Which Combine Drills Matter Most for Lions' Scouting Plans?

These three drills will have big impact on Lions' evaluations.

Lions 2025 first-round pick defensive lineman Tyleik Williams (DL40) participates in drills during the 2025 NFL Combine. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions will have a chance to evaluate the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft in a series of on-field drills this week.

Teams place varying degrees of importance on these drills, as some treat it more as conformation of their own observations while others view it as a make-or-break test of athleticism. Regardless, the Combine is one of the biggest job interviews in any profession, and these tests can be huge for a player's future in the NFL.

The Lions will be watching these drills with a keen eye this week, as there are always prospects who surprise with their performance and perform their way into better draft positioning. These drills can be huge for evaluation purposes, as teams are able to watch these prospects work in this environment.

Here are the Combine drills that matter most for the Lions' draft plans heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.

40-yard dash

The 40-yard dash is annually the most-watched and discussed drill of any at the Combine, as it provides the best look at a prospects' straight-line speed. While the skill position players have the ability to make the most noise with eye-popping times, there is value in this drill for all positions.

Offensive linemen can showcase serious athleticism with good times in this drill, while defensive linemen have the ability to confirm their burst by performing well. While it isn't the most realistic replication of football in some ways, as offensive linemen may never run 40-yards in a straight line, it's a great test of how players turn short yardage burst into long speed with acceleration.

Detroit is expected to be heavily involved in the offensive line market, and as a result seeing their straight-line speed will help indicate what kind of athlete they will be at the NFL level.

Short shuttle

Short-area quickness is the name of the game, as players are most often changing directions in split seconds. This is the drill that best replicates that element of football, and as a result is one that many should be paying attention to.

In the short shuttle, players start by running five yards in one direction before quickly changing and running 10 in the other. They finish with a five-yard burst back through the cone they started at, totaling 20 yards.

This drill offers teams the ability to evaluate the range with which prospects can sprint in quick bursts. It replicates getting off the ball quickly, changing directions in a nano second and how quickly they can get in and out of their top speeds. The short shuttle may be the best evaluation tool of any at the Combine.

Three-cone drill

The three-cone drill is another short-distance evaluation tool for evaluators to see a prospect's change of direction and short-area quickness. It's another way to measure explosiveness, and can be good especially for offensive and defensive linemen.

This drill also forces prospects to pay attention to angles, which are also a big part of the game. By staying tight to the cones, prospects can showcase their body control and agility in tight confines, which matters plenty especially in the trenches at the professional level.

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