2026 NFL Combine Winners For Detroit Lions to Monitor

The NFL Combine presented a chance for over 300 NFL Draft prospects to work out and answer questions about themselves, their journey, and their tape to teams.

The on-field drills and questions from media help provide fans a glimpse into who their teams could be taking in April’s draft. The on-field drills, in particular, cause some players to get second glances at their film and rise up draft boards for fans, media, and teams alike. After covering the combine all week, here is a player from every position group that helped their draft stock for Lions On SI.

QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt

PFF Big Board Rank: 259

Pavia made a strong case in his bid for QB3 in this draft class behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson. The Heisman finalist showed excellent touch on his deep throws during the quarterback and wide receiver drills on Saturday night, although his intermediate throws left some to be desired.

Simpson was by far the best quarterback of the group, but he will be gone long before the Lions likely think of selecting a quarterback. The main concerns for Pavia are his measureables and some questions on character, but the talent was on display.

Honorable mentions: Ty Simpson (Alabama), Haynes King (Georgia Tech), Taylen Green (Arkansas)

HB Mike Washington Jr., Arkansas

PFF Big Board Rank: 160

Washington Jr. turned heads with a blazing 4.32 in the 40, along with placing second in the broad and vertical jumps. With the recent news about David Montgomery potentially looking to depart Motown, this position will be monitored closely. At 223 pounds, Washington has the speed and size that could become deadly when paired with Jahmyr Gibbs.

Jeremiyah Love was the best player among all backs, but as a consensus top-12 pick, there is very little chance Detroit gets an opportunity to select the Notre Dame back.

Honorable mentions: Jam Miller (Alabama), Eli Heidenrich (Navy)

WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia

PFF Big Board Rank: 79

Branch turned heads on Friday, outperforming some of the projected top picks of the draft such as Carnell Tate and Denzel Boston. Branch had some of the best hands in the drills, and tracked the ball well on all deep routes.

Overall, he rose up draft boards, likely out of contention for a Detroit pick considering current needs.

Honorable mentions: Kaden Wetjen (Iowa), Deion Burks (Oklahoma)

TE Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

PFF Big Board Ranking: 48

The converted quarterback Stowers shined in the athletic segment of events, with his 40, vertical, and broad jump all putting him on pace for a historic combine if not for top tight end in the draft Kenyon Sadiq besting those numbers.

Sadiq was the best tight end at the Combine, but likely is off the board in the top 15 after his historic Thursday. Stowers shined athletically, but another name to monitor is Michigan’s Marlin Klein, who had one of the smoothest gauntlet drills for a tight end.

Honorable mentions: Marlin Klein (Michigan), RJ Maryland (SMU)

OL Enrique Cruz Jr., Kansas

PFF Big Board Rank: 374

Cruz Jr. entered the week lesser known than some of the feature offensive linemen in the draft, but performed well enough to rise on draft boards soon. He was one of nine offensive linemen to run a sub-5.0 in the 40, along with being the leader among the first group for vertical.

That puts him with a relative athletic score that ranks in the top 30 among 1520 tackles since 1987, pending agility and bench press scores.

It is worth noting that, as of this writing, the bench press has not taken place yet. Cruz Jr. revealed that he had a formal meeting with Detroit when talking with Lions On SI on Saturday, and he is likely on a few more teams radars after his combine performance on Sunday.

Honorable Mentions: Gennings Dunker (Iowa), Spencer Fano (Utah)

DL David Gusta, Kentucky

PFF Big Board Rank: 376

Gusta entered the week looking to burst into the draftable discussions, and he did exactly that with his Thursday and Friday combine performances. The nose tackle for the Wildcats put up an astounding 37 reps on bench press Friday morning.

At 308 pounds, he put up a sub-4.9 second 40, with his split recording below 1.7 seconds for 10 yards. Gusta likely slides away from nose tackle in the NFL, but is one of the highest risers after his combine performances among all prospects.

Honorable mentions: Malachi Lawrence (UCF), Mason Reiger (Wisconsin)

LB Kyle Louis, Pitt

PFF Big Board Rank: 95

Louis continues to impress during the pre-draft process after dominating the Senior Bowl. He placed in the top five for broad and vertical jump, and his tape has teams taking a second look at the Pitt player at another position, that being a hybrid nickel option.

He has the athleticism, range, and pass coverage ability, based on his tape and his Senior Bowl practices. Louis could become a trendy option for Detroit at pick no. 50, if he lasts that long.

Sonny Styles dominated the combine, but is likely to be selected in the top five in April.

Honorable mentions: Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Sonny Styles (Ohio State)

DB Charles Demmings, Stephen F. Austin

PFF Big Board Rank: 207

Demmings, much like Louis, has seen his stock drastically improve during his pre-draft process. His tape showed an athletically gifted corner, and his straight line speed at a 4.41 was among the top 10 for corners. Add in the second best vertical and broad jump, and Demmings rose into top-100 range in the course of a week.

The one question was his change of direction and feet movement, which the corner noted as what he is working on hardest during an interview with Lions On SI. The FCS prospect cannot be overlooked in April.

Honorable mentions: Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Ohio State), Toriano Pride Jr. (Missouri), De’Angelo Ponds (Indiana)