INDIANPOLIS, Indiana (92.3 The Fan) – The days of watching prospect workouts in the morning at the NFL Combine are over and the drills will look different too.
The league is shifting the on-field testing portion of the annual week-long event to prime time beginning Thursday from 4-11 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium on NFL Network.
Up to 16 different drills have been added to and a few others have been eliminated from the on-field workouts including end zone fade routes and a timed drill for pre-snap reads for quarterbacks. Running backs will catch angle routes and be tested on using their eyes to avoid obstacles while defensive linemen will run one of the most popular drills in training camp – the run-and-club drill.
With the new workout schedule comes a new media availability schedule for prospects too.
Prospect media availability begins Tuesday and will run through Friday from 8-11 a.m. instead of being spaced throughout the day.
New Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski will speak Tuesday afternoon and then immerse themselves in the evaluation and scouting process for the week.
Quarterbacks, tight ends and receivers arrived on Sunday and on Monday underwent measurements, their hospital pre-exam and began team interviews. They will hold their media availability Tuesday morning followed by medical exams, position coach interviews and psychological testing. Wednesday they’ll participate in the NFLPA meeting, do the bench press as well as continue interviews and psychological testing followed by their on-field workout Thursday.
Specialists, offensive linemen and running backs arrived Monday. Measurements, hospital pre-exam and team interviews start Tuesday. They will hold their media availability Wednesday morning followed by medical exams, position coach interviews and psychological testing. Thursday includes an NFLPA meeting, the bench press along with more interviews and psychological testing followed by their on-field workout Friday.
Defensive linemen and linebackers arrive Tuesday. Measurements, hospital pre-exam and team interviews start Wednesday. They will hold their media availability Thursday morning followed by medical exams, position coach interviews and psychological testing. Friday includes an NFLPA meeting, the bench press along with more interviews and psychological testing followed by their on-field workout Saturday.
The defensive backs – corners and safeties – arrive Wednesday. Measurements, hospital pre-exam and team interviews start Thursday. They will hold their media availability Friday morning followed by medical exams, position coach interviews and psychological testing. On Saturday they’ll have their NFLPA meeting, do the bench press along with more interviews and psychological testing followed by their on-field workout Sunday to wrap up the week.
Another tweak to this year’s Combine is the number of formal interviews with prospects for teams. They have been reduced from 60 to 48, but instead of being 15 minutes in length, they’ve been extended to 18 minutes.
The league made the changes to capitalize on the growing popularity of the Combine and what it hopes to be a larger audience in prime time.
It’s expected that in the coming years the Combine will be moved from Indianapolis, where it’s been held since 1987. The NFL has an agreement in place with the city through 2025 but can opt out after 2021.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke is among multiple owners hoping to lure the event with a multi-billion-dollar complex that will be home to a state-of-the-art stadium for the Rams and Chargers, which opens this fall. NFL media, which includes the league’s website and television network, are also moving to Kroenke’s complex.
