The 2026 NFL Combine is underway, and the prospects across the country are trying their best to boost their draft stock. However, as top invitees like Fernando Mendoza and Caleb Downs declined invitations, the former Chargers DT Breiden Fehoko feels that, as a result, the soul of the evaluation process is being lost.

NFL veteran Breiden Fehoko feels that the Combine was supposed to be the crucial platform that decided the player’s future, but now has become a joke. He wanted the NFL to invite talents that truly value it and are not looking at it as an option.

“Stop inviting dudes to the combine who won’t test,” Breiden Fehoko wrote on X. “There’s hundreds of hungry dudes out there who are starving for a sliver of opportunity to test at the combine. It’s become a joke. The combine used to be the biggest interview of your life. Now it’s become a beauty pageant.”

Fehoko’s outburst of frustration came after projected top NFL Draft picks like Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State DB Caleb Downs, Tennessee DB Jermod McCoy, LSU DB Mansoor Delane, and other invited members declined participation in the on-field drills.

Fernando Mendoza, the projected No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, chose Indiana’s Pro Day over the Combine. Since Mendoza’s stock looked great after the 2025 season, it seemingly became an option for him.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“At the combine, you’re throwing to different receivers; it’s a whole different thing,” Mendoza said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I want to make sure that I give my guys the best chance, so I want to throw at pro day with my guys, with my running backs, and be there with the boys.”

It is important to note that the Raiders, who have the No. 1 draft pick, will be in attendance at Indiana’s pro day to watch out for Mendoza on April 1, with reports suggesting that he will have a private workout there.

At the same time, Caleb Downs did have a visit to Indianapolis but skipped his workout at the Combine, as he opted to wait until the Ohio State Pro Day. It was believed that Downs being projected as the round 1 pick was the reason for the absence. On the other hand, Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy skipped the workout, claiming that he “just didn’t feel ready” since being cleared from a torn ACL last January.

This isn’t a one-time occurrence, as the last three years’ projected No. 1 picks skipped the Combine drills. As this seems to be turning into a habit of top draft picks, the NFL can instead invite some other talents longing for an opportunity.

Biggest 2026 NFL Combine snubs

Some of the top talents this past season were omitted from the NFL Combine, and they must now lean heavily on pro days and private workouts. However, this isn’t the end. The NFL has a history of non-invited talents turning out to be successful pros, and some overlooked players being undrafted. Here are some of the biggest talents omitted in this year’s Combine.

Indiana’s edge, Mikail Kamara, who led the Big Ten in pressures and was a key force in the Hoosiers’ national title run, was not invited. Although pass rushers are in demand in the NFL, he had to rely heavily on Indiana’s pro day to prove he belongs in the early rounds.

On the other hand, the Hoosiers’ RB Kaelon Black, who rushed for 1,040 yards for 10 touchdowns with a dominating performance in the CFP, was not invited. He was one of the most underrated players in the Hoosiers’ national title run, and the Combine would have set the platform for the draft boost. At the same time, Wisconsin’s OT Riley Mahlman played 2,800 snaps in his collegiate run. He played a crucial role in the East-West Shrine Bowl but wasn’t invited, although OTs are in high demand.