Many of the top hopefuls looking to break into the NFL will be on display from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis beginning this Saturday, February 22. The players will be in attendance this week beginning on February 19 for the orientation, exams and to meet with the media.
Not all players will take the field each day; it will be broken up by position per the usual schedule.
The three positions occupying Day 1 on Saturday (Feb 22) will be the tight ends, offensive lineman and the specialists. The staple workouts will include a bench press, 40-yard spring, two types of jumps (broad and vertical), 3-cone drill, and the shuttle run.
The day that grabs the most attention is Day 2. On Sunday, quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers will hit the field for the workout drills.
The final two days will cover defense. The lineman and linebackers will go on February 24, while the defensive backs will appear on the final day.
Perhaps the biggest name of late is Michael Sam, the Missouri Tiger who came out the the public two weeks ago regarding his sexual orientation. Sam revealed himself to be gay, which makes him the first active football player to do so. And it’s not as if he did it as an NFL veteran, he has yet to embark on his professional career.
Sam was the 2013 co-SEC Defensive Player of the Year. So it’s not as if he is a back up with no shot at a NFL career. Sam is projected to be a middle round selection as a defensive end or linebacker combination.
While Sam will garner quite a bit of attention, he is not the only one that many will look forward to.
The No.1 overall selection goes to the Houston Texans. Who the Texans will take remains to be seen. They are certainly in need of a quarterback. Among those being considered are Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles. Bridgewater and Bortles will throw in the combine but Manziel will wait until the Texas A&M Pro Day.
And then there is Jadeveon Clowney. After a sub-standard junior season by most accounts, Clowney is eager to prove that is is worthy of No.1 pick by Houston. He has set some lofty goals for himself at the combine, which will be on display for all to see.
The NFL Network will have some great coverage of the NFL combine for fans to check out the performances during the drills.
Betting lines for the combine will be released as well. Currently, the only draft-related props cover Sam and where he will be taken. Bovada Sportsbook has that number set a 125.5, which is the number of selections until he is taken. We should see more props for generic draft lines for bench press, 40-times + more.