. But, after running an excellent gauntlet he makes our list.

Run one of the 10 fastest 40s by a wide receiver at the Combine since 2003? That's a standout performance, and exactly what Thompson did. His 4.26-second run is tied for the third-fastest, trailing just Xavier Worthy and John Ross. Thompson is undersized though at 5-foot-9, 164 pounds. He was projected as an early Day 3 pick coming into the Combine, but how much will his speed boost him?