Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
College careers don’t always go the way players, coaches or fans hope. The NFL Combine provides a next chapter that can make a lot of dreams come true and add extra zeroes in the bank account for tons of NFL prospects.
Here are five players that could see their draft stock soar at this year’s NFL Combine.
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
A year ago, Nussmeier’s name was being linked to the top overall spot in last year’s NFL Draft. He was projected to be near the top of this one, as well. His senior season didn’t go as planned as he battled injuries all year. It was heartbreaking to watch a player choose to stay in school and his draft stock plummet in a year that ended with a coach firing and a preseason top ten team lose in the Texas Bowl.
Nussmeier should shine in Indianapolis, regardless. His offseason has already gotten off to a great start winning MVP at the Senior Bowl. The momentum that seemed completely lost from this past season has returned. I don’t know how high up he will rise on draft boards, but one thing I do know about Garrett Nussmeier is that few will interview better than him and few other quarterbacks will be more knowledgeable than him in meetings.
Garrett Nussmeier was a big winner at the Senior Bowl, now comes the battle between him, Ty Simpson, and Chambliss for QB2 pic.twitter.com/An3UYj9K0X
— The FF Mediators (@TheFFMediators) February 6, 2026
South Carolina RB Rahsul Faison
Faison had a disappointing season at South Carolina, but there’s a lot to like about Faison. He ran for 470 yards in 2025, but averaging 4.9 per carry behind one of the nation’s worst lines stood out, especially with the team at 3.24, last in the SEC and 129th nationally.
Faison has a great frame sitting at 6-foot, 222 pounds. He is also a guy that will run in the low 4.4’s in the forty and could go sub 4.4 according to his camp. The one knock on him would be that he finished his college career in seven years and is already 25 years old.
No position in football chews up and spits out talent like running back with the shelf life of most backs being three years or less in the league. The good news for Faison is that despite his age, the wear and tear is minimal. He finished this year with 96 carries and has only 412 combined over the last three years.
To put that in perspective, Derrick Henry had 395 carries in his 2015 season alone.
Most slept on RB in 2026 nfl draft
All the media outlets , analysts , draft experts are all sleeping on
Rahsul Faison
rb utah st/south carolina6’1 218 lbs
4.4 speed
Vison
FootworkKamara 2.0#nfl #espn #broncos #td #runningback #footballhttps://t.co/pxMq0KNYIH
— JC (@MrMeated) February 4, 2026
Kentucky WR Kendrick Law
Law didn’t have the collegiate career he hoped for at Alabama and Kentucky. The former four-star recruit from Shreveport, Louisiana spent his first three seasons at Alabama and never managed to record over 15 catches in a season. He transferred to Kentucky in 2025 where he led the team in receptions (53), yards (540) and touchdowns (3).
Law was listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds this past season. I don’t know what he will weigh in at in Indy, but if you can buy stock on him showing out in the combine, do it now.
Law isn’t big, but he’s a physical freak. Alabama’s head coach Kalen DeBoer said prior to the 2024 season he was clocked at 23.6 mph in offseason workouts and benched 450 pounds. That is absurd. I don’t know if he was made to be an NFL receiver, but I do know he was made to show out at the combine.
Kentucky’s WR Kendrick Law is one of the most underrated player in this draft. Fast, athletic gadget WR teams could get late Day 3. Worth taking a shot pic.twitter.com/PKQaFPjL2t
— Prospect Film Room (@FilmProspect) February 10, 2026
Alabama OL Jaeden Roberts
Roberts looks like he was made in a lab. He’s 6-foot-5 and 327 pounds. He’s the type of guy people describe as having “not an ounce of fat on him,” even though he tips the scales well north of 300 pounds. Roberts earned the nickname “The Incredible Hulk” at Alabama, and even though he currently sits just outside Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 10 guard prospects, he has a real chance to boost his stock in Indianapolis.
Roberts was one of four Alabama players that benched over 500 pounds. He also reportedly power cleaned over 400 pounds and squatted 805 pounds this past season. Expect him to be a big winner at this year’s combine.
Jaeden Roberts (6’5 335) Alabama
+ Well built frame
+ Feldman Freak List with a reported 525 lb. bench press, squatted 805 lbs, power cleaned 415, and hit over 19 mph on the GPS
+ Grip strength
+ Work ethic
+ Arm length (near 34”)
+ 87.5 pass block grade in 2025
+ Connecting… pic.twitter.com/uDXG3MO8O7— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) January 30, 2026
LSU WR Chris Hilton
There are few players I will openly pull harder for in this job than Chris Hilton. Hilton came into college as one of the highest ranked receiver prospects in America. He was in the 2021 class with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. and ranked ahead of both of them.
There’s no way to describe his career at LSU without using the word disappointing. He was primed for a big senior season in an offense that led the country in passing the year before. It ultimately ended with 10 catches for 122 yards in 2025 and 41 catches in his five year career in Baton Rouge.
That’s the past, and the future is still very bright for Hilton. He’s looked great in the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl games and practices. He also will perform well in Indianapolis. He holds an LSU record after being clocked at 23.7 mph on the GPS and posting a 40-yard dash in the high 4.2s, showcasing elite speed unmatched in program history.
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