Combine Preview: 2026 Ranked Defensive Prospects to Watch
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While more prospects will continue signing up over the next week, over 100 prospects are already slated to make their way to Mylan Park in Morgantown, WV on May 4th to compete at the PRZ WV Combine Series! We’re here…
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Continue ReadingWhile more prospects will continue signing up over the next week, over 100 prospects are already slated to make their way to Mylan Park in Morgantown, WV on May 4th to compete at the PRZ WV Combine Series! We’re here to give you a preview of who will be in attendance and the talent that will be on hand. Here are the 2026 ranked defensive prospects that will be in attendance that you need to watch for!
There are still spots left for our Combine coming to Morgantown, WV on May 4th! Code WVHSCombine24 will get you a discount if you’d like to attend! The deadline to register is May 2nd. For more information please click this link.
The highest-ranked defensive prospect set to attend the combine is Independence DL Aaron Blankenship Aaron Blankenship 6’1″ | 240 lbs | DL Independence | 2026 State WV . Blankenship currently ranks as our #1 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and rounds out our Top 15 overall at this time. He’s also a talented offensive lineman and a two-way player for the Patriots, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on both sides of the line in person. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Blankenship at the combine given his high ranking and are expecting him to be a top performer and showcase the ability and ceiling we believe he has. Our two questions for him to answer at the event are how he looks from a size standpoint and whether he can go out and dominate in 1-on-1s on both sides of the line. Anytime you have an athlete ranked inside the Top 15 and #1 at his position you’re going to want those high praises confirmed live and in person, and our expectation from Blankenship is that he will.
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Another Top 25 2026 defensive prospect who will be competing at the combine is Washington DB Camren Togans Camren Togans 6’1″ | 185 lbs | DB Washington | 2026 State WV . We’ve been high on Togans for a while now dating back to before his sophomore season began and has been consistent as the #2 defensive back in the class in our rankings. He’s another highly-ranked prospect that we’ll be expecting big things from and further prove the high regard we have for him. The two aspects of his game that we’ll be looking closely at as the questions we want him to answer at the combine are how well will he test to show his raw athletic ability at this stage in his development and whether can he perform at a high level in man coverage in 1-on-1s. Being a safety prospect, Togans may not see a ton of man coverage assignments but will have a great opportunity to prove he’s capable of doing so. We liked his run-defense film a lot when evaluating him, but in a camp setting that’s typically not an area you can showcase well. Pass coverage and playing the ball in the air were two areas we want to see more of from him, and Togans will be able to put those on display at the combine.
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George Washington 2026 LB Clyde May Clyde May 6’1″ | 210 lbs | LB George Washington | 2026 State WV recently debuted as the #5 ranked linebacker in the class in the spring rankings update, but we’ll want to see him go out and prove that high praise at the combine. May had an interesting role for the Patriots last season while seeing reps at both defensive line and linebacker. We believe he translates best as a linebacker prospect at this point but will get a better idea of that in person. The two main questions we have for him to answer at the combine are can he test like a future college linebacker, and does he have the athleticism for pass coverage? With a lot of reps at defensive end last season, it made it difficult to judge whether he has that ability just based on film, but May can prove he has those capabilities in person in 1-on-1s and the combine testing drills.
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The highest-ranked 2026 LB prospect currently set to attend the combine is Capital’s Shamar Smith Shamar Smith 5’9″ | 190 lbs | LB Capital | 2026 State WV . The 2026 linebacker class is still sorting itself out for who will emerge at the top of the rankings as prospects jockey for position. Smith has shown early signs of being one of the better linebackers in the class, and we’ll get to see him in person for the first time at the combine. Our questions for him will be to see how well will he test and what kind of athleticism he has at this time as well as how well can he perform in pass coverage in 1-on-1s? Linebacker is another tough position to excel at in camp settings without there being contact and a running game to defend. If Smith can show he has the athleticism and ability to defend the pass, he can further prove he’s one of the top linebackers in this class.
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Wayne 2026 ATH Kaiden Hayton Kaiden Hayton 6’3″ | 200 lbs | ATH Wayne | 2026 State WV is a very intriguing prospect who could develop into a few different positions at the next level. Most of his film from last season was as a returner and DB, but at 6’3 200, he can grow into several other spots over the next two years. We aren’t sure which position he’ll get the most work at during the combine, but have him slated as a WR/DB for now. That’s the main question we have for Hayton is which spot he eventually ends up at in the future, and if he has the body type to be able to grow into a bigger ATH prospect like a LB or TE down the road. We’re also anxious to see how well he tests and what his raw athleticism numbers look like which could further help determine which position he settles in at. Production was limited last season, but we believe Hayton has a high floor as a prospect with an undetermined but potentially high ceiling as of now.
North Marion 2026 LB Josh Holden Josh Holden 6’1″ | 200 lbs | LB North Marion | 2026 State WV recently debuted as a Top 10 linebacker in the class based largely on potential and future development. His best football is ahead of him, and we’ll be looking for him to show he’s capable of maintaining that high ranking at the combine as he continues to progress his game over the next two years. Quicker reaction time and attack/pursuit speed are the areas we saw on film that we want him to take the next steps in, and Holden will have some opportunities in pass coverage during 1-on-1s to show his progress in those areas. The lack of a true running game in a camp setting makes it difficult for linebackers, but proving he’s a capable coverage linebacker too will speak highly of his ability if he can do so. That’s our main question for Holden heading into the combine along with just getting a better idea of his athletic ability from his testing numbers.
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The combine will be a great opportunity for 2026 Spring Mills LB Devin King Devin King 5’10” | 190 lbs | LB Spring Mills | 2026 State WV who was banged up for most of the 2023 season but showed flashes when healthy that earned him a Top 15 LB ranking in this class. The limited sample size up to this point makes him intriguing yet unknown to this point, but a strong combine performance in front of us in person could quickly change that. King just needs more opportunities to showcase what he can do which makes events like this a great deal for prospects like him. The main question we have for him at the combine will be just showing what he’s capable of and whether can he prove he’s worthy of that Top 15 LB ranking. Sometimes you have to take chances on prospects, especially when they’re younger, who may not have a lot of film but showed potential for what they do have available. King can do just that, and we expect he’ll further show the potential he flashed during his shortened sophomore season.