Oh yeah, baby! It's time for the first big event of the NFL off-season, the National Invitational Camp better known as the NFL Scouting Combine.
From February 24th to March 2nd, most of the nations top prospects will descend on Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to show scouts from every single NFL team just what they're made of.
Like last year, I have put together an informative collection of material regarding the 2010 NFL Combine; a Combine FAQ, if you will. By the time you're done reading this, you'll know more than anyone else in the office.
Included is a link to take a sample Wonderlic test. Don't forget to take that and post your score, if you're so inclined.
How did the Combine get started?
From NFLCombine.net.
National Invitational Camp (NIC), more commonly known as the NFL Scouting Combine, began in 1982 when National Football Scouting, Inc. first conducted a camp for its member NFL clubs in Tampa, Florida. The key purpose then, same as it is today, was to ascertain medical information on the top draft eligible prospects in college football. The inaugural NIC was attended by a total of 163 players and established a foundation for future expansion.
During the first three years, two additional camps were held at different times to collect similar information for teams that did not belong to National Football Scouting. However, in 1985 all 28 NFL teams decided they would participate in future National Invitational Camps with the goal of sharing costs for the medical examinations of draft eligible players. After brief stints in New Orleans (1984, 1986) and Arizona (1985) the camp was moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where it has been operated since 1987.
As football and the art of evaluating players has evolved, so has the NFL Scouting Combine. While medical examinations remain the number one priority of the event, athletes will also participate in a variety of psychological and physical tests, as well as, formal and informal interviews with top executives, coaches and scouts from all 32 NFL teams. NIC is the ultimate four day job interview for the top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Who is eligible to be invited to the NFL Combine?
From NFLCombine.net.
- All college seniors are eligible for the NFL Combine immediately following their final year of collegiate eligibility.
- Any underclassmen who declare for the NFL draft and satisfy all NCAA and NFL requirements are eligible to participate.
- Additionally, an athlete who is not playing collegiate football may qualify under a special circumstance in the year that correlates to his natural draft year had he been playing college football. He must first contact the Player Personnel Department at the NFL Office in New York to verify eligibility for the upcoming NFL Draft.
How are players selected for the NFL Combine?
From NFLCombine.net.
Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-six NFL teams, are joined by members of various NFL player personnel departments to form the committee. The participating NFL executives can rotate on a yearly basis, and remain anonymous. ALL eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft.
What is the schedule?
From ESPN.
Thursday - February 25, 2010
Offensive linemen, kickers, punters, long-snappers and tight ends available to mediaFriday - February 26, 2010
Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers available to mediaSaturday - February 27, 2010
Defensive linemen and linebackers available to media
Offensive linemen, tight ends and specialists work outSunday - February 28, 2010
Defensive backs available to media
Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs work outMonday - March 1, 2010
Defensive linemen and linebackers work outTuesday - March 2, 2010
Defensive backs work out
From NFL.com.
Group 1 (OL, SPECIALISTS)
Group 2 (OL)
Group 3 (TE)
Group 4 (QB, WR)
Group 5 (QB, WR)
Group 6 (RB)
Group 7 (DL)
Group 8 (DL)
Group 9 (LB)
Group 10 (DB)
Group 11 (DB)
What physical drills do the players perform?
There are six different drills the players are required to perform during the combine. Below is a bit more about each of those drills, from the NFL's official combine home, as well as a link to the NFL's descriptions from last year.
40-yard dash
More from NFL.com
The 40-yard dash is the marquee event at the combine. It's kind of like the 100-meters at the Olympics: It's all about speed, explosion and watching skilled athletes run great times. These athletes are timed at 10, 20 and 40-yard intervals. What the scouts are looking for is an explosion from a static start.
Bench press
More from NFL.com
The bench press is a test of strength -- 225 pounds, as many reps as the athlete can get. What the NFL scouts are also looking for is endurance. Anybody can do a max one time, but what the bench press tells the pro scouts is how often the athlete frequented his college weight room for the last 3-5 years.
Vertical jump
More from NFL.com
The vertical jump is all about lower-body explosion and power. The athlete stands flat-footed and they measure his reach. It is important to accurately measure the reach, because the differential between the reach and the flag the athlete touches is his vertical jump measurement.
Broad jump
More from NFL.com
The broad jump is like being in gym class back in junior high school. Basically, it is testing an athlete's lower-body explosion and lower-body strength. The athlete starts out with a stance balanced and then he explodes out as far as he can. It tests explosion and balance, because he has to land without moving.
3 cone drill
More from NFL.com
The 3 cone drill tests an athlete's ability to change directions at a high speed. Three cones in an L-shape. He starts from the starting line, goes 5 yards to the first cone and back. Then, he turns, runs around the second cone, runs a weave around the third cone, which is the high point of the L, changes directions, comes back around that second cone and finishes.
Shuttle run
More from NFL.com
The short shuttle is the first of the cone drills. It is known as the 5-10-5. What it tests is the athlete's lateral quickness and explosion in short areas. The athlete starts in the three-point stance, explodse out 5 yards to his right, touches the line, goes back 10 yards to his left, left hand touches the line, pivot, and he turns 5 more yards and finishes.
Position Specific Drills
These drills vary by position. For a detailed video about each position specific drill, check out the NFL's combine workout page.
What are good benchmarks to hit for each of these drills?
Over at SB Nation's Denver Broncos blog, someone put together a pretty sweet post including a most excellent table showing benchmarks that players will want to reach, broken down by position and event. Definitely worth the look.
How else are players evaluated?
NFL Team Interviews
Each NFL team can interview up to 60 players at the combine. Questions range in topics from football to personal.
The Wonderlic Test
From Wikipedia
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is an intelligence test primarily known for being administered to prospective employees for the purposes of recruitment, placement, development and retention. The Wonderlic is a twelve-minute, fifty-question exam to assess aptitude for learning a job and adapting to solve problems for employees in a wide range of occupations. The score is calculated as the number of correct answers given in the allotted time. A score of 20 is intended to indicate average intelligence.
This assessment roughly corresponds to examples from Paul Zimmerman'sThe New Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. According to Zimmerman, examples of average scores for each position are:
- Offensive tackle - 26
- Center - 25
- Quarterback - 24
- Guard - 23
- Tight end - 22
- Safety - 19
- Linebacker - 19
- Cornerback - 18
- Wide receiver - 17
- Fullback - 17
- Halfback - 16
Here are some notable high scores from years past:
Drew Henson - 42
Alex Smith - 40
Eli Manning - 39
Brian Griese - 39
Tony Romo - 37
Drew Bledsoe - 36
Matt Leinart - 35
Kellen Clemens - 35
Tom Brady - 33
Steve Young - 33
John Beck - 30
Philip Rivers - 30
Troy Aikman - 29
Brady Quinn - 29
Drew Brees - 28
Peyton Manning - 28
Ryan Leaf - 27
Ben Roethlisberger - 25
Brett Favre - 22
For ever more fun, click right here and take a version of the test yourself. Then post your score below in the comment section. Remember that it's a timed test and the timer starts immediately, so don't click over until you're ready to go.
Measurements
Players' height, weight, arm length, and hand length are measured. Body fat percentage is measured on running backs and lineman.
The Cybex Test
Players are hooked up to a machine that tests their flexibility and joint movement.
Injury Evaluation
Players are given physicals and x-ray examinations.
What players should Saints fans keep their eye on?
I think most of us would agree that, once again, the Saints need to go defense not only with their first round pick but with most of their picks in this years draft. I'm also getting the sense that the most preferred positions from readers of Da Chronic would be defensive tackle, defensive end and outside linebacker. So here is a full list of all players at those positions that will be participating.
Defensive Lineman
Name
Position
College
Alem, Rahim
DE
LSU
Alexander, Charles
DT
LSU
Alualu, Tyson
DE
California
Atkins, Geno
DT
Georgia
Basped, Kevin
DE
Nevada
Carrington, Alex
DE
Arkansas State
Cody, Terrence
DT
Alabama
Coleman, Antonio
DE
Auburn
Cunningham, Jermaine
DE
Florida
Davis, Dexter
DE
Arizona State
Davis, Hall
DE
Louisiana-Lafayette
Deaderick, Brandon
DE
Alabama
Dunlap, Carlos
DE
Florida
Galette, Junior
DE
Stillman
Geathers, Clifton
DE
South Carolina
Gibson, Thaddeus
DE
Ohio State
Graham, Brandon
DE
Michigan
Granger, DeMarcus
DT
Oklahoma
Griffen, Everson
DE
Southern Cal
Hardy, Greg
DE
Mississippi
Houston, Lamarr
DT
Texas
Hughes, Jerry
DE
TCU
Ihenacho, Carl
DE
San Jose State
Jones, Art
DT
Syracuse
Joseph, Linval
DT
East Carolina
Kindle, Sergio
DE
Texas
Kirlew, Jammie
DE
Indiana
Lane, Austen
DE
Murray State
Lang, Brandon
DE
Troy
Lorig, Erik
DE
Stanford
McClellan, Albert
DE
Marshall
McCoy, Gerald
DT
Oklahoma
Middleton, Greg
DE
Indiana
Misi, Koa
DE
Utah
Mitchell, Earl
DT
Arizona
Moats, Arthur
DE
James Madison
Morgan, Derrick
DE
Georgia Tech
Mullins, Aleric
DT
North Carolina
Neal, Mike
DT
Purdue
Odrick, Jared
DT
Penn State
Oghobaase, Vince
DT
Duke
Owens, Jeff
DT
Georgia
Peters, Corey
DT
Kentucky
Pierre-Paul, Jason
DE
South Florida
Price, Brian
DT
UCLA
Ross, Jay
DT
East Carolina
Sapp, Ricky
DE
Clemson
Schofield, O'Brien
DE
Wisconsin
Selvie, George
DE
South Florida
Sheffield, Cameron
DE
Troy
Sheppard, Malcolm
DT
Arkansas
Smith, D'Anthony
DT
Louisiana Tech
Suh, Ndamukong
DT
Nebraska
Te'o-Nesheim, Daniel
DE
Washington
Thomas, Cam
DT
North Carolina
Tracy, Adrian
DE
William & Mary
Troup, Torell
DT
Central Florida
Washington, Lorenzo
DE
Alabama
Williams, Dan
DT
Tennessee
Wilson, C.J.
DE
East Carolina
Wilson, E.J.
DE
North Carolina
Witten, Lindsey
DE
Connecticut
Woods, Al
DT
LSU
Wootton, Corey
DE
Northwestern
Worilds, Jason
DE
Virginia Tech
Worthington, Doug
DT
Ohio State
Young, Willie
DE
North Carolina State
Linebackers
Name
Position
College
Angerer, Pat
LB
Iowa
Beauchamp, Jason
LB
UNLV
Bosworth, Kyle
LB
UCLA
Bowman, Navorro
LB
Penn State
Butler, Donald
LB
Washington
Campbell, Lee
LB
Minnesota
Chaney, Jamar
LB
Mississippi State
Clayton, Keenan
LB
Oklahoma
Cole, Justin
LB
San Jose State
Coleman, Harry
LB
LSU
Conner, Kavell
LB
Clemson
Curran, Rennie
LB
Georgia
Dillard, Phillip
LB
Nebraska
Edds, A.J.
LB
Iowa
Goethel, Travis
LB
Arizona State
Grimm, Cody
LB
Virginia Tech
Hull, Josh
LB
Penn State
Johnson, Micah
LB
Kentucky
Kristick, Keaton
LB
Oregon State
Lawrence, Simoni
LB
Minnesota
Lee, Boris
LB
Troy
Lee, Sean
LB
Penn State
Maxwell, Samuel
LB
Kentucky
McClain, Rolando
LB
Alabama
McLaughlin, Mike
LB
Boston College
Muckelroy, Roddrick
LB
Texas
Norwood, Eric
LB
South Carolina
Riley, Perry
LB
LSU
Sharpton, Darryl
LB
Miami
Spikes, Brandon
LB
Florida
Sylvester, Stevenson
LB
Utah
Triplett, Nathan
LB
Minnesota
Washington, Daryl
LB
TCU
Watson, Dekoda
LB
Florida State
Weatherspoon, Sean
LB
Missouri
Wilson, Kion
LB
South Florida
How can I keep up with the Combine?
I am assuming you mean other than right here on CSC. The NFL Network will have tons of coverage.
Live Workouts: Hosted by Rich Eisen with NFL Network analysts Charles Davis and Mike Mayock providing daily reports on the prospects participating in the workouts. Airs live Saturday, Feb. 27 and runs through Tuesday, March 2 beginning at 11 a.m. ET each day.
NFL Total Access: NFL Total Access is on location from the Scouting Combine with news, analysis and interviews. Airs live Thursday, Feb. 25 through Tuesday, March 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Press Conferences: Player, coach and general manager press conferences will air live Thursday, Feb. 25, and Friday, Feb. 26 beginning at 2:30 ET.
Check out this website out to view the daily schedule.
NFL.com will also be streaming live coverage. The schedule is listed right there on the page.
Top performers will be listed here when workouts begin.