Six Ohio State Draft Prospects Who Can Boost Stock at 2026 NFL Scouting Combine

Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate and Sonny Styles should all shine at the combine if they choose to work out, but they don’t really need to. Reese and Styles are already projected to be the first two linebackers drafted, while Tate is projected to be the first wide receiver drafted and Downs is a virtual lock to be the first safety off the board. As spectacular as they were during their Ohio State careers, they don’t need a combine workout to validate themselves as likely top-15 picks.

Kayden McDonald has a bit more to gain, as he’s not unanimously projected as a first-round pick, but his draft stock is also high enough that working out at the combine won’t be a requirement for him. As a 326-pound nose tackle, McDonald’s 40-yard dash time doesn’t carry a ton of weight – though an impressive time could certainly help him – in comparison to his unanimous All-American tape in which he showed plenty of explosiveness at Ohio State this past season.

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The rest of Ohio State’s combine invitees, however, have more riding on their pre-draft workouts.

Davison Igbinosun, Max Klare and Caden Curry are all projected as middle-round picks, but how they perform in Indianapolis – and/or at Ohio State’s March 25 pro day – could make a real difference on which round they land in. Will Kacmarek, Lorenzo Styles Jr. and CJ Donaldson, meanwhile, might need strong showings at the combine to get drafted.

With that in mind, we take a look at how each of them could improve their draft stock at this week’s combine.

DB Lorenzo Styles Jr.

Given that Styles was identified by Brandon Inniss last season as the fastest player on Ohio State’s roster, he’s the most obvious candidate among the Buckeyes’ combine participants to boost his draft stock in Indianapolis.

Going into the combine, Styles isn’t widely projected to be drafted. He had a solid but not spectacular season in his lone year as a starter for the Buckeyes, and could be viewed as a “tweener” by NFL teams. While he projects to likely continue playing nickel at the next level, he’ll have to show he also has the versatility to play safety and/or outside cornerback to improve his chances of sticking on an NFL roster.

That said, he was an excellent special teams player at Ohio State, highlighted by his 100-yard kickoff return touchdown last season against UCLA. If he can prove he’s an elite athlete in combine testing and impress in defensive back drills, he’ll leave the combine with a much better chance of hearing his name called in April.

CB Davison Igbinosun

Sticking in the secondary, Igbinosun is another Buckeye defensive back who will have a spotlight around him at the combine.

Running a fast 40-yard dash is viewed as a prerequisite for a cornerback more than any other position. Igbinosun will measure up as one of the tallest cornerbacks at the combine, as he weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds at the Senior Bowl; if he can pair his size with impressive numbers in on-field testing, his physical traits are sure to intrigue NFL scouts.

The biggest question surrounding Igbinosun as a draft prospect is whether he can avoid the penalties that too often plagued him during his Ohio State career, particularly during his junior season in 2024. No combine drill will test that. But if he moves fluidly and demonstrates sound technique in position drills and gives good answers in his interviews about how he’s worked to cut down on penalties, he could solidify himself as a Day 2 draft pick after earning first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025.

Davison Igbinosun will look to prove he has the speed to pair with his size at the NFL Scouting Combine. (Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

DE Caden Curry

Curry will be back on home turf at the combine. The Greenwood, Indiana native stood out in his last trip to Lucas Oil Stadium, recording seven tackles with three tackles for loss and two sacks in a losing effort against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, and he’ll look to deliver another standout performance in front of his hometown crowd when defensive linemen participate in the first day of combine workouts on Thursday.

Showcasing athleticism will be key for Curry, as his measurables relative to other middle-round defensive ends in the 2026 draft class could be a key factor in determining whether he gets drafted above them. While Curry was highly productive for Ohio State last season, recording 66 tackles with 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, NFL decision-makers will pay close attention to his physical attributes in evaluating how that production will translate to the next level.

If Curry posts above-average numbers and has a strong showing in position drills, he’ll likely solidify himself as an early Day 3 draft choice. Below-average numbers, on the other hand, could put him at risk of sliding into the late rounds, as there’s no clear consensus among draft analysts right now on where Curry will be selected.

TE Max Klare

A native of Guilford, Indiana, who played at Purdue before transferring to Ohio State, Klare is another middle-round prospect who would benefit from an impressive workout for NFL scouts in his home state.

Klare entered the 2025 season in contention to be the top tight end in the draft, but is now projected as a third-round pick and ranked as the No. 3 tight end on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board. That’s the result of a good but not excellent season at Ohio State, where he caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns but didn’t make as many big plays as he did at Purdue (51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns).

That said, Klare still has a case for being the draft’s top receiving tight end – especially if he can prove with his combine numbers that he’s a top-tier athlete for the position. He should shine in pass-catching drills at the combine. After showing improvement as a blocker as a Buckeye, Klare could elevate his draft stock into the second-round range if he stands out in combine work.

TE Will Kacmarek

While Klare is already known to be one of the draft’s top receiving tight ends, Kacmarek’s combine will be all about trying to show he can do more as a receiver than he showed at Ohio State.

Kacmarek caught only 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns across two seasons as a Buckeye, but had better production as a receiver in his previous two seasons at Ohio (42 catches for 507 yards and two touchdowns). While Ohio State didn’t ask Kacmarek to run many deep routes, position drills at the combine will give him an opportunity to showcase his route-running skills and hands.

Kacmarek has a good shot at being drafted in the late rounds on the strength of his blocking, which will undoubtedly be his primary role in the NFL. But proving he has the athleticism and receiving skill to be at least an occasional contributor in the passing game is a crucial step for Kacmarek to boost his draft stock.

Showcasing receiving ability will be the top priority for Will Kacmarek at the NFL Scouting Combine. (Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

RB CJ Donaldson

Among all of Ohio State’s combine participants, Donaldson is probably the one who most needs to stand out in Indianapolis to get drafted.

Donaldson entered the 2025 season with expectations of making more big plays after slimming down to 232 pounds, but that didn’t show up much on the field for the Buckeyes, as he had just one play longer than 15 yards all season. The West Virginia transfer ran for only 361 yards in his lone season at Ohio State.

Seeing what weight Donaldson measures in at will be interesting, as he was as light as 226 pounds last spring after arriving at Ohio State at 243 pounds, but his 40-yard dash and other on-field measurables will be crucial as scouts evaluate whether he’s athletic enough to be an NFL running back. Pass-catching drills will also be an opportunity for Donaldson to boost his draft stock, as the former high school tight end didn’t have big production as a collegiate pass-catcher, catching just 15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown at Ohio State last season.

Ohio State’s draft prospects will work out at the NFL Scouting Combine from Thursday through Saturday. Eleven Warriors will be in Indianapolis from Wednesday through Friday for each Buckeye’s media interview session, so stay tuned for coverage of all 11 Buckeyes as we follow them throughout the week. NFL Network will have televised coverage of each day’s workouts.