Now that the combine drills are underway, it makes sense to ask just how much NFL teams take this entire process seriously. Coaches and general managers will tell you that it’s part of the process, and what they’re looking to nail down in Indianapolis are the deep specifics of the players they’re interested in based on their own tape study, and the work of their area scouts. Most often, a blow-away performance at the combine won’t vault a guy up the boards unless it’s truly exceptional — what teams do from here is take their interview notes and performance notes back to their facilities to re-watch the tape and get ready for pro days.
That said, the combine can be an important part of the process when it comes to confirming one’s particulars. Here’s a list of the draft prospects who helped themselves the most during Thursday night’s quarterback/tight end/receiver drills — and a couple of prospects who really didn’t.