Doug Farrar

2026 Scouting Combine: Nobody Hears More About Arm Length Than Offensive Linemen, and Nobody Wants to Hear It Less The arm length discussion regarding offensive linemen gained new traction from the Super Bowl to the scouting combine, and the big guys in Indianapolis were tired of it before it began.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Every year at the scouting combine, arm length for offensive tackles is one of the big stories. But if you talk to the big men themselves, they'll tell you: If you can play, you can play. Arm length be damned! athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-sco...

Combine No. 18 in the books, and I’m reminded all over again how fortunate I am to do what I do. Now, back to Seattle to watch eleventy billion hours of draft tape.

2026 Scouting Combine: Which Stars In the Drills Actually Show That Athleticism on Tape? Every year, there are athletic marvels at the scouting combine, and every year, we wonder what it means in an NFL sense. Doug Farrar attempts to deduce the NFL value of the 2026 combine stars.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Every year, there are athletic marvels at the scouting combine, and every year, we wonder what it means in an NFL sense. I used game tape and high-speed tracking data to try and answer that question for the 2026 group. athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-sco...

Sonny Styles' Superpower May Be the One You Haven't Seen Enough Of Yet As much as Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles had amazing tape in 2025, and blew up the scouting combine this week, there's more to his game than you may realize, writes Doug Farrar.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Sonny Styles blew up the combine, and everybody knows what a great, Fred Warner-level linebacker he is. But I wanted to write about his hidden superpower as an edge-rusher, based on something he told me. athlonsports.com/nfl/sonny-st...

2026 Scouting Combine: Aveion Terrell, D'Angelo Ponds, Chris Johnson, and More Cornerbacks Detail Their Best Plays Athlon Sports’ Doug Farrar spoke with several cornerback prospects at the scouting combine, and asked them for their best college plays. Here are their answers, and the corresponding game tape.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social from the combine: I asked several cornerbacks for their favorite college plays, and their answers gave me insight into their NFL potential. Avieon Terrell, D'Angelo Ponds, and more! athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-sco...

Here is my opening statement to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today.

Rueben Bain Jr.'s Arm Length is Irrelevant to his NFL Success; Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson Could Tell You Why Miami edge-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. is the 2026 scouting combine's Measurement Hysteria King, but his tape shows that arm length isn't a career-killer. It's really about the fact that styles make fights...

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: With Rueben Bain Jr.'s arm length/wingspan, you could refer to all the edge-rushers who have overcome similar concerns.

I took a page from Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson, because styles make football players just as they make fights. athlonsports.com/nfl/rueben-b...

2026 Scouting Combine: Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, and More Linebackers Detail Their Best Plays Athlon Sports' Doug Farrar spoke with five linebacker prospects at the scouting combine, and asked them for their best college plays. Here are their answers, and the corresponding game tape.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: At the combine, I asked five linebackes -- Sonny Styles, Jake Golday, Kendal Daniels, and more -- for their favorite collegiate plays. Their answers, and the corresponding tape, can be seem here. Some great answers! athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-sco...

2026 Scouting Combine: Defensive Tackles Are More Important Then Ever. How Does This Class Measure Up? The 2026 draft class of interior defensive linemen is an interesting group, and they're coming into an NFL that needs them more than ever before.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social from the scouting combine: Defensive tackles are more important than ever in today's NFL. If you want proof, ask the two Super Bowl teams. How does the 2026 class measure up? athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-sco...

(Also: I can neither confirm nor deny that a preview of the cover story for @athlonsports.bsky.social's draft guide magazine, which comes out next week, is in this article).

2026 NFL Scouting Combine: Which Prospects Could Be the Next Great 'Do-It-All' Defensive Backs? Every NFL team wants its own 'everywhere unicorn' in coverage, and there's more than one such prospect in the 2026 draft class. Which of those prospects have the best chances to fill all those roles?

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Spoke with Eliot Wolf, Eric DeCosta, and Jesse Minter about the value of the do-it-all DB in today's NFL, and @MoveTheSticks gave me great intel on the three prospects who could be next. athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-nfl...

2026 NFL Scouting Combine: Who Has the Most to Prove in Indianapolis? The scouting combine is a great place for NFL teams to get better reads on the draft's top prospects every year, and here are 12 prospects who need the 2026 combine to go well for them.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: As the scouting combine gets going, who has the most to prove? Here are 12 prospects with a lot on the line, from Ty Simpson to Jordyn Tyson to Rueben Bain Jr. to D’Angelo Ponds. athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-nfl...

6 offensive NFL draft prospects who could shock the world at this year’s combine Which draft prospects are best-suited to amaze NFL shot-callers during the scouting combine drills? Here are six likely field-tilters on offense.

New on @SBnation: Based on tape, metrics, and number of high-speed plays, here are six offensive prospects I think could blow up the combine. Cole Payton, Brenen Thompson, and Kadyn Proctor (!) are among the dudes. www.sbnation.com/nfl/1104054/...

6 defensive NFL draft prospects who could shatter expectations at the combine Which draft prospects are best-suited to amaze NFL shot-callers during the scouting combine drills? Here are six likely field-tilters on defense.

New on @sbnation.bsky.social: Based on tape, metrics, and high-speed plays per position, here are six defensive players who should blow it up at the combine. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Justin Jefferson (not that one), and Julian Neal are among the guys to watch. www.sbnation.com/nfl/1104098/...

2026 NFL Scouting Combine: 12 Small-School Stars Who Are Poised to Surprise The transfer portal has taken a lot of the smaller-school stars away to bigger programs, but here are 12 smaller-school prospects who could be scouting combine stars.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Woot! Flying to Indy for my 18th combine today, and in advance of that, put together a list of 12 small-school stars to watch this week. Cole Payton, Bryce Lance, Kaleb Proctor, and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren are among the dudes. athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-nfl...

there might be some decent writing in here

Pre-Scouting Combine Mock Draft: First-Round Projections With the scouting combine just around the corner, Athlon's Doug Farrar makes one attempt to place the 2026 draft's best prospects with their ideal NFL teams before the combine happens.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: Getting ready for the combine (my favorite week of the year), so it's time to drop the first first-round mock of 2026. As always, protestations should be filled with ad hominem arguments and multiple mis-spellings. athlonsports.com/nfl/nfl-mock...

The Seahawks Won Super Bowl LX With A Game Plan You Won't Believe The Seattle Seahawks demolished the New England Patriots by tripling down on a defensive structure other teams can't get away with. In the end, only Mike Macdonald's team could do what it did.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: The Seahawks have been getting away with defensive schemes other teams just can't all season long. In Super Bowl LX, they tripled down on all of it, and somehow became even better.

On the NFL's "unicorn with fangs." athlonsports.com/nfl/seahawks...

Emeka Egbuka Talks Seahawks/Patriots Defenses, His Friends in Super Bowl LX, and Salute to Service Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka recently spoke with Athlon Sports' Doug Farrar about the two defenses in Super Bowl LX, both of which he lit up, and a host of other topics.

New on @AthlonSports: In advance of Super Bowl LX, I wanted to talk with one receiver who lit up the Seahawks AND the Patriots this season.

So, I talked with Emeka Egbuka of the Buccaneers, who did exactly that. athlonsports.com/nfl/emeka-eg...

YouTube video by Athlon Sports Tetairoa McMillan Reveals The Small Details That Make Him Uncoverable

watching tape with t-mac www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq0j...

Watching Tape With Offensive Rookie Of the Year Tetairoa McMillan Carolina Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the NFL's newly-crowned Offensive Rookie of the Year, dropped by the Super Bowl Media Center to watch tape and talk ball with Athlon Sports' Doug Farrar.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: There are times when the stars align in all the right ways. On Thursday, I watched tape with Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan.

A few hours later, McMillan learned that he's the NFL's Offensive Rookie Of the Year. athlonsports.com/nfl/offensiv...

Christian McCaffrey, Trey McBride, Tetairoa McMillan Scout the Seahawks' Defense Three premium players who went up against the Seattle Seahawks' defense in the 2025 season gave Athlon's Doug Farrar inside information on why that defense is so powerful.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: This was a fun one. Christian McCaffrey. Trey McBride, and Tetairoa McMillan all lined up against the @Seahawks' Dark Side defense this season.

So, I asked them all for scouting reports. athlonsports.com/nfl/christia...

The Patriots' 'No-Name' Defense Is Ready To Tell You Exactly Who They Are The New England Patriots' defense has been underrated all season long. In Super Bowl LX, that could readily change, as these 'No-Names' are better than you think.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: The Patriots’ defense has been underrated all season long. In Super Bowl LX, that could readily change, as these ‘No-Names’ are better than you think. athlonsports.com/nfl/super-bo...

!!!!!

5 Patriots Reveal Their Favorite Plays Of the 2025 Season During Monday's Opening Night in advance of Super Bowl LX, five different New England Patriots told Athlon's Doug Farrar about their favorite plays of the season (so far).

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: This is one of my favorite articles to write every year. At Opening Night, I asked five Patriots players for their favorite plays of the season, and matched them up with the tape. Seahawks coming soon! athlonsports.com/nfl/patriots...

Both teams Brian Flores coached 2+ years jumped from bottom 10 to top 10 defenses by DVOA:

Dolphins

2018: 27th
2019: 32nd <- Flores hired
2020: 12th
2021: 9th

Vikings

2022: 24th
2023: 11th <- Flores hired
2024: 2nd
2025: 3rd

He has a better resume than 7 of the 10 new head coach hires.

Why Are There So Few Black Head Coaches In the NFL? With all 10 NFL head coach openings in this round going to candidates who are not Black, one wonders — and certainly not for the first time — why the NFL has a Black head coaching problem.

New on @athlonsports.bsky.social: 10 new head coaching hires in the NFL, and not one of the jobs went to a Black person. Yes, it's a major problem. Yes, it requires serious discussion. And yes, the reasons why are more revolting than you may think. athlonsports.com/nfl/number-o...

Throwback Seahawks gear is pretty great. I'd buy some myself if I didn't hate the Seahawks. But I know I have some Seahawks followers and some sports merch lovers that can dive in here to help support reproductive rights!