Some of the final pieces of the pattern are about to be woven into the narrative of the 2020 NFL draft class. On Monday, the poking, prodding and non-stop onslaught of folk acting way-too-familiar will get started as the early parts of the NFL Scouting Combine commence. Save for a few “work ethics and competitive spirits” winding their way up river to a Day 3 draft-pick status, most everyone with a realistic shot of being selected is in Indianapolis for the week, or they’re on their way.
The combine has been around for almost 40 years; with data entry specialists probably plugging heights, weights and 40 times into Commodore 64s.
Dallas” Tex Schramm engineered the original Stringer-Bell-New-Day-Co-op and convinced the competition committee to “go in together so they could get the best discount on New York Package.” The consortium gathered the Lesko, Quadra and individual scouting departments around conference room table thanks to the market they all shared.
163 prospects took part in the inaugural combine in 1982.
Now each year the NFL invites every eligible draft participant deemed worthy by the scouting committees and this year the spectacle has been moved to primetime during the last half of the week.
The number of invitees has reached 337, and all can peep the full list here.
The on-field workouts will run Thursday through Sunday, as clusters of positions go a five-day stir fry.
Here’s a look at the full schedule of arrivals and activities, courtesy of Draft Network’s Jordan Reid, which started Sunday with the quarterbacks, tight ends and wide receivers descending on Naptown.
Prior to putting the prospects through the physical ringer, team representatives and doctors take the players through psychological warfare, though things are supposed to have calmed down compared to some of the weirdo tactics previously employed.
— Interviews (each team is allowed 60 interviews in 15-minute intervals)
— Physical measurements
— Injury evaluation
— Drug screen
— The Cybex test
— The Wonderlic Test
The on-field work will be televised on NFL Network live starting at 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday and airing at the same time, through 11:00 p.m. ET for three days. Wanting to hit the bricks and get out of town, Sunday’s session is from 2:00 p.m. through 7:00 p.m.
The sessions will also be livestreamed online; through the NFL apps.
On field, there are seven basic drills every player has the opportunity to do, and then their are a series of position-specific drills which have several new additions in 2020.
Seven basic drills
40-yard dash
Bench press
Vertical jump
Broad jump
Three-cone drill
20-yard shuttle
60-yard shuttle
Position drills
The links in the heading if you want to dive into what each of these routines involves.
Quarterbacks
End zone fade routes added to routes thrown, timed smoke/now route drill
Running backs
Duce Staley drill; Inside routes with change of direction added to routes run
ELIMINATED: Pitch and cone drill, find the ball drill
Receivers
End zone fade route
ELIMINATED: Toe tap drill
Tight ends
End zone fade route
ELIMINATED: Toe tap drill
Offensive line
New mirror drill, new screen drill
Miscellaneous: Pull drills will include engaging a one-man sled instead of a bag. Inclusion of “rabbit” is eliminated in pass rush drops and pass pro mirror drill, with a coach’s hand motion changing direction of lateral slide in latter drill.
Defensive line
Run and club drill, run the hoop drill
ELIMINATED: Stack and shed drill
Linebackers
Shuffle, sprint, change of direction drill; short zone breaks drill
ELIMINATED: Pass drop
Defensive backs
Line drill, Teryl Austin drill, box drill, gauntlet drill
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