NFL combine day 1 winners and losers: Did Sonny Styles just break the linebacker mold? Here's all you need to know

Day 1 of on-field work at the 2026 NFL combine belonged to the front seven. Defensive linemen and linebackers finally got out of meeting rooms and onto the Lucas Oil Stadium turf on Thursday, and the stopwatches were not kind to anyone faking it.

What came out of that first session was clear: Sonny Styles turned testing into a flex, a handful of big men made themselves real money and a few hyped edge rushers walked away with more to prove than they expected.

How Sonny Styles and the linebackers turned day 1 into a track meet

Sonny Styles looks like the best off-ball linebacker in this class

Styles measured 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, then jumped 43.5 inches, hit 11-foot-2 in the broad and ripped a 4.46 in the 40. That combination at that size is basically unheard of for a linebacker and earned him a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score.

He already had tape showing range, physicality and a clean transition from safety to linebacker. Now teams have numbers to match the film. At this point, it would be a surprise if he is not off the board inside the top 10, and it is not crazy if a team talks itself into him even higher.

Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Banks cash in on rare traits

Malachi Lawrence showed up at 6-foot-4, 253 pounds and tested like the exact type of pass rusher teams chase in the modern NFL. He ran an official 4.52 in the 40 with a 40-inch vertical and a 10-foot-10 broad jump, numbers that put him near the top of the edge group in every explosion metric.

He was more of a Day 3 projection coming in, with good sack production but not huge buzz. After Thursday, scouts are going back to the tape, and he has a real shot to land in the top 100.

On the interior, Caleb Banks reminded everyone why people were so excited before injuries derailed his 2025 season. At 6-foot-6 and 327 pounds, he ran in the low 5.0s and still posted around a 32-inch vertical. That kind of movement at that frame is exactly what first-round defensive tackle profiles look like in 2026.

Kyle Louis keeps climbing after testing like a modern coverage linebacker

Kyle Louis was already picking up quiet buzz as a film favorite. The numbers in Indy backed that up. He ran 4.53 in the 40, hit a 39.5-inch vertical, a 10-foot-9 broad and posted one of the best 3-cone times among linebackers at 6.97.

For an undersized backer trying to live on passing downs, that is exactly the profile you want. With Sonny Styles and CJ Allen expected to go early, Louis has a real lane to be the next linebacker off the board if teams buy his instincts matching the testing.

Why Rueben Bain Jr. and several edge rushers left Indianapolis with harder questions

Rueben Bain Jr. cannot escape the arm-length debate

Teams already knew Rueben Bain Jr. could rush the passer. The concern has always been how much his body type can hold up outside. Thursday’s measurements added fuel to that conversation: 6-foot-2, 263 pounds with 30 7/8-inch arms, one of the shortest arm lengths ever recorded for an edge at the combine.

The tape still screams first-round talent and top-10 ability, and multiple outlets have made that case all week. But arm length that far outside the norm forces front offices to think hard about scheme, usage and risk. He is still a “win” on film. In Indy, the measurables gave his doubters new ammo.

LT Overton and R Mason Thomas now need big pro days

LT Overton came to Indianapolis trying to quiet concerns about his burst. He trimmed down to 274 pounds, then ran in the high 4.8s and skipped the jumps. That is not a disaster, but for a player whose best path might be as a power end or even a 3-tech, it did not give teams a new reason to push him up boards.

R Mason Thomas had the opposite problem. He weighed in light at 241 pounds, talked up his speed, then ran 4.67 on one attempt and slower on the second, also without jumps. In a class where several edges at similar or heavier weights were flying, that left him stuck in the middle of the pack. His pro day just went from important to critical.


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