TheNFL scouting combineis back starting Monday as hundreds of draft hopefuls will make their way to Indianapolis to showcase their athletic talents and formally meet with teams as the slow roll to April's draft picks up.
In recent years, the combine's scope has drastically changed, altering the event's overall importance. The days of the combine being a true showcase for all the best players in each draft is long over, leaving a product that's been diluted by a lack of participants and a questionable need to be on prime-time television.
But there still are a few hidden elements that are important to the league's overall health. Sure, the list of what matters in Indianapolis dwindles by the year. The number of players who participate in drills and coaches who attend the event continues to shrink. Yet, there is one part of the process that is still incredibly important: the interview.
The combine is still a centralized hub for teams to get face-to-face time with prospects for the first time. Those interviews can heavily sway clubs to draft (or not draft!) them in April.
Being a leaguewide communication hub is also important for the combine. Beyond player interviews with prospective teams, it's one of the few times a large percentage of NFL teams' front-office personnel and agents will be in the same city over a prolonged period of days. The extended face-to-face time ignites preliminary discussions that allow free agents to agree to terms at the very second the "legal tampering" window opens — this year, it's March 9 at noon ET — followed by the official start of the new league year on March 11 at 4 p.m.
Those are conversations the public isn't privy to, but they become tangibly important shortly after the combine ends.
Perhaps the most critical part of the combine that still matters are the medicals. Again, that's information that is largely hidden behind the scenes, but it will matter throughout the draft process even if the information leaks out well after the combine is over. Sometimes these issues aren't heard about until early April when players head back to Indianapolis for medical re-checks. Yeah, real riveting information for viewers.
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The on-field workouts still matter for lower-level players and prospects who have a chance to put their name into the sphere of public opinion, but the amount of notable players who have been participating in the workouts has drastically reduced the overall importance of this event from a consumer perspective. Considering the NFL has flatly shown that players not participating in the event doesn't matter to its teams, there's no reason to think that the athletic showcase that used to be a hot topic will be coming back soon.
For the players who do participate in the on-field action, here are few drills to keep an eye on beyond the 40-yard dash.
Broad jump: This is great at measuring lower-body explosion in a way that projects how players can perform through contact. Some of the best tacklers, running backs and linemen have elite scores in this area.
3-cone drills: This one is crucial for wide receivers and defensive linemen. The ability to cut through tight spaces in short time is critical in getting open versus man coverage or beating offensive tackles around the edge.
Short shuttle: Some of the best offensive linemen and defensive backs in the league have high scores in this area because it shows the ability to immediately be explosive from a disadvantageous position. The Packers have historically valued offensive linemen who perform well in this drill.
Everything else,especiallythe throwing sessions, is going to be noise. It's nice to see how players move in some drills, but game tape is more useful.
The spectacle of some prospects standing out in the 40-yard dash is always going to be interesting, but the degrees have fallen as fewer players do workouts in Indianapolis. For hardcore observers of the draft, there are plenty of things to follow. For everyone else, the most relevant information derived from the combine will likely be hidden for a few weeks.