Bain would not be on this list if his arms were a few inches longer. He's powerful, productive and bendy off the edge. He's an All-American coming off 15.5 tackles for loss last year. By all accounts, he loves the game.
But the 30⅞-inch arm length is still an issue, no matter how much teams wish it weren't.
"It's not nothing," a personnel executive with an NFL team picking in the top 10 said. "It's in between.
"The kid's played his entire life that way and been pretty successful. But I think it will pose a challenge. He's found a way to work around it, leaving blockers, using his squattines to his advantage. But you use your hands and arms on every play, trying to control the blocker who's trying to control you, reaching and running 60 times a game. It's an imperfect science, and you can't say he can't play football because he can. But he will have some issues."
Bain also did not test or run at his pro day, relying on drill work. That's an issue for some scouts because "to completely dismiss it without knowing the physical talent that we measure is probably more of a risk than the actual player," the exec said.
Despite all of this, Bain might just be the draft's best edge rusher, a wonderful blend of physicality and savvy. The risk assessment will be a factor for teams picking in the top 10 to 12.
McCoy is on this list largely because he didn't play in 2025 due to an ACL tear. But he looked every bit the part of a high draft pick at Tennessee's pro day last month, running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash and jumping 38 inches. And multiple coaches pointed out that the 6-foot-1 McCoy looks bigger in person than they thought he would.
"Really fluid, poised and calm in coverage, never see him panicked or out of phase, doesn't have to strain to make plays," a veteran NFL defensive coach said.
Evaluators must be comfortable with the 2024 tape to draft him, and one AFC exec calls that tape "good, but I didn't see a wow player ... so if you have any concerns about lower extremity durability, too, then you might have a tough time taking him."
McCoy has the profile to be picked early. But teams are doing homework on his knee and need to be comfortable with it. McCoy is visiting Carolina, which picks No. 19 overall, on Friday.
Scouts say Lemon's tape is excellent, but his measurables and predraft process raise questions.
"What are you getting?" a personnel executive with an NFL team asked. "I love that dude, watching him last year, but evaluating him through the spring, which version of this player will show up in my building? He didn't test great, had a couple of rough interviews from what I've been told. Seems like something is missing, or maybe I'm missing something."
Another NFL personnel source said Lemon's recall and detail of USC's offense was not the strongest during a team interview. If teams love his intensity and competitive demeanor, they could overlook that. Lemon's strengths are route running, running after the catch and contact balance. And, to be sure, plenty of star NFL players did not conduct great predraft interviews.
Lemon's 40-yard dash time ranged from 4.46 to 4.53 seconds at USC's pro day, according to reports. One AFC scout considers him "too small and too slow. Maybe he can overcome that, but it's an issue."
That scout said his best-case scenario is
Amon-Ra St. Brown, who at 6-foot and 202 pounds has a similar build to Lemon (5-11, 192 pounds) and is also a former USC star.
Ohio State's
Carnell Tate is considered by some scouts as the safest receiver prospect
Many of the NFL draft's most talented prospects come with big questions. We asked sources about them.
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