The NFL’s annual scouting combine is in jeopardy of changes or cancellation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new report from ESPN, the league is mulling their plans for the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine and is expected to have a decision in the coming weeks. The annual event typically takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana, serving as meeting space for team representatives, agents and NFL draft prospects. The players compete in the annual combine, interview with media members and teams alike. The NFL also uses the event as a space for teams to lay the groundwork for contract extensions, trades and more.
ESPN’s report says there are many options that have been discussed in the wake of the pandemic. Those options include but are not limited to, having a smaller combine in Indianapolis in February, delaying the combine until April, or using smaller regional combines that don’t require prospects to travel as far.
One challenge noted is that the NCAA is planning to host March Madness in Indianapolis from mid-March through the beginning of April. That’d make any delay of the combine in Indianapolis tricky to navigate. Pushing the combine back would also undoubtedly push back the start of the NFL’s free agency period as well as the start date of the 2021 NFL draft.
While league officials appear committed to having the combine take place in some capacity, the logistics are proving to be more challenging than perhaps anyone expected. There will be a decision in the coming days, but it might be to simply cancel the event altogether.
Thankfully, the Kansas City Chiefs have been active during the college football season. Scouts have been credentialed for a number of top games this season checking out some top prospects up close. There’s also the 2021 Senior Bowl set to take place in Mobile, AL later this month and that is a full-go. There will certainly be other opportunities for teams to get to know draft prospects.
At the same time, any change or cancellation to the combine could see many teams straying from a tried and true strategy that has helped teams shaped their rosters over the years. It’s just another challenge that teams will be forced to adapt to during the COVID-19 era of football.
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