Thursday Combine Takeaways: Styles’s Mount Rushmore Workout, Banks’s Big Day, and Other Standout Performances

The story of Thursday workouts was Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, who entered the pantheon of all-time combine performers with the show he put on at Lucas Oil Stadium. His teammate, Arvell Reese, was also one of the big winners of the day, as was Florida interior defensive lineman Caleb Banks, whose high-end traits are creating some fascinating “bet-on-the-talent” thought exercises for GMs I’ve spoken to in the past 24 hours. 

We’ll contextualize their performances below and break down what else mattered—the good and the bad—from Thursday’s linebacker, edge, and interior defensive line sessions. I also have some notes to share directly from sources in the league. Let’s dive in.

What Mattered on Thursday: Separating news from noise on the most notable combine workouts, including Styles’s historic day and Cashius Howell’s arm length concerns. 

Back to the Tape: There’s only so much we can learn from combine workouts, but these players’ impressive on-field showings are forcing me to take a second look at their tape.  

Real Talk: Sharing conversations I’ve had with NFL decision-makers in Indy.