2026 NFL Combine: 6 Potential Seahawks Targets Who Impressed on Day 3 of Workouts

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Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. (RB20) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images [/caption]

Ushering in the next stage of the NFL offseason for the Seattle Seahawks and all 32 teams, the annual NFL Scouting Combine kicked into full throttle with running backs and receivers participating in on-field athletic testing and drill work on Saturday.

Which players who could be on Seattle’s radar heading into the 2026 NFL Draft improved their stock the most? Here are six prospects who starred on Day 3 at Lucas Oil Stadium:

Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas

Fitting the bill of a late bloomer, at least by college standards, Washington toiled for three seasons in Buffalo as a backup, though he did rush for seven touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022. He jump-started his career by transferring to New Mexico State, where he became the focal point of the Aggies’ run game with 725 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, making him a coveted transfer portal recruit as a grad transfer in the spring of 2025. Making the massive jump to the SEC, the back enjoyed the finest year of his collegiate career for the Razorbacks, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark with eight rushing touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry to garner Second-Team All-SEC honors.

Jumping onto the radar for NFL teams with his success in Fayetteville, Washington may now be in contention to hear his name called as the second back selected in April’s draft behind Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love after lighting it up at the combine with a scintillating performance at Lucas Oil Stadium. Leading the entire field, including out-racing Love by a few hundredths of a second, the 223-pound back rumbled past the finish line on the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.33 seconds. He held his own in explosive testing as well, finishing second with a 39-inch vertical jump and 128-inch broad jump, ending his workout on a strong note before opting not to participate in the 3-cone drill or short shuttle agility drills.

An up and down college career may lead some teams to pause when it comes to investing anything higher than an early Day 3 pick on Washington. But it’s rare to find a downhill thumper with the athletic juice he offers, and after showing he could thrive against top competition for the Razorbacks last year, the Seahawks could be the ideal landing spot for him to plug in as an injury replacement for Zach Charbonnet and potentially the long-term feature back in a post-Ken Walker III backfield.

Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky

Carrying significant baggage on his resume heading into the league, McGowan lasted only one season at Oklahoma before being dismissed from the team for alleged armed robbery, and he eventually served three months in prison for felony larceny. He didn’t log a single Division I carry from 2021 to 2023, spending stints at Texas College and Butler Community College before receiving a scholarship offer from New Mexico State, where he interestingly split carries with Washington in 2024 and rushed for 823 yards and three touchdowns. Redeeming himself in a return to the SEC, he tallied 725 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in his lone season with the Wildcats.

Testing-wise, McGowan turned in one of the strongest workouts in the running back group on Saturday, starting with an impressive 4.49 40-yard dash time at 223 pounds. Demonstrating elite explosiveness, he lapped the field with a 42.5-inch vertical jump, tying for the sixth-best result among all participants at this year’s combine, while his 131-inch broad jump also led running backs. Maybe most importantly, however, he expressed remorse for the mistakes he made that led to his dismissal from Oklahoma in media interviews and while meeting with teams, displaying the type of accountability necessary to earn trust from more suitors heading into the draft.

Regardless, McGowan won’t be on every team’s draft board given what transpired during his brief time in Norman, as some will already have crossed him off without any consideration to his combine workout or productive season at Kentucky. But the Seahawks have shown a willingness in the past to take chances on prospects who have demonstrated personal growth after paying the price for their transgressions, and if he interviewed well with the team, he could be a Day 3 possibility to help replace Charbonnet while sidelined.

Eli Heidenreich, RB/WR, Navy

Earning the moniker of the Naval Academy’s version of Christian McCaffrey, Heidenreich generated explosive plays as a runner and receiver in bulk for the Midshipmen, regularly taking the top off of defenses and leaving defenders grasping for air as he blew past them out of the backfield. As a junior, he surpassed 1,100 yards from scrimmage, scoring nine total touchdowns while averaging 6.8 yards per rush and north of 17 yards per reception. He somehow managed to dwarf most of those numbers as a senior, racking up 499 rushing yards, 941 receiving yards, and a gaudy 18.5 yards per reception.

Named a Second-Team All-American selection, Heidenreich turned that success into an East/West Shrine Bowl invitation as well as a chance to compete at the NFL combine. Proving he belonged against both running backs and receivers, he posted a solid 4.45 time in the 40-yard dash with a speedy 1.55-second 10-yard split, out-racing the likes of Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson in the process. He also looked the part of both a runner and receiver during on-field workouts, displaying the versatility that teams will covet as a gadget weapon who can do damage in a variety of ways.

Without the Heisman buzz or prolific overall numbers McCaffrey had coming out of Stanford, Heidenreich likely remains a mid-Day 3 selection and it remains to be seen where he will be most effective at the next level from a positional standpoint. But the Seahawks love to deploy players who can contribute in both the run and passing game and with Rashid Shaheed being a free agent, if the the veteran winds up departing, the ex-Navy star could be a strong value play to help replace that production in Brian Fleury’s offense.

Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

Lightly recruited out of Savannah, Georgia, Hurst received minimal interest from Division 1 schools, ultimately committing to Division II program Valdosta State. Eating up inferior competition, he averaged more than 17 yards per catch in two seasons with the Blazers before jumping to the FBS level with Georgia State, where he quickly became one of the Sun Belt’s most dangerous playmakers. As a junior in 2024, he nearly hit the 1,000-yard mark while setting a school single season record with nine receiving touchdowns, landing himself on The Athletic’s College Freaks list. Capping off his career nicely, he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time with six touchdowns to earn First-Team All-Sun Belt honors for the Panthers.

Validating his place on Bruce Feldman’s aforementioned annual freaks list in the testing portion of the combine, Hurst put on a show at 6-4, 206 pounds, sprinting his way past the finish line for a speedy 4.42 40-yard dash time and a 1.55-second 10-yard split. He also fared well in the explosive testing, posting a respectable 35.5-inch vertical jump and ranking near the top of the receiver group with a 135-inch broad jump, impressive numbers for a player of his size. His long strides and soft hands could be seen snagging passes downfield from quarterbacks, presenting more evidence for him to be a potential Day 2 riser.

Taking the road less traveled from Division II to a non-Power 4 school, Hurst may not be a household name for most fans watching the draft, but he put his name squarely on the map for teams heading towards April. With Shaheed’s future up in the air, Jake Bobo and Dareke Young also being free agents, and Tory Horton recovering from shin surgery, adding another viable deep threat with long speed may be a bigger area of need than advertised for the Seahawks and the tall burner would check off that box nicely as early as the second or third round.

Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State

The younger brother of former top-five pick Trey Lance, who starred as a quarterback for the Bison and most recently backed up Justin Herbert with the Chargers, Bryce Lance carved out his own successful career in Fargo as a playmaking receiver, but he had to wait for his turn to shine. After redshirting in 2021, he only caught one pass for seven yards over the next two seasons before breaking out in 2024, when he caught 75 passes for 1,053 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns. He didn’t quite equal those numbers as a redshirt senior, but he still managed to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark on just 51 catches, averaging a ridiculous 21.2 yards per catch while adding eight touchdowns.

The latest North Dakota State star to blow away the competition at the combine, Lance put together one of the best workouts ever seen in Indianapolis, earning a 9.95 Relative Athletic Score as a 99th percentile athlete. Measuring in at nearly the same size as Hurst (6-3, 203), he finished among the best receivers with a 4.34 40-yard dash and a sub-1.50 10-yard split. He also posted a top 10 result in the vertical jump (41.5 inches) and broad jump (133 inches) while excelling in the short shuttle with a quick 4.15-second finish, flashing an elite all-around skill set with burst, explosiveness, and lateral quickness.

Making the jump from FCS competition to the NFL always presents stiff challenges, but the gap has closed in recent years and North Dakota State has been grooming quality pro prospects for decades. The Seahawks know that as well as anyone with guard Grey Zabel thriving as a first-round pick last year, and with the desire to potentially add more speed to the receiver room to replace Shaheed if he leaves in free agency, the explosive Lance would be a fun target as early as the second round to add to Sam Darnold’s arsenal.

Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati

Beginning his journey to the NFL at FCS program Lindenwood, Caldwell burst onto the scene as a Walter Payton Award finalist for the FCS’ Top Offensive Player in 2024 when he produced 53 receptions for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns, ranking in the top 10 in the nation for receiving scores. Those impressive numbers created a market for him as a transfer portal recruit, eventually landing him with the Bearcats. While he wasn’t Cincinnati’s No. 1 target, he posted quality numbers as a complementary receiver in his lone season with the program, catching 32 passes for 478 yards and scoring half a dozen touchdowns to help earn himself a combine invite.

Oozing with traits, the 6-5, 216-pound Caldwell may have been the most surprising revelation of the week in Indianapolis, kicking off an impressive workout by finishing with the fourth fastest 40-yard dash (4.31 seconds) among receivers. Exhibiting rare acceleration off the jump, his 1.48-second 10-yard split topped all performers at the combine regardless of position. Coming in second behind Oklahoma star Denzel Burks, he reached for the ceiling at Lucas Oil Stadium with a 42-inch vertical jump, later adding another fantastic result with a 132-inch broad jump that trailed only Hurst among wideouts.

With limited experience at the Division I level, Caldwell will be a developmental project for whoever drafts him, as he must improve his route running and become more consistent reeling in passes in contested catches to reach his potential. But he has an incredibly high ceiling if the right coaching staff can get ahold of him and the Seahawks have a stellar track record working with such players, making him an enticing target for consideration in the middle rounds.