Gracen Halton just astonished at the NFL Combine with unreal numbers

Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton just put up big numbers at the NFL Combine to lead to a paycheck with even bigger numbers.

Halton put on a freak show Thursday during the first day of drills at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis as defensive line prospects got the first chance to impress scouts. With all the big-time defensive tackle prospects participating, Halton proved within a few hours that he is probably the most athletic of the bunch.

Gracen Halton improves NFL Draft stock after Oklahoma career

Halton's most eye-popping performance was when he, at a massive 293 pounds, leapt for a vertical of 36.5 inches. That mark led all participating defensive tackles this year. Texas A&M's Albert Regis was second at 34 inches.

The record for best vertical ever by a defensive tackle at the NFL Combine was Northwestern's Adetomiwa Adebawore in 2023 with a 37.5. Halton's new mark became the third-best at his position behind Adebawore and LSU's Al Woods' 37 inches in 2010.

The rest of Halton's numbers on the day were also near the top of his position group. His 9'6" broad jump was tied for second among defensive tackles. His 4.82-second 40-yard dash time was third. Halton's other marks included a 1.70-second split (5th) and 4.79-second shuttle (4th), putting him in the top 5 of every measurement that's been tested so far with just bench press and the 3-cone drill left.

Halton started 10 games combined the past two seasons for OU while totalling 47 career games, all of which were with the Sooners after he signed in 2022 as a consensus four-star recruit. Last season as a senior, Halton tallied 33 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery that he returned for a touchdown. He was named a team captain before the season started and finished the year as an All-SEC Second-Team selection by the Associated Press.

Going into his outstanding performance at the NFL Combine, Halton was projected to go anywhere between the fourth and sixth rounds by most draft experts. However, if scouts were as impressed by Halton as everyone else who witnessed what he did was on Thursday, then he'll likely end up going sooner than later during April's 2026 NFL Draft.