NFL Scouting Combine

TheNFL Scouting Combineis a week-long showcase occurring every February atLucas Oil Stadium(and formerly at theRCA Domeuntil 2008) inIndianapolis,wherecollege footballplayers perform physical and mental tests in front ofNational Football Leaguecoaches, general managers, and scouts. With increasing interest in theNFL Draft,the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance, allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting. Its origins stem from the National, BLESTO, and Quadra Scouting organizations in 1977.

NFL Scouting Combine
NFL Scouting Combine logo
Dates	every February
Frequency	Annual
Location(s)	Lucas Oil Stadium,Indianapolis
Inaugurated	1977
Organized by	National Football League

Athletes attend by invitation only. An athlete's performance during the combine can affect their draft status and salary, and ultimately their career. The draft has popularized the term "workout warrior", whereby an athlete's "draft stock" is increased based on superior measurable qualities such as size, speed, and strength, despite having an average or sub-par college career.

History

Tex Schramm,the president and general manager of theDallas Cowboysfrom 1960 to 1989, proposed to theNFL competition committeea centralization of the evaluation process for NFL teams. Prior to 1982, teams had to schedule individual visits with players to run them through drills and tests.The national invitational camp (NIC) was first held inTampa,Florida,in 1982.It was originated by National Football Scouting, Inc. as a means for member organizations to look atNFL draftprospects. For non-member teams, two other camps were created and used 1982–1984. The NIC was held inNew Orleans,Louisiana,in 1984. It was renamed the NFL Scouting Combine following the merger of the three camps in 1985 to cut the cost of running the extra camps. It was held inArizonain 1985 and once again in New Orleans in 1986 before permanently moving to Indianapolis in 1987.

Tests and evaluations

Tests and evaluations include:

• 40-yard dash
• Bench pressingof 225 pounds (102 kg)
• Vertical jump
• Broad jump
• 20-yard shuttle
• 3 cone drill
• 60-yard shuttle
• Position-specific drills
• Interviews– each team is allowed 60 interviews in 15-minute intervals
• Physical and injury evaluations
• Drug screening
• Cybex test
• Wonderlic test

Sports writers question whether these tests have any relationship with NFL performance.Empirical research published in 2011 found that the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, 20-yard shuttle, and 3 cone drill tests have limited validity in predicting future NFL performance, suggesting that a prospect's past performance in college is a better indicator of future NFL performance than the aforementioned physical ability tests.

20-yard shuttle

The 20-yard shuttle, also simply called the short shuttle, is primarily run to evaluate the quickness and change-of-direction ability of players. Although not as highly regarded a test as the40-yard dash,it is still an important barometer used by NFL personnel to compare players.Canadian footballalso uses the shuttle test.

The name is derived from the total yards that athletes travel during the drill. This drill is also known as the "short shuttle" or the "5–10–5" drill. "The athlete starts at the center cone of three cones, each a distance of 5 yards apart. The athlete then pushes off their dominant leg in the opposite direction for 5 yards and touches the line. After covering this distance and touching the line as quickly as possible, the athlete must reverse and go 10 yards in the opposite direction and again touch the line. Finally, they reverse direction again, ending the drill at the starting point after traveling another 5 yards. The procedure is timed and the athlete starts the drill on reaction to the word" Go "as announced by the person starting the stopwatch. The NFL Scouting Combine allows each participant three opportunities to run the drill, and the best time of the three attempts is recorded as that players' time.

The drill is designed to measure short-area quickness, lateral movement, flexibility and the speed at which a player can change directions. The drill also gives scouts an idea of how well a player can keep a low center of gravity as well as their ability to sink their hips.

Bench press records

At the NFL combine, bench press is used as a test of muscle strength and stamina, in which athletes lift 225 pounds (102 kg) as many times as possible.Since 1994, only 20 players at the combine have managed to achieve more than 40 repetitions.

• 51 reps:Justin Ernest(1999)
• 49 reps:Stephen Paea(2011)
• 45 reps:Mike Kudla(2006, †2018),Mitch Petrus(2010), andLeif Larsen(2000)
• 44 reps:Brodrick Bunkley(2006),Jeff Owens(2010),Dontari Poe(2012), andNetane Muti(2020)
• 43 reps:Larry Allen(1994),Scott Young(2005)
• 42 reps:Isaac Sopoaga(2004),Tank Tyler(2007),Russell Bodine(2014),Harrison Phillips(2018)
• 41 reps:Igor Olshansky(2004),Terna Nande(2006),David Molk(2012),Jordan Roos(2017),andVita Vea(2018)

Scouting organizations

The NFL's first scouting organization, LESTO (Lions, Eagles and Steelers Talent Organization), was started in 1963 by the teams mentioned in its name with headquarters inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.It became BLESTO when the Bears joined the following year and BLESTO-V when the Vikings came on board later in the decade; by 1971 the Bills, Colts and Dolphins had joined and the group was known as BLESTO-VIII.It is now known simply as BLESTO despite the fact that the Bears and Eagles are no longer members.The group's offices stayed in Pittsburgh until 2007 when the headquarters moved toJacksonville, Florida,with support offices remaining in Pittsburgh.

CEPO (Central Eastern Personnel Organization), formed in 1964, was a joint venture of the Colts, Browns, Packers and Cardinals. Its name was changed to United Scouting after the Falcons, Giants and Redskins joined, then to National Football Scouting in 1983 to avoid confusion with theUnited States Football League,which began operations that year. National Football Scouting is now known simply as The National.

Another scouting organization formed in 1964 was Troika, launched by the Cowboys, Rams and 49ers. It was renamed Quadra when the Saints joined in 1967.Quadra no longer exists; its former members now all belong to The National.

As of the 2015 season, eighteen franchises participate in The National (Arizona Cardinals,Atlanta Falcons,Carolina Panthers,Cincinnati Bengals,Dallas Cowboys,Denver Broncos,Green Bay Packers,Houston Texans,Kansas City Chiefs,New Orleans Saints,New York Jets,Philadelphia Eagles,Los Angeles Rams,Los Angeles Chargers,San Francisco 49ers,Seattle Seahawks,Tampa Bay Buccaneers,andTennessee Titans), with eight served by BLESTO (Buffalo Bills,Detroit Lions,Jacksonville Jaguars,Miami Dolphins,Minnesota Vikings,New York Giants,Pittsburgh Steelers,andWashington Commanders). Each of the six non-affiliated teams (Baltimore Ravens,Chicago Bears,Cleveland Browns,Indianapolis Colts,Las Vegas Raiders,andNew England Patriots) relies on its in-house scouting staff.

Combine invitations

In a typical year, there are about 330 invited players. About 250 invitations are sent beforebowl gamesare completed to those who have completed their seasons. However, underclassmen have until mid-January to confirm their draft status. Invitations are made to those receivingsupermajoritysupport from the selection committee.

Criticism

Sportswriter Steve Silverman has expressed skepticism of the Combine's utility as a predictor of players' potential by citing the experience ofTerrell Suggsin 2003. Suggs was an impressive defensive end for Arizona State, but when Suggs ran the 40-yard dash in a relatively slow 4.83 seconds, he was downgraded by NFL scouts. However, despite his lackluster performance at the NFL Combine, Suggs later became an elite defender for theBaltimore Ravens,including 12.0 sacks during his rookie season.Doug Tatum ofTimes-Picayuneargues that it is unlikely players will be asked to run a 40-yard dash again during their career.Silverman says that the best way to scout is to simply watch them play.

Others think the value in the 40 depends on the position;Daniel Jeremiah,a former scout and an analyst on the NFL Network says "The position where the 40 holds the most weight is cornerback. If you're a receiver who runs a 4.6 like (Anquan) Boldin, but you have short-area quickness and strong hands, the 40 isn't a big deal. But if you're a cornerback who runs a 4.6 and you're facing a receiver who runs a 4.4, it doesn't matter how good your ball skills are."

Television

The NFL scouting combine was first shown on television in 2004. Media and cameras were historically prohibited, but with the launch ofNFL Networkon November 4, 2003, six installments of one-hour shows to recap the day's events aired in February 2004.NFL Network aired two hours of combine workouts for each workout day in 2005,26 total hours of coverage in 2006,27 hours in 2007,and 25 hours in 2009.It began airing over 30 hours of Combine coverage starting in 2010,which received 5.24 million viewers.

In 2019,ESPNbegan to additionally provide live coverage from the Combine, with daily broadcasts ofNFL Liveon-site, including a two-hour edition airing onABCwith coverage of quarterback and wide receiver drills (marking the first time that official coverage had been provided outside of NFL Network).

Regional combines

Beginning in 2011, a series of eleven regional combines for players not invited to the main scouting combine, as well as other free agents, were held in eight cities (Los Angeles,Houston,Baltimore,Tampa,East Rutherford,Chicago,Atlanta,andCleveland) from January to March. The best players from these regional combines were invited to the NFL super regional combine atFord FieldinDetroitin late March.In 2016, the NFL went away from this format only holding five Combines in Houston, Arizona, Baltimore, Minnesota and New Orleans.

Veteran combine

The first NFL Veteran Combine was scheduled on March 22, 2015, at the Arizona Cardinals' team facility. The combine corresponded with the NFL owners' meetings also being held in Phoenix from March 22–24, 2015. The combine featured veteran free agents, and all 32 clubs in attendance. There were over 2,000 applications from players to participate, although only a select few were chosen. Some of the notable players includedAdam Carriker,Felix Jones,Michael Sam,andBrady Quinn.However, only two players participating in the combine (linebackerBrandon Copelandand tight endIfeanyi Momah) were still on NFL rosters by Week 1 of the 2015 regular season.

The NFL cancelled the planned 2016 Veteran Combine, citing a lack of player interest.Later that year, the NFL announced it would rebrand it as the Pro Player Combine and focus its attention on younger players trying to get another chance in the NFL.

External links

• Official website
• Combine on NFL.com