NFL Scouting Combine: 3 things you need to know
The NFL Scouting Combine is set to begin, and with 300-plus invitees from both small schools and elite programs, several intriguing storylines are likely to develop. We've outlined three of them below.
Here's what you need to know.
Schedule for the week
The combine schedule ramps up as the week progresses, with the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs fulfilling the on-field portion on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Players begin arriving Tuesday Feb. 17 and will spend the three days leading up to on-field workouts undergoing physicals, measurements, conducting media interviews and meeting with teams. The bench press also happens the day before on-field workouts.
On-field workouts
- Friday, Feb. 20 - Special teams, offensive linemen, tight ends
- Saturday, Feb. 21 - Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers
- Sunday, Feb. 22 - Defensive linemen, linebackers
- Monday, Feb. 23 - Defensive backs
Mariota vs. Winston
Will either throw? Will both throw? Will neither throw?
Frequently, the top quarterbacks decide not to throw because the stakes are high and they're unfamiliar with the receivers. But scouts and coaches are more concerned with assessing footwork, fundamentals and how the ball comes out of their hands than straightforward accuracy.
For Marcus Mariota, proving he's competent out of the three-step and five-step drops may be the most important factor leading up to the draft. Despite suffering a sprained AC joint at the end of the season, he may be forced to throw in order to get a leg up on the more pro-ready Jameis Winston.
Winston's combine begins and ends off the field. If he can make coaches and general managers comfortable with his maturity level in face-to-face meetings, he may not need to throw at all.
Fun-to-watch freaks
The combine has an undeniable carnival sideshow element to it, with athletes of all shapes and sizes showing off freakish natural abilities. Wide receivers Phillip Dorsett, Devin Smith and Sammie Coates are all expected to post blazing fast 40-yard dash times, but could also distinguish themselves in the broad and vertical jumps.
Speaking of vertical jumps, defensive end Shane Ray - a projected top-10 pick - is expected to record a vertical jump close to 40 inches and a low-4.5 40-yard dash time. At 245 pounds, that's incredible.
Top offensive tackle Brandon Scherff is being touted as the strongest man in the draft, with a chance to break the bench-press mark of 49 reps of 225 pounds (set by Stephen Paea in 2011).
And expected combine standout Bud Dupree says he'll do well in every event, telling Chase Goodbread of NFL.com before last season:
I definitely think I will blow the combine up. … In the 40-yard dash, I probably can run a high 4.4 or a low 4.5. In the vertical jump, I can get a 41 or a 42, and in the broad jump, I know I can get 11 feet. I just have to keep working hard to match those numbers.
He's done nothing this season to disprove any of that, so he should be fun to watch.