Impressive List Of Oregon Ducks Invited To NFL Draft Combine

Indianapolis—Lucas Oil Stadium will host 319 of college football’s top prospects from Feb. 23 to March 2 for the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, and nine of them will wear the Oregon “O.” The invite list, released Tuesday, confirms that Dan Lanning’s program is again poised to make draft-weekend noise after last year’s record-setting run that saw 12 Ducks work out in Indianapolis and 10 selected in the seven-round draft.

The 2026 Oregon contingent is headlined by tight end Kenyon Sadiq, guard Emmanuel Pregnon and safety Dillon Thieneman—each of whom has spent the winter listed among the top-50 prospects on multiple league boards. Joining them in the on-field gauntlet of 40-yard dashes, bench-press reps, jumps and cone drills will be wide receiver Malik Benson, linebacker Bryce Boettcher, cornerback Jadon Canady, long-snapper Alex Harkey, running back Noah Whittington and defensive lineman Isaiah World.

For Whittington, the invitation caps a six-year collegiate journey that began as a two-star recruit out of Peach County, Georgia. After transferring from Western Kentucky in 2022, the 5-foot-8, 200-pound back waited his turn behind Bucky Irving and Jordan James, then erupted down the 2025 stretch, averaging 93.8 rushing yards over his final six regular-season games and posting three 100-yard performances against Rutgers (125), Iowa (118) and USC (104). Bleacher Report has slotted him as a fourth-round prospect, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks him the No. 10 back in the class.

“He’s tough as nails,” Lanning said of Whittington. “I always ask players if they wanna be the hammer or the nail. Noah is always the hammer.”

Oregon’s nine combine invites fall short of last year’s program-record dozen, but the gap is largely by choice. Quarterback Dante Moore, center Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu, edge defenders Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti and defensive tackles Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington all opted to return to Eugene for the 2026 season. Had that group declared, Lanning’s squad might have pushed the combine record north of 15 and produced more than 10 draft picks for the second straight year.

Instead, the focus shifts to the nine who will travel to Indianapolis. Sadiq’s fluid route-running and in-line blocking, Pregnon’s power in the phone booth and Thieneman’s range against play-action concepts will each be dissected by all 32 clubs. Strong showings would keep alive Oregon’s remarkable first-round streak: the Ducks have produced seven top-32 selections in the past six drafts—Derrick Harmon and Josh Conerly Jr. in 2025, Bo Nix (2024), Christian Gonzalez (2023), Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022), Penei Sewell (2021) and Justin Herbert (2020).

Position drills, medical checks and 15-minute formal interviews begin Thursday, Feb. 26, with on-field workouts televised Saturday through Monday. For the nine Ducks, the stakes are simple: run fast, jump high, answer smart and leave Indianapolis with a higher grade than they arrived with.