The Athletic has dwell protection of the 2026 NFL Scouting Mix.
Probably the most mentioned day of NFL mix week is right here. It’s time for quarterbacks, working backs and broad receivers to take the sphere. Primarily based on Saturday’s big selection of outcomes, draft statuses will sharpen and hype will toggle. A wideout may need to reply questions on Legos earlier than hitting the three-cone drill.
Right here’s your information to the QB-RB-WR group, headlined by the likes of Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate.
How you can watch the 2026 NFL Scouting Mix
Time: 1-8 p.m. ET, Saturday
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis
TV: NFL Community
Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)
NFL Community can also be out there on NFL+. Encore shows will air at 8 and 11 p.m. Saturday and a couple of a.m. Sunday (all instances ET).
Gamers to know in Saturday’s session
Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner and the nationwide championship recreation hero, is the doubtless No. 1 choose. He confirmed exceptional accuracy and unshakable poise all through final season.
Mendoza has formally interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders, who’re atop the draft order after going 3-14. He referred to as new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak “savvy” throughout Friday’s media session. He additionally linked over the telephone with Tom Brady, the franchise’s minority proprietor. Mendoza shouldn’t be throwing Saturday, opting as an alternative for Indiana’s April 1 professional day. The final three No. 1 draft picks, all QBs, additionally rested their arms on the mix.
One other QB to observe is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who threw 28 touchdowns to 5 interceptions in his last season with the Tide. There’s some curiosity round Simpson’s medical report, as he completed the School Soccer Playoff push via a rib damage.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler identifies a attainable sleeper in Saturday’s proceedings: North Dakota State slinger Cole Payton, who threw for 16 TDs and rushed for 13 extra.
The working backs are led by Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame’s open-field dynamo. On Friday, the Missouri-born Love was teasing curiosity within the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, whereas additionally telling Wealthy Eisen he didn’t have a proper interview with the Cleveland Browns. He mentioned that he’s collaborating in full Saturday.
Elsewhere within the backfield, Brugler likes Arkansas’ Mike Washington after his Senior Bowl exhibiting.
Receivers embody Tate, a 6-foot-3 playmaker, and Makai Lemon, the shifty choice from USC. Tate made his case for No. 2 total on Friday, envisioning his “recreation changer” expertise in New York Jets inexperienced. Lemon received’t run the 40-yard sprint, as first reported by Brugler, however he’ll nonetheless undergo the gauntlet and receiver routes.
Greater than 300 prospects had been invited to the 2026 mix; the complete listing could be discovered right here.
A number of notable previous performances
Two years in the past, receiver Xavier Worthy boosted his profile with a record-setting 40-yard sprint time. The Chiefs then drafted the speedster within the first spherical, and he led the group with 9 whole touchdowns as a rookie.
Again in 2008, Chris Johnson turned heads along with his blistering 40 time. The East Carolina RB rose to first-round standing and landed with the Tennessee Titans at No. 24. He joined the ultra-rare 2K-yard membership in his second professional season.
Brady himself had a famously “mid” mix outing in 2000. His low vertical soar and underwhelming apply reps helped trigger a draft dive to the sixth spherical. From there, Brady received seven Tremendous Bowls and wrote everywhere in the NFL document ebook.
NFL Draft protection from The Athletic
Nick Baumgardner broke down the quarterbacks:
“Simpson has first-round items, athletically and mentally, however it’s onerous to say that he’s prepared to guide an NFL offense subsequent season. Nonetheless, he’s a top-40 participant this cycle, and one who may simply slide into the primary spherical — maybe even properly into Spherical 1 — if he impresses on the mix.”
Our NFL beat reporters did a first-round mock draft:
“After fielding some commerce presents, nothing got here near transferring me. The Raiders should lastly take a quarterback within the first spherical, one thing they haven’t performed since JaMarcus Russell. Mendoza initiatives as an incredible slot in Klint Kubiak’s offense and, hopefully, indicators a brand new period of stability for this franchise.” — Ted Nguyen
Our school soccer specialists did a mock draft, too:
“With Tyler Shough fixing its quarterback drawback, New Orleans can get a plug-and-play alternative for Alvin Kamara in Love. Some would name taking a working again right here a attain, however Love is a menace to attain each time he touches the ball.” — Pete Sampson
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