Toriano Pride Jr. Blazes 4.32-Second 40 at NFL Combine, Rocketing Up Draft Boards

Toriano Pride Jr. may have entered the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine as a fringe prospect, but the Missouri cornerback is turning heads in Indianapolis and rewriting his draft narrative. Pride arrived knowing he needed eye-popping numbers to shake the “undrafted” tag. He delivered, showing the fluid hips, long-speed and explosive broad jump he had promised scouts earlier in the week, a performance he believes will “help me out tremendously” when teams finalize their April boards. The St. Louis native’s breakout moment has been years in the making. A four-star recruit out of East St. Louis High, Pride originally signed with Clemson before transferring to Mizzou ahead of the 2024 season in search of starter’s snaps and a fresh development path. Under position coach Al Pogue and head coach Eli Drinkwitz, he refined his film study habits, cleaned up his press technique and blossomed into a lockdown boundary corner for the Tigers’ 2025 defense, finishing his senior campaign with 38 tackles, nine passes defended and two interceptions. Those numbers alone weren’t enough to guarantee a draft slot, but NFL evaluators have long coveted Pride’s raw traits: verified 4.4-range speed, springy lower-body explosion and a feisty willingness to support the run at 5-11 and 190 pounds. Friday’s on-field testing finally married the measurables to the tape, giving analytics departments a data set that screams late-round upside and special-teams value. Pride’s journey resonates with teams hunting for day-three gems. He’s battle-tested in the SEC, has taken college coaching from Dabo Swinney and Drinkwitz, and owns a résumé of weekly matchups against future NFL wideouts. Scouts also note his adaptability; after transferring, he mastered Missouri’s pattern-match scheme in one offseason and emerged as the Tigers’ most trusted cover man. “I’ve grown a lot as a player and even as a person at Mizzou,” Pride said, crediting Pogue’s hands-on tutelage for his rapid growth. What’s next? Pride will capitalize on momentum at Missouri’s March pro day, where he can polish shuttle times and showcase improved ball skills in positional drills. Several corner-needy franchises—including the Chiefs, Chargers and Panthers—have already scheduled top-30 visits, per league sources. If he stacks clean medicals with another strong workout, Pride’s realistic floor shifts to the sixth-round range, and his ceiling creeps toward late day two if teams see starting-caliber traits in interviews. For Missouri, Pride’s rise reinforces the program’s growing reputation as a defensive-back factory; he’s one of six Tigers at this year’s combine and part of a cornerback room Mizzou coaches must now replace via the transfer portal. For Pride himself, the next 60 days could transform a dream into a draft-week reality—and his combine star turn just made him one of March’s must-watch prospects.