All about the NFL Combine

The NFL combine is an event that allows athletes to preform drills in front of NFL scouts, head coaches and general managers. Player performances are compared to others in their draft class and position. A player likely won’t go from being drafted in the seventh round to being a first round pick, but the combine can make an impact on a player’s draft stock rising or falling.

The combine is a four day event that takes place Feb. 27 until March 2. Players are invited to the combine through invitation only. Around 300 players are invited each year.

History of The Draft Combine

The combine began in 1982 and was referred to as the National Invitation Camp. The first combine was held in Tampa followed by hosts in New Orleans and Arizona. The combine then found its home in Indianapolis. The city of Indianapolis has continuously hosted the combine since 1987. Since there was no league official draft combine, teams would group together to host their own mini events for players.

As a result, college prospects were missing classes from having to travel from city to city to conduct interviews and physical tests. In order to save time and money, the separate events were combined together to form a larger event for player evaluations.

The number-one priority of the early combine was to medically evaluate player’s. Teams want to make sure that players were physically prepared to have long-lasting careers for their franchise. The current combine has evolved into an evaluation of  focused on medical, intellectual, and physical attributes of players.

Events at The Draft Combine

The 40-yard dash tests a players speed, acceleration and agility. Last year, Xavier Worthy set the record with his 4.21 time.

OFFICIAL: 4.21

XAVIER WORTHY HOLDS THE NEW 40-YARD DASH RECORD pic.twitter.com/IrXf3WyemB

— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2024

The 10-yard split focuses on the first ten yards of a player’s sprint. Chris Johnson holds the all-time record, which he set in 2008 with a time of 1.40 seconds.

The vertical jump tests a player’s ability to explode from the lower half of their body. The drill measures a player’s standing jump. Gerald Sensabaugh holds the record, scoring 46.0 inches in 2005.

Likewise, the broad jump focuses on the power from a player’s lower half. In this drill, the players jump forward instead of up. Byron Jones set the record in 2015 jumping 12 feet and 3 inches.

The three-cone drill measures speed, body control and change of direction. In 2018, Jordan Thomas recorded a time of 6.28 seconds, the best click to date.

The 20-yard shuffle is another drill that is used to measure a players agility and change of direction. Kevin Kasper set the record when he recorded a time of 3.73 seconds.

The bench press tests the strength of the players. Each player tries to complete full reps of 225 pounds. In 1999, Justin Ernest etched 51 reps, a number that is yet to be surpassed.

Besides the physical tests athlete partake in, the athletes under go physicals, x-rays and drug tests.

Finally, the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is used to measure players decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

Gators in The Combine

Furthermore, the Florida Gators had nine players receive invitations to this year’s combine.

Yellow:

Jeremy Crawshaw (P)

Cam Jackson (DL)

Shemar James (LB)

😳@jeremy_crawshaw showed off his powerful leg with a ball speed of 68mph (110km/h) at the #NFLCombine

For context:
🐆 That’s as fast a cheetah
🚔 Would get you speeding ticket on a freeway in Melbourne
👨🏻‍🦲 Faster than my hairline disappearing pic.twitter.com/w5cbG2GQSD

— The Kicking Consultant 🏈 NFL High Performance (@JoshGrowden_TKC) February 27, 2025

Pink:

Jason Marshall Jr. (CB)

Orange:

Graham Mertz (QB)

Montrell Johnson Jr. (RB)

Chimere Dike (WR)

Elijhah Badger (WR)

Green:

Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson (OL)

2025 NFL Scouting Combine schedule

(Feb. 24th-March 3rd): pic.twitter.com/rYzqGk9pgW

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) February 24, 2025