Combine on-field testing, positional drills on tap … The public part of the scouting combine gets underway in Indianapolis on Thursday with the defensive linemen and LBs set to hit the field for the on-field physical testing including the 40-yard dashes and vertical leaps, as well as the positional drills for each group. The testing starts at 3 PM ET with coverage on the NFL Network with the DBs and TEs set to go on Friday, the QBs, RBs and WRs on Saturday, and the offensive linemen on Sunday. And all that comes after the respective groups are measured and weighed the morning of their on-field workout.
However, it is important to remember that while the physical testing, especially the 40 times, get most of the headlines, the real heart of the combine are the medical tests and team interviews. Indeed, we are increasingly hearing that what we are going to see this weekend is more a TV show than any meaningful draft test. That said, teams will be checking off boxes as the players work out, not so much to see who is fastest, but do they fit within the parameters of what teams are looking for at the various positions. Teams, for example, will want their CBs, especially those selected in the early rounds to run under 4.5 seconds for the 40. The same applies to the measurements; for example, teams are usually looking for edge rushers – and OTs by extension – to have relatively long arms. And when a player jumps off the charts and player exceeds expectations in the physical testing, teams generally don’t push him up their boards; rather they will go back to the game tapes to try and assess why a player with special athletic skill did not necessarily dominate on the field.
