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An Introduction to the 2010 NFL Combine



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 media 

Friday - February 26, 2010

Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers available to media 

Saturday  - February 27, 2010

Defensive linemen and linebackers available to media 

Offensive linemen, tight ends and specialists work out 

Sunday - February 28, 2010

Defensive backs available to media 

Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs work out 

Monday - March 1, 2010

Defensive linemen and linebackers work out 

Tuesday - March 2, 2010

Defensive backs work out    

From NFL.com.

Saturday, Feb. 27
Group 1 (OL, SPECIALISTS)
Group 2 (OL)
Group 3 (TE)
Sunday, Feb. 28
Group 4 (QB, WR)
Group 5 (QB, WR)
Group 6 (RB)
Monday, March 1
Group 7 (DL)
Group 8 (DL)
Group 9 (LB)
Tuesday, March 2
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.