(Jacob Musselman - Imagn Images)Dylan SandersSun, March 1, 2026 at 3:30 AM UTC·2 min readThe third day of athletic testing at the NFL Scouting Combine was not very kind to the LSU Tigers, who did not perform to the level that many were expecting.
It was quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers day. The Tigers had five players invited between those positions and all had eyes on them for their athletic testing.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe winner of the day was Zavion Thomas, who ran a 4.28 40-yard dash, the fastest of any LSU player and is tied for the second-fastest of anyone at the combine.
Thomas running an elite speed was crucial, because he’s a smaller player who will make his money by shining with the ball in his hands. The Tigers used him as a receiver, runner and return specialist.
The slowest LSU player was Chris Hilton Jr. at 4.41 on his 40. That’s not too slow, but he needed it to be higher as it was really all that he brought to the table in college. He did poorly on agility testing and wasn’t too explosive either.
Hilton has had an overall positive pre-draft process, but this could have put it over the top. It wasn’t disastrous, but it just won’t really help him.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBarion Brown ran a 4.40 flat. It wasn’t a bad time at all, but it was still a bit slower than he was expected to run. He’s shown a bit deeper of a wide receiver profile than Hilton, at least.
Aaron Anderson didn’t run the 40, as he will probably just wait for the Tigers’ pro day. He did do the on-field workouts and performed well.
Nussmeier is similar to Anderson in that he didn’t run, but did well on the throwing portion. That was the expected outcome for him, though.
This concludes an uneven NFL combine for LSU. A lot of players that needed good numbers decided to wait. Only a couple of players had “great” weeks.
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