The best offensive linemen in the NFL are typically explosive athletes.

It doesn’t guarantee success in the pro’s. There are plenty of explosive testers who amount to nothing in the NFL. The point is not to argue explosive traits equal a good player. The point is simply to highlight that the majority of the top offensive linemen are explosive athletes and the league focuses a lot on explosive traits when selecting players early in the draft.

For 10 years we have used a formula called ‘TEF’ (Trench Explosion Formula) to measure explosive traits. We created it using a set of ideals laid out by former Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable. He said ideally an offensive lineman would achieve a 31-inch vertical, a 9-0 broad and 27 reps on the bench press to become an explosive tester.

The formula attaches a score to each test to give an overall mark. Anyone scoring 3.00 or over is considered an explosive tester using TEF.

There’s more information about TEF available here and the article explains how the formula works and why explosive testing is more important than other things like the short shuttle or sprints.

Last year the Seahawks drafted two explosive testers — Grey Zabel (3.23 TEF) and Bryce Cabeldue (3.25 TEF). Let’s have a look at what 2026 has to offer…

How does 2026 compare to other drafts?

There are 16 players who scored a confirmed 3.00 or higher in the 2026 class. This is the exact same number as last year. In recent years we have seen a rapid increase in the number of explosive offensive linemen entering the league:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3
2018 — 7
2019 — 8
2020 — 8
2021 — No combine
2022 — 9 (projection)
2023 — 19 (projection)
2024 — 22 (projection)
2025 — 16
2026 — 16

The reason we had to use a larger number of projected TEF scores between 2022 and 2024 is because the league put the bench press in a slot where most players skipped it. Many still did the vertical and broad jumps — so we took the average number of bench press reps from that year to help calculate scores. We had to do that with a handful of players this year too.

Confirmed TEF results for 2026

Emmanuel Pregnon — 3.40
Blake Miller — 3.36
Parker Brailsford — 3.35
Trey Zuhn — 3.34
Jalen Farmer — 3.24
Spencer Fano — 3.23
Jager Burton — 3.23
Jude Bowry — 3.21
Josh Gesky — 3.20
Micah Morris — 3.14
Gennings Dunker — 3.12
Max Iheanachor — 3.12
Caleb Lomu — 3.12
Josh Kreutz — 3.09
Chase Bisontis — 3.03
Kadyn Proctor — 3.00
Keylan Rutledge — 2.98
Ar’maj Reed-Adams — 2.93
Jake Slaughter — 2.92
Diego Pounds — 2.86
Dillon Wade — 2.85
Garrett DiGiorgio — 2.79
Evan Beerntsen — 2.78
Febechi Nwaiwu — 2.78
Fernando Carmona — 2.77
Fa’alili Fa’amoe — 2.74
Travis Burke — 2.73
Aamil Wagner — 2.73
Pat Coogan — 2.72
Carver Willis — 2.71
James Brockermeyer — 2.70
Ethan Onianwa — 2.65
Alan Herron — 2.63
Kage Casey — 2.61
Joshua Braun — 2.59
Alex Harkey — 2.55
JC Davis — 2.53
Matt Gulbin — 2.50
DJ Campbell — 2.49
Sam Hecht — 2.46

Projected TEF results

As noted earlier, these players didn’t do a bench press so I’ve taken the average number of reps within the 2026 class to project a TEF score:

Enrique Cruz — 3.37
Monroe Freeling — 3.29
Caleb Tiernan — 3.23
Logan Jones — 3.17
Austin Barber — 3.12
Drew Shelton — 3.12
Logan Taylor — 3.00
Vega Ioane — 2.91
Francis Mauigoa — 2.88
Beau Stephens — 2.81

Players we don’t have enough testing data to project

Markell Bell
Demetrius Crownover
Keagan Trost
Brian Parker
Connor Lew
Jaeden Roberts
Billy Schrauth
Isaiah World
Jeremiah Wright

What are the key takeaways?

Emmanuel Pregnon is among the top testers we’ve ever put through the system. Given the importance of explosive testing in the NFL, it’s why he should still be considered a viable first round pick in two weeks time:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Trey Smith — 3.49
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Armand Membou — 3.45
Lane Johnson — 3.44
Emmanuel Pregon — 3.40
Rashawn Slater — 3.40
Terron Armstead — 3.38
Peter Skoronski — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Quinn Meinerz — 3.34
Cam Jurgens — 3.34
Zach Tom — 3.33
Drew Dalman — 3.31
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Frank Ragnow — 3.29
Creed Humphrey — 3.25

Blake Miller’s testing results are also significant. Don’t be surprised if he goes earlier than expected in round one, given his testing profile is not too dissimilar to the likes of Rashawn Slater, Peter Skoronski and Kolton Miller — all top-15 picks.

It’s also worth noting how similar his profile is to Lane Johnson. This is why I had the Eagles trading up to secure Miller in my latest mock draft, as an heir apparent to Johnson.

Other projected first round prospects are also explosive testers — Spencer Fano, Max Iheanachor, Caleb Lomu and Kadyn Proctor.

It’s not a perfect reflection on who will go early, of course. Francis Mauigoa and Vega Ioane — both expected to be very high picks — didn’t do a bench press and their projected scores are 2.88 and 2.91 respectively. However, given their size, it’s plausible they would’ve both reached the mark had they benched. Mauigoa needed 31 reps as a 329lbs lineman to reach 3.00, while Ioane would’ve needed 30 reps at 320lbs. I suspect both would’ve managed it, especially considering neither has long arms.

Keep an eye on these players…

…and don’t be surprised if they go earlier than some are projecting:

Emmanuel Pregnon
Blake Miller
Trey Zuhn
Jalen Farmer
Spencer Fano
Jude Bowry
Micah Morris
Gennings Dunker
Max Iheanachor
Caleb Lomu
Chase Bisontis
Kadyn Proctor
Keylan Rutledge
Monroe Freeling
Caleb Tiernan
Logan Jones
Austin Barber

What about weighted TEF?

We adapted the formula to add a weight angle. For example, jumping a 31-inch vertical at 325lbs is a more impressive achievement than jumping it at 295lbs. Therefore, we take a player’s TEF score, multiply it by his weight and then times it by 0.1 to create a score that takes size into account.

For example:

Emmanuel Pregnon weighs 314lbs

314 x 3.40 x 0.1 = 106.8

Logan Jones weighs 299lbs

299 x 317 x 0.1 = 94.8

Confirmed weighted TEF results

Emmanuel Pregnon — 106.8
Blake Miller — 106.5
Kadyn Proctor — 105.6
Micah Morris — 104.9
Trey Zuhn — 104.2
Josh Gesky — 102.7
Jalen Farmer — 101.1
Jude Bowry — 100.8
Jager Burton — 100.8
Spencer Fano — 100.5
Max Iheanachor — 100.2
Gennings Dunker — 99.5
Caleb Lomu — 97.7
Parker Brailsford — 96.8
Chase Bisontis — 95.4
Keylan Rutledge — 94.2
Diego Pounds — 93.0
Ar’maj Reed-Adams — 92.0
Dillon Wade — 90.1
Josh Kreutz — 89.6
Garrett DiGiorgio — 89.0
Travis Burke — 88.7
Febechi Nwaiwu — 88.7
Jake Slaughter — 88.5
Ethan Onianwa — 88.2
Fernando Carmona — 87.5
Fa’alili Fa’amoe — 85.2
Pat Coogan — 84.3
Joshua Braun — 84.2
Evan Beerntsen — 83.7
Aamil Wagner — 83.5
Carver Willis — 82.1
JC Davis — 81.5
Alan Herron — 81.0
Kage Casey — 80.9
James Brockermeyer — 80.5
Alex Harkey — 79.8
DJ Campbell — 77.9
Matt Gulbin — 75.5
Sam Hecht — 74.5

Projected weighted TEF results

Enrique Cruz — 105.5
Caleb Tiernan — 104.3
Monroe Freeling — 103.6
Austin Barber — 99.2
Drew Shelton — 97.7
Logan Jones — 94.8
Francis Mauigoa — 94.8
Logan Taylor — 94.3
Vega Ioane — 93.1
Beau Stephens — 88.5

What does this information tell us?

It further highlights how exceptional Emmanuel Pregnon and Blake Miller are as explosive testers. They are not just tremendously explosive, they are big too. That is a huge advantage in the trenches.

Kadyn Proctor’s 3.00 in TEF is not particular eye-catching — but weighted TEF puts it truly into perspective. He weighs 352lbs. Being able to score a 3.00 at that size is fantastic. So when Todd McShay speculates about the Browns considering Proctor as early as #6 overall — and many others say the Lions are smitten with him at #17 — this is one of the reasons why.

The weighted TEF scores also validate the potential of many other prospects, including Georgia’s Micah Morris. He is built like a tank, he’s highly explosive — there’s a player here waiting to be unlocked by a good coaching staff. You could say the same about Trey Zuhn, as he prepares to kick inside at the next level. Jalen Farmer has some reported character concerns which is a shame because his physical profile is tremendous.

It’s also good news again for the likes of Spencer Fano, Max Iheanachor, Gennings Dunker, Caleb Lomu, Chase Bisontis and Keylan Rutledge.

Notable weighted TEF scores in recent history

Armand Membou — 114.5
Trey Smith — 112.0
Tristan Wirfs — 111.0
Braden Smith — 110.9
Peter Skoronski — 105.5
Anthony Bradford — 105.2
Cole Strange — 105.0
Lane Johnson — 104.2
Rashawn Slater — 103.4
Terron Armstead — 103.4
Kolton Miller — 102.3
Grey Zabel — 100.8
Donovan Jackson — 100.5
Quenton Nelson — 99.8
Creed Humphrey — 98.2

Note that both of Seattle’s starting guards for the 2025 season are in the list of impressive wTEF performers above.

How does this combine with good zone blocking?

Here are the players in this draft class who scored a 95.0 or higher in weighted TEF and also received a +75 grade for zone blocking per PFF:

Emmanuel Pregnon
Gennings Dunker
Kadyn Proctor
Spencer Fano
Keylan Rutledge
Blake Miller

Predictions for the 2026 draft class

Based on the information here, I think…

— Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa, Vega Ioane, Blake Miller, Caleb Lomu, Monroe Freeling, Kadyn Proctor and Max Iheanachor will all be selected in the first round.

— Emmanuel Pregnon, Gennings Dunker, Chase Bisontis and Keylan Rutledge will all be selected before the end of round two — with the possibility of one, two or even three going in the top-45.

— Jalen Farmer (character permitting), Austin Barber, Caleb Tiernan, Logan Jones, Jude Bowry, Micah Morris and Trey Zuhn could go in the top-80, with some possibly getting consideration at the end of round two.

How do the linebackers play into this?

I’ve long been trying to find ways to find other analytical data to try and measure how other positions are judged. For example, agility and speed has seemed to be more indicative for defensive linemen. With running backs, we’ve started to focus on explosive run percentage, yards after contact and missed tackles forced rate.

With linebackers, I had heard that explosive traits were important. Todd McShay confirmed this on his show before the combine. He said teams were taking into account the two jumps, the bench press and weight. Basically, weighted TEF.

Therefore, I have put the 2026 linebacker class through the formula.

Linebacker weighted TEF results

Jake Golday — 86.5
Anthony Hill Jr — 83.8
Jack Kelly — 82.8
Kaleb Elarms-Orr — 82.1
Keyshaun Elliott — 82.0
Kyle Louis — 81.8
Jacob Rodriguez — 80.9
Aiden Fisher — 77.7
Namdi Obiazor — 75.8
Karson Sharar — 75.1
Jimmy Rolder — 74.5
Harold Perkins — 74.4
Bryce Boettcher — 72.9
Xavian Sorey — 72.3
Red Murdock — 69.8
Eric Gentry — 69.4

Linebacker projected weighted TEF results

Sonny Styles — 98.8
Justin Jefferso — 78.7
Owen Heinecke — 72.4

Players we don’t have enough data on to project

CJ Allen
Lander Barton
Wesley Bissainthe
Kendal Daniels
Deontae Lawson
Josiah Trotter
Scooby Williams
Wade Woodaz
Taurean York

Linebacker takeaways

It’s confirmation, if it was needed, that Sonny Styles is an exceptionally rare explosive athlete. There’s a very reasonable chance Jake Golday will be selected in round two. It speaks to Kyle Louis’ physical talent that he’s a smaller player at 220lbs but still scores among the bigger linebackers when it comes to explosive power. The formula doesn’t speak well of Eric Gentry’s hopes of being drafted.

In the last few weeks we’ve looked at TEF, advanced running back analytics, max-speed for pass-rushers over 0-10 yards, weighted TEF for linebackers and more. This information is gathered purely through my own work in my spare time or by gaining it from sources. You will not get a lot of this information anywhere else. Plus, I don’t have the power of a major corporation providing easy access to data, or access to PFF Elite to be able to make tape watching easier. If you appreciate the work I do in my spare time, with two weeks to go until the draft, please consider contributing to the blog’s running costs via Patreon by clicking here.