• Jacob Rodriguez joined the top-50 conversation: Overall athletic questions were the last piece of the puzzle for an otherwise first-round scouting report, and Rodriguez answered those with excellent testing numbers at the combine.

• Sam Roush proved he can be more than just a blocking tight end: The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Stanford product tested very well for his size at the combine. NFL teams already knew about his blocking skill set, but now they may be intrigued by his pass-catching profile, too.

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Now that we have all the testing and the data from the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, it’s time to identify some players who we think will be the biggest risers on the PFF Predictive Big Board, as well as NFL teams’ boards. Here are our top five risers from their performances in Indianapolis.

EDGE DANI DENNIS-SUTTON, PENN STATE

Dennis-Sutton was a big winner at the combine. At 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds (with 33.5-inch arms to boot), he ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash with a 1.63-second 10-yard split, which is a really good number for his overall size.

He then impressed even more with a 39.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11 broad jump. But we’ve seen plenty of big defensive players be explosive before, only for lateral quickness and agility to be their Achilles’ heel on the field when asked to change direction. But to that point, Dennis-Sutton ran a 6.90 in the three-cone, which puts him in the 93rd percentile for all defensive ends before accounting for weight adjustments.

Sutton earned an 80.1 PFF overall grade this past season with a 77.7 PFF run-defense grade and a 78.2 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets. There were times when you wondered if he was fluid enough of an athlete to be a difference-making pass rusher at the next level. But his testing at the combine showed he possesses that athletic ability, giving him a likely top-75 type of draft projection. 

LB JACOB RODRIGUEZ, TEXAS TECH

Rodriguez was the most productive linebacker in all of college football this past season. He earned a 93.0 PFF overall grade — the highest single-season mark ever for a Power Four linebacker, thanks to a 94.8 PFF run-defense grade and a 92.3 PFF coverage grade. He was also a big-play machine at the position, logging 13 career forced fumbles and six career interceptions. But the question was whether he had the athletic ability to continue to do that at the NFL level.

Measuring in at 6-foot-1 and around 230 pounds (which is small, but not too small), Rodriguez really opened some eyes with his athletic testing. He ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash with a 1.60-second 10-yard split. He jumped 38.5 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-1 in the broad. His 6.90 three-cone and 4.19 20-yard shuttle were also impressive. Overall athletic questions were the last piece of the puzzle for an otherwise first-round scouting report. He answered those questions, and I think he is firmly in the top-50 conversation now. 

WR OMAR COOPER JR., INDIANA

Cooper played second fiddle to Elijah Sarratt for a good portion of his Indiana career, but as the long national championship run for the Hoosiers marched on, he continued to shine against the best college football had to offer. In the end, he earned an 86.0 PFF receiving grade overall with a 50.0% contested-catch rate and a 73.6 PFF receiving grade against single coverage.

There was a lot to like about Cooper’s game, but overall athletic questions were a small sticking point in his scouting report. At 6 feet tall and right around 200 pounds, he ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash with a 37-inch vertical jump, checking the boxes for athleticism that will translate to the NFL. He may have very well sprinted and jumped his way into the first round after last week.

TE SAM ROUSH, STANFORD

Roush was a fan favorite of many in this class, even before the combine, due to his profile as a blocker. At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, Roush, unlike a handful of modern-day tight end prospects, really knew his way around the trenches as a blocker. He was primarily an on-the-line-of-scrimmage type of tight end for Stanford and did the dirty work of being that extra blocker in more power personnel packages.

But he wasn’t used much as a receiver. He recorded just a 56.6 PFF receiving grade this past season with a 1.39 yards per route run average. But he was impressive at the combine with a 4.70-second 40-yard dash (which is totally fine for his size), a 38.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-6 broad. He also put up 25 reps on the bench press with a 7.08 three-cone and a 4.37 20-yard shuttle.

All of that will be very alluring to NFL teams who could be looking at a tight end late on Day 2 of the draft. They know what Roush is as a blocker, and now they can tell themselves there’s more potential in him as a receiver, too. 

EDGE MALACHI LAWRENCE, UCF

It’s easy to see why Lawrence has been a fan favorite for a few months now. The explosive speed rusher from UCF has a deep bag of pass-rush moves and utilizes long arms and quick hands to consistently get in the backfield. He earned an elite 91.6 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets with a 19.2% pass-rush win percentage this past season.

Lawrence was one of the top players during practices at the East-West Shrine Bowl. At the combine, he stood out among his peers once again. His 4.52-second 40-yard dash (at over 250 pounds) ranked third, behind only Arvell Reese and David Bailey in the defensive end group. He also recorded some eye-popping jumps, with a 40-inch vertical and 10-foot-10 broad.

Explosiveness will always play at that position, and I believe he is going to get some early Day 2 consideration after a good pre-draft process.