Iowa State's Dom Orange skips NFL Combine workouts in favor of Pro Day

The 2026 NFL Combine was held last week in Indianapolis, and more than 300 NFL prospects worked out at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange received an invitation to the Combine, but he chose not to compete in any of the drills.

The annual event, held since 1982, allows prospects to improve their draft stock in front of evaluators from all 32 teams by participating in a series of physical and mental drills and tests.

Here's why Orange decided to forego the Combine drills.

Iowa State football's Domonique Orange passes on NFL Combine workouts

The Kansas City native still made an appearance in Indianapolis during the week, but said during his Combine media interviews on Feb. 25 that he will do all of his testing and drills during Iowa State's Pro Day later this spring. Iowa State has yet to announce the date of its Pro Day, though Pro Football Focus reports the school will host it on March 24.

Iowa State had five players invited to the 2025 NFL Combine, with four selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Orange, who turns 22 on March 11, earned All-Big 12 third-team honors in 2025, a season that saw him start all 12 games at defensive tackle and record 18 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. ESPN has Orange as the 11th-best defensive tackle in the draft and the 114th-ranked prospect regardless of position. Most mock drafts have Orange as a Day 2 or 3 NFL draft pick.

NFL.com gave the former Cyclone a 6.24 prospect grade, claiming he "Will eventually be (an) average starter." NFL.com's Lance Zierlein gave the following analysis:

"Orange is a sturdy nose tackle capable of muddying the middle of the field with his first-step quickness and take-on power. His reaction time makes it hard to reach-block him in zone and he has the anchor to play landlord over the A-gaps against double-teams. He gets bounced around on contact but is excellent in recovery and winning the final phase of the rep. Orange is a non-factor as a pass rusher, but his value versus the run should attract teams."

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