INDIANAPOLIS — The turf at Lucas Oil Stadium practically smoked on Friday night. Defensive backs and tight ends took over the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, and they absolutely torched the stopwatches. We are talking about historic, jaw-dropping speed that forces general managers to rip up their draft boards and start over. Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq tied a positional record with a blinding 4.40-second 40-yard dash, while Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. clocked a 4.27—the fastest run by a safety since 2003.
Scouts expected a solid workout from the tight end group. They got an Olympic track meet instead. Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, already sitting at No. 16 overall on Bleacher Report’s big board, proved exactly why he commands that top spot. He launched off the line and crossed the finish in 4.40 seconds, tying the all-time combine record for his position. He followed that up with a 43.5-inch vertical and an 11’1″ broad jump. The cavernous, empty stadium felt incredibly tense as Sadiq dug his cleats in, but the silence shattered the second his unofficial time flashed on the jumbotron.
Sadiq wasn’t the only big man flying high. Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers put on an absolute clinic in the explosive drills. Stowers shattered the tight end broad jump record with an 11’3″ leap and posted a staggering 45.5-inch vertical. For context, that is the second-best vertical jump at the combine by any player since 2003. Stowers also ran a highly respectable 4.51-second 40-yard dash, completely altering how teams evaluate his athletic ceiling.
You can’t discuss Friday without talking about the Styles family. Just 24 hours after his brother, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, dropped a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, Lorenzo Styles Jr. decided to one-up him. Lorenzo stepped to the line and delivered a 4.27-second 40-yard dash. He looked completely effortless gliding down the field. That blazing speed marks the fastest run by a safety at this event in 23 years. Add in a 39-inch vertical, and the younger Styles brother practically guaranteed his name will ring out early in April.
The secondary group kept the pressure on all night. Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds—the No. 4 CB and No. 29 overall player on the B/R big board—soared for a 43.5-inch vertical, taking the crown for the best jump among all defensive backs. Meanwhile, Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman checked every single box. The No. 3 ranked safety recorded a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, a 41-inch vertical, and a 10’5″ broad jump. The sheer athleticism on the field bordered on the absurd.
“You come to Indy hoping to see guys hit that next gear, but what we watched tonight was different. These kids are built like linebackers and running like Olympic sprinters. Sadiq and Styles didn’t just test well; they broke the curve entirely.”
— Anonymous AFC Scouting Director
These numbers carry massive weight for the upcoming draft. Kenyon Sadiq locked himself in as the undisputed TE1. Any front office looking for a dynamic pass-catcher in the middle of the first round will target him immediately. Eli Stowers created massive leverage for himself; his record-breaking leaps transform him from a mid-round depth piece into a high-upside Day 2 prospect.
For the safeties, Lorenzo Styles Jr. just made a ton of money. A 4.27 time erases any questions about his closing speed or deep-third coverage ability. General managers obsessed with range will bump him up their boards tonight. The 2026 combine continues Saturday, with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and running backs stepping onto the turf. If the offense wants to steal the headlines back from the defense, they have a massive hill to climb.
