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From Thursday through Sunday, the NFL Scouting Combine held on-field workouts and conducted measurements to provide essential data points for the 2026 NFL Draft class.
There is so much more to evaluating football players than physical profiles and athletic testing, but the years of figures have added up, and organizations value the knowledge that comes with it. There are certain benchmark measurements for certain positions, while each player can boost — or tank — their draft stock depending on performance in on-field workouts.
Knowing the Kansas City Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach are in a position to make a high-profile pick (or two), here are three takeaways from the NFL Combine:
1. The Chiefs can’t plan on drafting Jeremiyah Love at pick No. 9
If Chiefs fans were excited about the potential selection of Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love before the Combine, his performance spiked those emotions — only for the realization to hit that he may have run himself into a higher slot than the ninth overall.
At 6 feet tall and weighing 212 pounds, Love registered the second-fastest mark among this year’s backs in the 40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds. Initially, he generated an unofficial 10-yard split of 1.49 seconds, but the 1.55-second result still matches that of Buffalo Bills’ running back James Cook.
He was already considered one of the best players in the draft, but now, he has proven to equip speed that puts him on par with the most explosive backs in the NFL.
These are the 40-yard dash results (and 10-yard splits, if available) of some prominent ballcarriers:
- Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles — 4.4 seconds
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions — 4.36 seconds (1.52 seconds)
- Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons — 4.46 seconds (1.52 seconds)
- James Cook, Bills — 4.42 seconds (1.55)
- Kenneth Walker III — 4.38 seconds (1.49)
He showed impressive top-end speed at Notre Dame, but the strong confirmation may solidify his status as one of the most sought-after players in this draft. In a class widely regarded as thin on first-round-caliber players, positional value may be overlooked by top-8 teams in favor of the special talent Love continues to prove he has.
2. Defensive line is — and should be — a focus for Chiefs’ draft strategy
The defensive linemen were the first position group to speak to reporters during Combine week, and it was immediately obvious that Veach and his staff were doing their homework on the top guys.
Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami felt like he “had a strong interview” with the Chiefs, and David Bailey from Texas Tech “enjoyed his meeting” with Kansas City. Those are the two highest-ranked defensive linemen by consensus in this year’s class, but even the third-ranked edge defender — Keldric Faulk from Auburn — shared that he met formally with the Chiefs.
Even if the team doesn’t address it with pick No. 9, there are a lot of significant options in the ranges of the team’s second and third-round picks — especially when considering the physical and athletic profiles of those available (Relative Athletic Score is courtesy of @MathBomb on X).
The following players are in play around pick 40 (based on their place in The Athletic’s consensus rankings):
- EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson (31st)
- 6 feet 3 inches tall, 263 pounds with 33 1/8-inch arms
- RAS: 9.33 unofficial (fifth-highest among EDGE prospects)
- DT Lee Hunter, Texas Tech (36th)
- 6 feet 3 3/8 inches tall, 318 pounds with 33 1/4-inch arms
- DT Christen Miller, Georgia (38th)
- 6 feet 3 5/8 inches tall, 321 pounds with 33-inch arms
- EDGE Zion Young, Missouri (39th)
- 6 feet 6 inches tall, 262 pounds with 33-inch arms
These are the potential options around the 74th overall selection:
- EDGE LT Overton, Alabama (65th)
- 6 feet 3 inches tall, 274 pounds with 33 1/4-inch arms
- EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State (71st)
- 6 feet 5 1/2 inches tall, 256 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms
- RAS: 9.93 unofficial (highest among EDGE prospects)
- Led EDGE prospects in broad jump (10 feet 11 inches)
- DT Darrell Jackson Jr, Florida State (72nd)
- 6 feet 5 1/2 inches tall, 315 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms
- DT Domonique Orange, Iowa State (75th)
- 6 feet 2 inches tall, 322 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms
Whether the Chiefs would be drafting a long, physical defensive end, or a massive, stout nose tackle to take up space next to defensive tackle Chris Jones, Day 2 feels like a sweet spot for Kansas City to replenish the talent on the defensive front — maybe even double up with both picks.
3. There are potential difference-making safeties not named Caleb Downs
As much as I believe Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is a special player who could lift the Chiefs’ defense back towards an elite unit quicker than other options at nine overall, the Combine solidified what many draft analysts had been saying about the 2026 class: there are a lot of intriguing safeties to consider.
First of all, Arizona safety Genesis Smith — ranked 100th by consensus — told reporters he formally met with Kansas City, and Arrowhead Pride draft writer Rocky Magana pointed out how Smith could be a good fit in the Chiefs’ defense. That was before the 6-foot-2, 202-pound safety led the position in vertical leap (42.5 inches) and finished with the fourth-longest broad jump (10 feet 8 inches).
The Chiefs also met with Kansas State safety VJ Payne, who ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 206 pounds with 33 3/4-inch arms.
Here are other notable safeties and notable results (with their consensus rankings):
- Dillon Thieneman, Oregon (33rd)
- 6 feet 1 inch tall, 201 pounds with 31 3/8-inch arms
- 40-yard dash time: 4.35 seconds (fourth among safeties)
- Vertical jump: 41 inches (second among safeties)
- Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo (37th)
- 6 feet 3 1/2 inches tall, 201 pounds with 32 1/8-inch arms
- 40-yard dash time: 4.52 seconds
- Lorenzo Styles Jr, Ohio State (N/R)
- 6 feet 1/2 inch tall, 194 pounds with 31 5/8-inch arms
- 40-yard dash time: 4.27 seconds (led all defensive backs)
- Vertical jump: 39 inches (fourth among safeties)