The NFL Scouting Combine – February 27 – March 5, 2018
The 2018 NFL Scouting Combine is here with the early part of the process underway with 336 draft-eligible players in attendance. This has become an annual event in Indianapolis, where they will go through the gauntlet of team and media interviews, physical and medical testing, and more. The results usually have a huge impact on their status for the upcoming NFL Draft.
On this list are all of the top prospects in the draft, as well as many players who will inevitably go undrafted. After all, the NFL Draft has just 256 selections, and there will be additional players who are selected despite not being invited to Indy.
NFL 2018 Scouting Combine
The best college football players are invited to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. This year 336 players will show up for extensive testing over a week as a critical part of the scouting progress for the NFL Draft. Top NFL Executives, coaching staffs, Player Personnel departments and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams will be on hand to evaluate the nation’s top college football players eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft. This intense, four-day job interview is an exciting time for the athletes and a vital step in achieving their dreams of playing in the NFL.
With increasing interest in the NFL draft, the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance, allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting. Its origins have evolved from the National, BLESTO and Quadra Scouting organizations in 1977 to the media event it has become today.
The NFL Combine 2018 features the national champion Alabama who has the biggest group, with 14 players invited. They are followed by Ohio St (11), Georgia and LSU (10), Florida St and Miami (9) with Penn St (8), Washington (7) and Texas (6) and Oklahoma (6) each. On average, there are 110 NFL Combine players who will go undrafted while on average, 35 non-invited NFL Combine players will be drafted in April.
Athletes attend by invitation only. An athlete’s performance during the NFL Combine can affect their draft status and salary, and their career. The NFL Draft has popularized the term “workout warrior”, whereby an athlete’s “draft stock” is increased based on superior measurable qualities such as size, speed, and strength, despite having an average or sub-par college career.
NFL Scouting Combine – Feb 27 – March 5, 2018
Player Group Combine Schedule:
DAY 1 ARRIVALS: Group 1 (PK, ST, OL), Group 2 (OL), Group 3 (RB)
Tuesday – February 27 – Travel to Indianapolis – Registration/Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays
Overflow Testing – Orientation – Interviews
Wednesday – Feb 28 – Measurements – Medical Examinations – Overflow Testing – Interviews
Thursday – March 1 – Psychological Testing – NFLPA Meeting – PK/ST Workout – Media – Bench
Press – Interviews
Friday – March 2 – On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) – Departure from Indianapolis
DAY 2 ARRIVALS: Group 4 (QB, WO), Group 5 (QB, WO), Group 6 (TE)
Wednesday Feb 28 – Travel to Indianapolis – Registration/Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays
Overflow Testing – Orientation – Interviews
Thursday – March 1 – Measurements – Medical Examinations – Overflow Testing – Interviews
Friday – March 2 – Psychological Testing – NFLPA Meeting – Media – Bench Press – Interviews
Saturday – March 3 – On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) – Departure
DAY 3 ARRIVALS: Group 7 (DL), Group 8 (DL), Group 9 (LB)
Thursday – March 1 – Travel to Indianapolis – Registration/Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays –
Overflow Testing – Orientation – Interviews
Friday – March 2 – Measurements – Medical Examinations – Overflow Testing – Interviews
Saturday – March 3 – Psychological Testing – NFLPA Meeting – Media – Bench Press – Interviews
Sunday – March 4 – On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) – Departure
DAY 4 ARRIVALS: Group 10 (DB), Group 11 (DB)
Friday – March 2 – Travel to Indianapolis – Registration/Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays – Overflow
Testing – Orientation – Interviews
Saturday – March 3 – Measurements – Medical Examinations – Overflow Testing – Interviews
Sunday – March 4 – Psychological Testing – NFLPA Meeting – Media – Bench Press – Interviews
Monday – March 5 – On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) – Departure from Indianapolis
* Select players from any Group may arrive one day prior to their scheduled date listed above in order to assist with medical scheduling. This will be based on flight schedules and medical tests only and no players arriving early will have advanced contact with teams.
How are players selected for the NFL Combine?
Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-five 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.
Tests/ Evaluations include:
40-yard dash
Bench press (225 lbs. repetitions)
Vertical jump
Broad jump
20-yard shuttle
3 cone drill
60-yard shuttle
Position-specific drills
Interviews – each team is allowed 60 interviews in 15-minute intervals
Physical measurements
Injury evaluation
Drug screen
The Cybex test
The Wonderlic test
