EUGENE, Ore. — While Kenyon Sadiq ran a blazing 4.39 to cement himself as the top tight end and Dillon Thieneman locked down first-round grades, another Oregon Duck quietly won the week in Indianapolis. Offensive lineman Alex Harkey walked into Lucas Oil Stadium as a late-round flyer for the 2026 NFL Draft. He walked out with a scheduled flight to Dallas.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Harkey secured highly coveted private workouts with the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams immediately following his positional drills. The 6-foot-6, 308-pound mauler didn’t run the 40-yard dash, but he didn’t need to. He put on a clinic during the short-area quickness and footwork drills on the final day of the Combine, proving his college tape wasn’t a fluke.
Harkey’s journey is anything but traditional. He started as a tight end at Tyler Junior College in 2021 before bulking up and shifting to the offensive line. After stops at Colorado and Texas State—where he earned Third-Team All-Sun Belt honors—he transferred to Eugene for his final season. That jump from the Group of Five to the Big Ten is usually a brutal wake-up call. Instead, Harkey thrived, starting at right tackle for a Ducks offense that punished opponents all year.
Inside the building at the Combine, scouts buzzed about his heavy hands and natural power. He met formally with the Lions, Colts, Jaguars, Packers, 49ers, and Broncos. Now, Dallas and LA are stepping up their evaluations, viewing him as an immediate contributor in a gap or zone-blocking scheme.
“Yeah he’s a guy that has juice every single day in practice, and it shows up on game day… Guys like Alex and his physicality is going to show up in a game like that.”
— Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach
The Cowboys and Rams both hold fifth-round capital in next month’s draft, which is exactly where Harkey’s market is settling. NFL talent evaluators project him to kick inside to guard at the pro level. Dallas desperately needs cheap, high-upside interior depth to protect Dak Prescott, while Sean McVay’s Rams are always hunting for athletic linemen who can pull and operate in space.
Next up is Oregon’s Pro Day. If Harkey flashes the same hip fluidity and functional strength he showed in Indy, he won’t just hear his name called on Day 3—he might force a team to grab him in the fourth round just to secure his rights.
