10 storylines to watch during NFL combine week, including Ty Simpson, Rueben Bain, Maxx Crosby and more
There will be plenty of stories related to the combine, as well as the free agent and trade markets
The NFL Scouting Combine will take place throughout this week in Indianapolis. It's one of the biggest events of the NFL calendar for several reasons, including but not limited to what actually takes place on the field during the measurements, testing and on-field workouts.
Coaches, general managers, scouts and agents from across the entire league gather in Indy for the entire week, along with hundreds to thousands of media members. And that makes it a veritable hotbed for information, as much as anything else. And that's not just information related to the combine itself -- the free-agency and trade markets get started in earnest at the combine, too.
There will be storylines aplenty to watch throughout the week because you'll rarely ever find so many of the league's decision makers and news breakers in the same place at the same time. So with that in mind, we wanted to give you a list of 10 of the biggest things to watch out for throughout combine week.
Ty Simpson will throw at the combine
Simpson is widely considered the QB2 in this draft class behind presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza is not going to throw at the combine and will instead only work out at Indiana's Pro Day, so Simpson's work in the passing portion of the program is likely to be the most-watched aspect of the quarterback workouts. He potentially has a lot to gain (or lose) from the week of work, especially considering he doesn't have the most extensive track record as a starter at Alabama.
Arvell Reese's position
Reese is listed by some as the top overall prospect in the draft -- even ahead of Mendoza. But he's also a bit of an interesting evaluation because we don't know how teams plan to use him. He played a lot of off-ball linebacker at Ohio State, but draft gurus think he could be even more dangerous on the edge. Which group he works out with, and whether he does the position drills with both groups, will make for interesting fodder.
Rueben Bain's arm length
Bain is considered arguably the top edge rusher in this draft class (it's him or David Bailey, depending on how you classify Reese, as mentioned above), but he's also one of its most polarizing prospects. He plays with incredible power and has the production to match his reputation, but NFL teams prioritize measurements on the edge and Bain is likely to fall short of some bench marks when he has his arms measured. How short he falls and whether teams decide to care a lot about that will be one of the biggest stories of the week.
Jermod McCoy's medicals
McCoy is one of the top cornerback prospects in the class, but he sat out Tennessee's entire 2025 season due to a torn ACL suffered the previous season. While many observers focus on the measurements and the testing, the medical portion of the combine is actually the single-most important element when it comes to determining where players will ultimately be drafted. If McCoy's knee checks out, he'll remain a first-round pick and potentially go very early on; if it doesn't, he could slide.
Can Brenen Thompson challenge a combine record?
The Mississippi State wideout is a true speedster. He clocked speeds over 22 miles per hour during games in 2025 and supposedly hit over 23 miles per hour during the offseason. He's also a former track star who ran the 100 meters in 10.18 seconds in high school. He's expected to run a 40-yard dash in the 4.2 to 4.3-second range. Xavier Worthy owns the current record at 4.21 seconds.
Top offensive lineman
There isn't much consensus about who is the top offensive lineman in the draft. Players like Miami's Francis Mauigoa, Utah's Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu and Alabama's Kadyn Proctor are in the mix at tackle, but some think that Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane could be the actual best offensive lineman in the class. How these guys measure up and how they test throughout the week could determine which of them (likely one of the tackles) comes off the board first.
The quarterback carousel
The free-agent crop at quarterback isn't currently the most exciting group in the world. It basically consists of Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers and Malik Willis at the high end, and not much else that's all that attractive after that. But players like Kyler Murray could be available via trade, and others like Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins or Geno Smith could hit the market as cap casualties. Then there are backups like Joe Flacco and Marcus Mariota, and wild cards like Justin Fields who could become available as well. There are plenty of teams in need of quarterbacks, but not a lot of attractive options. Who is headed where and which teams are going to be left out, is something we'll learn more about as the week progresses -- even if the "legal tampering" period can't start for another few weeks.
The running back market
Javonte Williams has already been taken off the board with a three-year, $24 million deal from the Cowboys, but Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker III and Travis Etienne are still available to be signed in free agency. They're likely to command double-digit million dollars per year, given what Williams just got from Dallas, but we don't yet know where they'll land. Those rumors should heat up during combine week.
Maxx Crosby trade rumors
Crosby is sure to be one of the hottest commodities to potentially hit the market this offseason. The situation between him and the Raiders seemingly got frosty toward the end of the year, with the superstar edge rusher getting shut down for the stretch run. We don't yet know if he's bought into Klint Kubiak's vision for the future of the team, or if he'd rather be traded somewhere with a better chance for immediate contention. We're likely to hear a whole lot about his future this week.
George Pickens' Dallas future
The Cowboys are widely expected to use the franchise tag on Pickens, who was named a Second Team All-Pro in 2025 after catching 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns -- all career highs. But just because they use the tag on Pickens, doesn't mean the Cowboys will bring him back to Dallas. If they're not willing to pony up a big-time contract and someone else is, Pickens could be on the move. We'll find out more about the situation as the offseason progresses.
