An acid test is a prerequisite before riding any throne and so is valid for the domain of the NFL as well. The aspiring faces waiting to rock the NFL grounds must undergo a series of tests. The tests are designed to examine the efficiency of college candidates in terms of their athletic and mental superiority.
NFL Combine is the gate to enter the NFL era.
Functions and Procedures of NFL Combine
NFL Combine is mainly a week-long program including body measurements, physical tests, on-field performance and face-to-face interaction with the 32 NFL teams to achieve the NFL Draft positon.
The whole step-by-step procedures includes-
-
Positional Groups:
First of all, the NFL authority assigned the prospects to various positional groups. Overall, they arrange the whole schedule so efficiently that the media can enjoy personal interaction with each candidate on each step.
The positional groups are-
- Defensive linemen and linebackers,
- Defensive backs and special teams,
- Quarterbacks,
- Wide receivers,
- Tight ends,
- Offensive linemen and
- Running backs
-
Interviews:
The most important phase of NFL Combine is interviews with the teams. This particular part doesn’t get shown on TV. The prospects face their respected teams before stepping into the grounds for assessment.
This step is very important especially to assess the mindset of the future footballers.
-
Measurements:
In the third step, the authority takes the measurements of the prospects. Throughout the years, debate is going on over its validity and nature as many claim this step to be highly controversial.
-
The tests:
The assessment tests are the main attraction among NFL fans who look forward to enjoying every segments. These tests are created based on ascertaining the prospect’s speed, their fitness, strength, and shrewdness.
Name of the tests are-
40-yard dash, 60-yard shuttle, Broad jump, Three-cone drill, Vertical jump, Bench press and 20-yard shuttle.
How many people get drafted from the NFL combine?
The rule of thumb of all examination is that there will be both joy of victory for many and sorrow of failure for the others. And it goes well for the Combine too.
Approximately, 335 players receive the invitation to take part in the tests. Out of the invited ones, only 255 get the yes card in the NFL Draft. So, it means almost 80 naïve hearts get broken along with their shattering dreams.
Now, I am using the term approximately because, in the past, exceptions of the rule has been made. A statistics show that previously 30-35 who didn’t take participation in the Combine got selected in the NFL Draft.
When did NFL Combine start?
NFL Combine was created following the footsteps of its ancestor NIC (National Invitational Camp). NIC began its journey in 1982 as the National Football Scouting wanted to conduct a thorough examination of its members for the club in Tampa, Florida.
The aim of the tests was same as present time to find out the best candidate by evaluating their medical records. In 1985, the 28 teams of NFL joined them with the view to sharing the costs associated with assessing their candidates.
Since its initiation, the NFL Combine has grown exponentially in terms of both popularity and importance. As a result, it receives huge media coverage on NFL network.
For this season, more than 50 hours of telecast is scheduled for the 2023 NFL Combine in the network including all sorts of athletic tests and on-field performances.
Where does NFL Combine take place?
In the early days with NIC, NFL Combine held its operations briefly in New Orleans, Arizona and Tampa. Later, they shifted to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1987. And since then, the Combine is operating its function in Indianapolis.
Why is the NFL Combine always in Indianapolis?
Indianapolis is the most populous city of the state Indiana. It is literally the heart of the state with its grandeur and glamour. There are many reasons in its history which contributed to its popularity.
However, the city attained its utmost fame after becoming the center of NFL Combine. It is the pilgrim for the football enthusiasts to catch their dream.
Throughout the years, the place encountered many challenges regarding its acceptability for the draft center. And it overcame all of the obstacles with great success. Here come some of the reasons why Indianapolis is always chosen for the NFL Combine.
Let’s explore.
-
Favorable weather
Weather matters. The participants come from all over the country of different atmospheric settings and they toil to get adapted with the environment.
All of the previous venues of the combine including Dallas, Tampa, and New Orleans possess a volatile weather condition which affects the future-footballers making it difficult for them to concentrate.
However, compared to those the weather of Indianapolis is way better to deal and adapt with.
-
Centrality
One of the main advantages of this venue is its centrality and fair connection with the other cities. And it seems Indianapolis; the long established abode is going to hold onto its throne for the upcoming years as well as the best NFL Combine destination.
-
Ease of travel
Geographical position of the city makes it easy to travel from various parts of the country. And Indianapolis is already an adored travel destination. So, making a trip to the city is appealing for the candidates.
