You just knew it was headed this direction They say in the NFL there is no offseason and they are pushing as hard as they can to make that a reality. NFL fans are starved for content in the long offseason and the NFL is always trying to find ways to make more money. The draft had long since become a major TV event. The next target to meet the demands of both the NFL and its fans is the scouting combine.
What has long been seen as a necessary event for analyzing draft-eligible talent this year will be moving away from that and towards entertainment and TV ratings.
The major changes to the event revolve around the on-field events which are televised over a four-day period. Those events have always been held in the early part of the day and now will be moved to the late afternoon and evening. Better known as prime time.
It used to be NFL Network would simply show the combine footage live and then air it again later in the day for those who missed it the first time.
Events will also be changed to make them more viewer-friendly. An article in Sports Illustrated detailed some of the changes in events. As many as nine position-specific events will be swapped out for new ones. And to add timing to the drills to make them more competitive. All in the interest of the viewing audience. But there are also some practical changes that will be happening.
Some of the new drills include a smoke route for quarterbacks and wide receivers. A smoke route is a short route, a one-step hitch that is popular in run pass option plays which are now a staple of NFL offenses. The smoke route is usually used on the backside of a run play as a bail out for the quarterback when the run look isn’t there. This drill will also be timed, from the quarterback’s hands to the receiver’s hands.
A screen drill is new for offensive linemen this year, so evaluators can see their speed in blocking on screen plays. Offensive and defensive linemen used to do mirror drills where they would shadow another prospect who would mimic a lineman across the line of scrimmage and act as the “rabbit.” Foster said they have eliminated the rabbit in those drills this year because, “The rabbit doesn’t typically make those movements any other time, so why would we have him do it then? And then we have him turn around and do the drill, that is not reflective of today’s game.” A coach will signal change of direction instead.
For offensive and defensive linemen and tight ends, instead of squaring up to coaches holding bags in certain drills, they will push a sled for two-to-five yards.
For defensive linemen, the committee added a popular figure eight pass rush drill seen at pro days. The prospects will run a timed figure eight formation to show their bend and lean coming around the edge.
Moving all the events to later in the day means sacrificing some other parts of the combine. The main area that will change is the number of interviews each team will get. They were allowed up to 60 interviews with prospects and now that number will be 45.
Most NFL teams say they get the most from the medicals and interviews portion of the combine. The 15 fewer interviews at the combine will force some teams to get the info they need in other ways, such as the player’s pro day or at one of their 30 allowed visits to their facility.
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