Risers and fallers from the 2026 NFL combine (and what it means for the Eagles)

The NFL Scouting Combine doesn’t have quite the same participation that it had pre-COVID pandemic, a fact that was further illustrated last week. Several position groups were impacted by the number of players opting to test athletically at their pro days, which made for historically low testing numbers for all but one position group in Indianapolis.

But for those who did test, it was an opportunity to showcase their skill set in front of NFL personnel for the latest piece of the scouting puzzle. From an Eagles perspective, there were a few potential targets who saw their stock impacted, both positively and negatively.

With free agency looming, here are some of the risers and fallers leaving the combine:

» READ MORE: 2026 NFL mock draft 2.0: What does the Eagles’ post-combine board look like?

The predraft process for Johnson has helped elevate his draft stock. Johnson, a sticky coverage player in man and zone coverages who is also competitive at the catch point, showed he was an elite athlete, too, with his athletic testing.

At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, jumped a 38-inch vertical, leaped 10 feet, 6 inches in the broad jump, and tied for the most bench press reps among defensive backs with 17. He interviewed well for NFL teams meeting with him in Indianapolis.

His predraft rise is similar to that of Quinyon Mitchell, a Group of Four player who continued checking boxes at every stop. Johnson won’t go as high as Mitchell did in 2024, but he has some late first-round buzz coming out of the combine.

Freeling, though he has just 16 career starts, feels like he is slowly slipping from the Eagles’ range in the first round. His final game at Georgia, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Ole Miss, was the most complete tackle performance in his career and he now seems unlikely to get out of the top half of the first round.

Freeling tied for the fourth fastest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen at the combine (4.91 seconds), third longest broad jump (9-7) and fifth-highest vertical (33.5 inches). He slipped a few times during the on-field drills, but still looked like a natural athlete with light feet.

He is going as high as No. 6 overall to the Cleveland Browns in post-combine mock drafts, which indicates just how highly he is thought of in draft circles.

Cooper was a popular Day 2 draft pick for several teams before the combine, including the Eagles, but after hearing the buzz in Indianapolis about the Indiana wide receiver, it is becoming increasingly unlikely he makes it beyond Round 1.

» READ MORE: Potential Eagles targets at the scouting combine: Which top tight end, secondary prospects do Birds have in their sights?

Cooper only ran the 40-yard dash (4.46 seconds) at the combine and didn’t do on-field drills, but he has checked several boxes for NFL teams and has the skill set and production to match his speed.

Cooper played primarily in the slot in college but his vertical catching ability and strong hands with defenders draped over him will translate. Even if the Eagles end up addressing wide receiver early, there’s a good possibility Cooper is off the board by the time they pick in the first round.

When healthy, McCoy is one of the best defensive backs in this draft class, but he missed all of 2025 with a torn ACL and elected to skip the combine. Nailing down his draft stock has been difficult because teams are not sure if he is the same player athletically, post-injury.

He falls on this list because of the question marks surrounding his long-term health as opposed to other first round corners including LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell.

Stow away McCoy’s name in case he doesn’t test as well as expected during his pro day on March 31. The Eagles showed last year with Jihaad Campbell that they are willing to take a swing on a player that had injury concerns leading up to the draft.

» READ MORE: NFL draft season has officially kicked off. Here are some early Eagles-focused takeaways.

After a strong Senior Bowl performance, Hunter, a disruptive, run-stopping defensive tackle, was getting late first-round buzz and even appeared in our first mock draft of the cycle. But his subpar testing numbers may hinder him from going that early in the draft.

Hunter’s 40-yard dash time (5.18 seconds) was as expected for a player that is 6-3, 318 pounds, but jumping a 21-inch vertical and 8-4 broad isn’t a first-round athleticism profile. Coupled with his limited pass rushing ability, Hunter feels closer to a late second-round player rather than back end of the first.

Like Hunter, Fields was starting to get some late first-round, early-second round buzz after a standout week in Mobile, Ala. to begin the draft cycle. But even for a taller receiver (6-4, 218), he didn’t run as well as many expected in the 40-yard dash (4.61 seconds), though it’s not the end-all, be-all.

He did have some nice explosive jumps (38 inch vertical, 10-4 broad) along with an excellent three-cone time (6.98 seconds). But during on-field drills, he had some tightness in his hips when he tried to sink them while changing direction.

Fields will still get drafted on Day 2, could start early in his NFL career and might be a nice option to replace A.J. Brown if the Eagles trade the star receiver. But it would be surprising to hear Fields’ name called in Round 1 come April.