NFL scouts on the most polarizing prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft

Jordyn Tyson. Ty Simpson. Kadyn Proctor. Rueben Bain. A few quotes from the scouts inside. Subscribers can access their full capsules.

Apr 09, 2026

Good morning, readers.

Bob McGinn’s annual draft series is officially complete. (I’m guessing his ears are ringing from talking to scouts nonstop the last couple months.)

Each spring, there’s a handful of prospects at the top who fuel the most debate. For whatever reason. A handful of those players are below with a few quotes from NFL scouts. Be sure to click the link at the bottom of each prospect to access the full capsule.

The goal is to supply an authentic cross-section of prospects — the good, bad ‘n ugly— as if these scouts are discussing at the bar with you.

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“His Achilles heel is just the durability. He’s had something every year. He’s not soft. It’s legit injuries. At minimum, talent-wise, he’s a No. 2. He’s a starter. He has it all: size, athleticism, hands, route-run detail. Has run after the catch. He’s fast enough.”
“He’s got adequate size and adequate speed. He’ll catch the heck out of the ball. There were times he would disappear, and then all of a sudden he and (Sam) Leavitt would get together and they’d go boom-boom-boom and score. But there’s nothing about him that’s exceptional. All this first-round talk, I don’t see it. To me, to be in the first round you’ve got to have something special about you. There’s nothing physically about him — size, speed, anything – that sticks out. And he’s been hurt. He was an enigma to me.”
“This guy is one of the most noncompetitive receivers I’ve done in a while. Body catcher even when it’s not contested. I’ve never seen anybody catch slants and just slide to the ground like this guy does. It’s nuts. He’s just not a tough dude. He doesn’t make catches when bodies are around him. Very inconsistent. And Hines Ward coaches him, which is crazy. Because I know no way Hines is saying, ‘This is what we need here.’ I don’t like him at all. He gets hurt all the time and I don’t think he’s very tough.”

More on Tyson and the WR class here.

Kadyn Proctor, T, Alabama

“I didn’t like Evan Neal and this guy is exactly the same. I wanted to like him, too. He has a little bit of movement for being so big. But the game against Auburn, he’s just standing around watching. He just teases you and, ultimately, disappoints. Big, good-looking dude but not physical, not a lot of grit. Stands around and watches.”
“Light on his feet. He can bend. He can move people. He can anchor. Talentwise, there’s no question who this kid is. But he has had weight issues over his career. The intelligence is not great. At the end of the day, O-linemen that are big, smart and tough are the guys that play. The guys that are super talented and maybe not that smart and have weight issues and the work ethic doesn’t match to the talent are the ones you worry about. He’s how you want to draw them up physically but it gives you a little pause with who he is.”
“He’s going to go probably in the 20’s but it’s embarrassing. He should be in the top five, top six. He’s more athletic than my top two guys (Fano, Mauigoa) but the top two guys produce consistently. He didn’t. Will he play? Yes. Are you going to be satisfied with him? Probably not. Alabama never really was.”

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

“The biggest concern is he’s a one-year starter. Started off really hot and then he got banged up and was dealing with injuries toward the end of the season. He’s really talented. He’s an underrated athlete. He’s got good feet and escapability. He’s really tough. Probably his best trait is his football intelligence and instincts. Kid’s always in command. Really good pre- and post-snap. You see it on film. He can manipulate safeties with his eyes. His footwork is really good, both in the shotgun and coming out from under center. He’s got a quick, compact release. His touch is really good.”
“Fifteen starts, one-year starter. He’s a little guy that’s wild and inconsistent. He doesn’t have good feel for timing. He’s terrible against pressure. He’s a good little athlete but he doesn’t escape pressure well. He should have stayed in school. You’re really just gambling. There’s nothing on tape where you say, ‘He should have come out. He’s going to be a first-rounder.’ It’s years away with this guy.”

Caleb Banks, DL, Florida

“He’s a total roll of the dice. He’s super talented but between his foot injury and being an underachiever on the field … but his combination of size and power and foot speed is pretty rare. He can throw people around and win with initial quickness. He’s not a pass rusher. He’s actually too big to pass rush. He can’t get into a gap because he’s bigger than the gap. Everyone talks about, ‘Well, he can bull rush the center and the guards back to the quarterback.’ Well, he can maybe do it once and then he tires. And if plays on first and second down he’s dead by third down. He’s got no endurance left to bull rush anybody.”
“I know he did a good job at the Senior Bowl but those (one-on-one) pass-rush drills are one-dimensional. It’s when you have to put it all together when you don’t know whether it’s run or pass. That’s where you worry about him. You want to work with the kid. He’s shown the flashes of a first-round pick. I just haven’t seen consistently the production that I want to see. He’s boom or bust.”
“He looks the part completely. Just rare all the way around traits-wise. He’s huge, and light on his feet. There’s some laziness to him, some bullshit to him, some excuses to him. There’s nothing out there that says he will give us his best.”

More on Banks and the DL class here.

Rueben Bain, Edge, Miami (Fla.)

“I think he’ll be the first defensive lineman or edge guy taken since ’99 or something with under 31-inch arms. He’ll be a major outlier. He’s super physical and aggressive but Bain is a tweener. He’s got no position. He’s not tall or lanky enough to be a defensive end. He’s not really athletic or fast enough to be an outside backer. And he’s too small to be a defensive tackle. Does he have a motor? Yes. Does he have physical hands? Yes. Is he active with his hands? Yes. As a technician, he’s going to wear a lot of bad college linemen out with his hands and effort. He did that. But, wow, do I think he’s going to get blocked in the NFL? I do.”
“Those short arms and that size will be a concern. More of an overachiever-type athlete than a natural, fluid, silky kind of dude. But you love the way he plays. He’s tough as hell. Best thing about his pass rush is he’s relentless. Gives effort against the run. Kills the tight ends. He gets smothered up a little bit by those big (tackles). They’ll get him. He’s like a Brandon Graham.”

More on Bain and the Edge class here.

Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn

“He’s a big D-end, the left end, in a 4-3 who can slide inside and give you something in there. He’s got all the physical qualities. He’s a great young man, probably too nice. They sort of changed schemes (in 2025) and he had more responsibility, more gap control. He’s not a natural playmaker. He probably plays more to the responsibility than just going and making a play. Someone’s going to take him because he’s a great kid and we can change him and he’s 6-6, 275. He’ll probably be in the first round, but later.”
“Prototypical NFL frame without the production. Shows stiffness in his lower half when trying to bend and navigate around corners. Some will love his raw upside but I’ll hold off on that. He should be taken where similar players have succeeded, which is not in the first round.”

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

“He was born and bred to have a combine like he did. He’s been running with a parachute on his back since he was 5 or 6 years old. People question his instincts. The bottom line is, he’s 6-5, 245 and ran super fast. That’s all I can say. Look. There’s a reason why he wasn’t top-10 or top-15 until the combine. Speed, toughness, instincts. He’s got the speed. The toughness is a question. The instincts are a question. So then you start having doubts about him. But with that body type someone will say ‘yes.’”
“He’s a big kid and obviously tested through the roof. Outstanding leader. It’s just for a big kid he doesn’t quite knock you back like you’d want, but there’s not many linebackers that do.”
“The lack of physicality was off. He’s not a quick-trigger guy. Seeing him in person, he’s so damn big and he is very, very smooth and well-coordinated. Give him some more credit and love for that. You’re betting it all on the upside. With Reese, you see it, man. Styles, he made the occasional play.”

More on Styles and the LB class here.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

“Plays fast. Short-area burst. Really aggressive, pop on contact. He’s not quick-twitch movement in such a big, long body.”
“He ran 4.55 but he’s probably more like 4.6. Somebody will fall off him because of that. I didn’t see anything that really stuck out to me as a guy that’s going to be special other than being a special-teams ace and maybe a nickel role. I don’t get it. I don’t know what I missed.”
“Doesn’t want to tackle. He doesn’t like to put his nose in the fan. He said he grab tackles to get the ball out. He has a lot of forced fumbles. He has a knack for that.”

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