10 Sleepers To Watch For at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is officially underway and on-field drills will begin on Thursday. While it’s easy to get excited about watching the top prospects in this year’s draft class put on a show, the Philadelphia Eagles obviously won’t be drafting high enough to select from the cream of the crop in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Therefore, it’s time to highlight some of my personal favorite sleepers in this year’s draft class. While these players likely won’t break any records at this year’s event, it’ll still be worth watching their performances at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Here are 10 sleepers to watch for during the event, including one at every position on offense and defense.

Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas

Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green looks like he was created in a laboratory. Green is 6’6”, 229 lbs. with 10” hands and 35” arms. His freakish size and athleticism, paired with his dual-threat ability at quarterback, will make him one of the most entertaining players to watch at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

Eli Heidenreich, Navy

Eli Heidenreich was the definition of an offensive weapon at Navy. While he likely won’t blow anyone away with his measurables or athletic testing, he’s such a fun player to watch. While he’s listed with the running back group at this year’s event, Heidenreich essentially played both running back and wide receiver. He had 77 carries for 499 rushing yards, while also hauling in 51 receptions for 941 receiving yards in 2025.

Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State

Bryce Lance followed his older brother’s footsteps at North Dakota State (Trey Lance). At 6’3”, 209 lbs., Lance has the size that many covet at wide receiver. While Lance had enough speed to get by defenders in the FCS, it’ll be interesting to see how he performs at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. If his testing matches his impressive production over the last two seasons, his stock could soar through the roof.

Sam Roush, TE, Stanford

I’m not afraid to hide my fandom of Stanford tight end Sam Roush. I believe that Roush is one of the truly complete tight ends in this year’s draft class, given his alignment versatility and blocking ability. At 6’5” and 259 lbs., Roush also possesses the size that used to be the standard at the tight end position. While Roush isn’t expected to blow anyone away with his athletic testing, I believe that he could surprise a few people.

Markel Bell, OL, Miami (FL)

Markel Bell is an absolute mountain of a human being. At 6’8”, 358 lbs. and 36 5/8” arms, Bell checks all of the boxes (and more) that NFL teams look for in an offensive tackle. Bell started his collegiate career at Holmes Community College and worked his way up to starting at left tackle for the Hurricanes. While he’s far from a finished product, I’m excited to see what Bell can showcase on the field in Indianapolis.

Kaleb Proctor, IDL, Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor isn’t related to Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, yet he was just as impactful in the trenches. Despite playing at a lower level, Proctor was a dominant force, as he recorded nine sacks and 39 total pressures. Proctor’s first step and speed is obvious on tape and I can’t wait to watch him during on-field drills.

George Gumbs Jr., EDGE, Florida

Florida edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. was invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl, but was unable to participate due to a knee injury. While it’s unclear if Gumbs will be able to participate at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, he’s still one of my favorite players in this year’s draft class that I wanted to highlight here.

He started his career as a walk-on wide receiver, who then made the transition to tight end before eventually moving to edge rusher. The Eagles obviously had success with Jalyx Hunt after he made the switch to edge rusher and Gumbs plays with that same attitude on the field.

Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo

Eagles linebacker coach Bobby King often talks about block destruction and how valuable that is at the position. Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock is a heat-seeking missile that actually broke Khalil Mack’s NCAA FBS career record with 17 forced fumbles. While Murdock may not test out of this world, he’s such a fun player to watch that could eventually carve out a role at the next level.

Tacario Davis, CB, Washington

A few years ago, Tacario Davis was viewed as one of the rising cornerbacks in college football. Fast forward to 2026 and Davis’ stock has fallen quite a bit, yet he still has plenty of intriguing tools to work with. Davis is listed at 6’4”, 200 lbs. and seemingly possesses tentacles for arms. After pulling out of the Senior Bowl due to injury, it’ll be interesting to see what Davis does and how he looks in Indianapolis.

Michael Taaffe, S, Texas

Longhorns safety Michael Taaffe walked on at Texas after playing both wide receiver and cornerback in high school. Taaffe worked his way up the depth chart and started 36 career games at safety for the Longhorns. He considers Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba one of his best friends and it would be fun to see them reunited in the City of Brotherly Love. Taaffe can fly downhill but I’ll be monitoring how well he test and performs during on-field drills.