2026 NFL combine bold predictions: Blazing speed, a record jump and more hot takes

On-field workouts kick off Thursday inside Lucas Oil Stadium

The 2026 NFL Draft class has parity at a lot of positions. There aren't many clear-cut top players on tape, which means athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine will help to sort out several positions in the class. 

With that in mind, here are five bold predictions about the crop of talent that we'll see in Indianapolis over the next few days.

There have been eight wide receivers to break 4.30 seconds in the 40-yard dash since the NFL officially began collecting records on the event in the mid-2000s. There have never been two guys in the same class, though.

I'm betting that changes with this year's group. Mississippi State's Brenen Thompson and LSU's Chris Hilton Jr. would be my two picks. Tennessee's Chris Brazzell II, Oklahoma's Deion Burks, and LSU's Barion Brown could all be in the ballpark as well. There's some real deal speed in this receiver class that could cause some records to fall.

Despite everyone seemingly getting bigger, faster and stronger in the NFL, Donald Washington's 45-inch vertical jump record has never been bested since he set it in 2009 (although Chris Conley tied it in 2015). That's the longest-standing record of all the on-field combine tests. There's a wide receiver in this year's class, though, who has been jumping higher than that in training. Cincinnati's Jeff Caldwell is an explosive marvel. The 6-foot-5 wideout can really go up and get it. His 40, broad jump and vertical jump should all be freakishly impressive for a man that big. Don't be surprised if records fall in the process.