The NFL Combine drills are set to get underway on 26th February as 319 draft prospects meet up for the annual event at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The NFL Combine is one of the big events of the offseason, as it gives teams a chance to evaluate the top prospects in the country as the next class of professional football players. The Combine also provides athletes a chance to enhance their reputation ahead of the all-important NFL draft in a couple of months.
During this process, the players will undergo media interviews, team interviews, physical tests, and, most importantly, on-field drills. In this article, we will take a look at one such drill, the vertical jump, and the odds for the 2026 NFL Combine.
What is the vertical jump drill at the NFL Combine?
The vertical jump is one of the drills at the Combine each year. In this drill, athletes crouch down and jump straight in the air to slap the highest-possible vane. This drill is used to measure the height difference between a standing reach and the maximum height attained after jumping.
The vertical jump is used to measure the lower body strength, in particular, the power in the legs. The player groups targeted by this drill are the wide receivers, as a means to measure how high they can jump for high balls and to create separation. It also targets the defensive backs for their ability to contest passes in the air.
Furthermore, the vertical jump also gives a better idea of the explosiveness of tight ends over linebackers/safeties, as well as the lateral agility of running backs. Edge rushers and defensive ends are also measured for their ability to “get off” and disrupt passing lanes.
Vertical jump odds
Typically, the top performers at the vertical jump average anywhere between 40 and 45 inches. The record for this drill was set back in 2005 by Safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who reached 46 inches. Sensabaugh went on to be drafted with the 157th overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Here are the 2026 NFL draft odds for the vertical jump at the upcoming 2026 NFL Combine, as per DraftKings.
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Top Candidates who can break the vertical jump record this year
The vertical jump record has stood its ground for over 2 decades now. That just gives an idea of how difficult it will be to break it. However, records are meant to be broken, and if there is a chance of that happening in the 2026 NFL draft, here are the top prospects who could do so.
Sonny Styles – LB (Ohio State)
Linebacker Sonny Styles is a top prospect in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft. The Ohio State Buckeyes’ linebacker won a National Championship in 2024 and earned First-team All-American and First-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025.
The 21-year-old stands at a height of 6 feet 5 inches and weighs around 243 pounds, making him one of the tallest at his position. He is widely considered to be a top 15 draft pick, with several mock drafts placing him inside the top 12 or top 10 as well.
Jake Golday is a linebacker who played for the Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Before that, he played for the Central Arkansas Bears football team from 2021 to 2023.
Golday stands at 6 feet 4 inches and weighs around 240 pounds. He is known for being a big and explosive linebacker whose game is ideally suited near the line of scrimmage. At present, Golday’s draft stock sees him going somewhere in the late first round or early second round.
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Tanner Koziol – TE (Houston)
Tight end Tanner Koziol joined the Houston Cougars in 2025, before which he played for the Ball State Cardinals football team from 2022 to 2024. Koziol earned First-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025 with an impressive performance over his 13 games.
The big tight end who stands 6 feet 6 inches and weighs around 245 pounds caught 74 passes for 727 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns last year. Koziol is expected to be drafted around round 5 as per his present draft stock.
The vertical jump record could be one of the more difficult records to break at this year’s Combine, given that the record has stood for 20-odd years. That being said, athletes are improving consistently, and there is always a chance someone will put in an incredible performance.
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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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