Every player who walks into the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis knows they need a strong performance to rise on draft boards.

Some can use the event to prove that they are the best prospect at their respective position. Others need a standout performance just to get drafted at all.

The three names listed below arguably need the biggest performances of anyone in the 2026 draft class.

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

Had Drew Allar come out for the draft in 2025, there was a good shot that he would have been selected in the first round. Now, after a struggling final season at Penn State that included a season-ending ankle injury, the jury is out on exactly where Allar will go.

Some believe Allar is an intriguing Day 3 prospect this year. Others think there’s a chance he can earn his way into Day 2 with a strong performance at the combine.

There are other quarterbacks who need strong workouts to improve their stock, such as LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (one of the top Senior Bowl standouts).

Allar, though, is in a unique position. After going from a projected top-10 pick to a Day 3 prospect, largely due to injury, the combine is his chance to either fly up the draft board or stay in the bottom end.

It will not be easy for Allar to make scouts forget about the 2025 season, but his work in Indy could go a long way toward making up for the last few months.

Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Some scouts believe Caleb Downs is the top safety prospect NFL teams have seen in decades. Comparisons have been made to Baltimore Ravens All-Pro Kyle Hamilton, and the film backs it up.

When a transcendent player like Downs comes into the league at a position that isn’t considered valuable in NFL circles, there is always speculation on where he should be drafted.

A team like the Jets could certainly look to target Downs with the second overall pick, but that would make him the highest-drafted safety since Eric Turner in 1991. A strong performance in the combine, similar to the work that Hamilton did when he was taken in 2022, could go a long way toward convincing the Jets to make that decision.

Mikail Kamara, Edge, Indiana

Mikail Kamara won’t be considered in the same realm as some of the top edge rushers like David Bailey or Rueben Bain. However, his work at Indiana helped the Hoosiers win the national title this past season.

He didn’t have his best season this past year with just two sacks in 16 games, but he had 23.5 over his college career, including 10 in 2024.

The combine is Kamara’s opportunity to show scouts that he can return to his 10-sack heights. Kamara is a tweener whose athleticism will be on full display in Indianapolis.

In a deep defensive line class, Kamara must show as much as he can to separate himself from the pack. A strong showing could convince teams to buy into the upside that he showed earlier in his career.