Everything you need to know about the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine including how to watch, when to watch, and who to watch.
HIGHLIGHTS Of 2024 NFL Combine
- The NFL Combine’s official workouts are set to begin on Thursday afternoon.
- For players, the combine is a six-day process full of wild interview questions and important workout drills.
- Some of the Draft’s biggest prospects are declining the chance to participate in the NFL Network-exclusive live tests.
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The NFL offseason is in full swing.
The franchise tag window has opened, with one of many outstanding candidates already having it placed upon them by the Cincinnati Bengals. Free agency is also on the horizon. But first, all 32 teams will gather at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts, for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
The combine serves as the first opportunity for nearly every scout, head coach, and general manager to meet college football’s latest talent crop. Over the next week, players will make their case to be selected in a spot from No. 1 overall, like Bryce Young and many others, to No. 257 and Mr. Irrelevant, like Brock Purdy in 2022.
Things officially got underway on Monday, when defensive linemen and linebackers went through registration, orientation, and their first set of team interviews. Here’s what’s on tap for the remainder of the week, including when the newest batch of incoming rookies will strut their stuff in on-field workouts.
HOW TO WATCH:
The NFL offseason is the NFL Network’s time to shine, as they have exclusive live coverage of the combine drills throughout the week. Here are all the different ways to watch this year’s combine:
- TV/Broadcast: NFL Network
- Stream: fuboTV, NFL+, NFL app, NFL Network app
Related
The complete list of NFL Scouting Combine records
From the fastest participants to the heaviest players, here’s a complete list of every top performer in each event at the NFL Draft Combine.
When to watch: Combine schedule
A week of interviews, measurements and testing
To make things easier for everyone involved, the league breaks up its 321 invitees into position groups for the combine’s various stages. Each group goes through the same six-day process, including arrival to and departure from Indianapolis, with the only slight variations coming on which days they have their NFLPA meeting and broadcast interviews.
- Monday, February 26: Orientation, interviews, medical exams
- Tuesday, February 27: Orientation, interviews, medical exams
- Wednesday, February 28: Orientation, interviews, medical exams
- Thursday, February 29, 3:00 p.m. E.T.: Defensive line and linebacker workouts and drills
- Friday, March 1, 3:00 p.m. E.T.: Defensive back and tight end workouts and drills
- Saturday, March 2, 1:00 p.m. E.T.: Quarterback, running back, and wide receiver workouts and drills
- Sunday, March 3: 1:00 p.m. E.T.: Offensive lineman and special teams workouts and drills
Generally speaking, days one through three (Monday to Wednesday) consist of myriad testing and interviews with both teams and the media.
Organizations try to get a greater understanding of a player’s mental makeup by asking any number of questions concerning any number of topics. There will be players who reveal they were asked about how they gauge their mother’s attractiveness, their preferred murder weapon or some other crazy, non-football related scenario.
On day four, the players finally take the field and get to show off their freakish athletic ability through numerous workouts. Day five, they hit the bench press and head out of town. Offensive groups—other than tight ends, who are paired with defensive backs—and specialists have an extra day of pre-field work before getting to strut their stuff.
What to watch: Combine workouts
Different drills testing strength, agility and more
In addition to numerous position-specific drills, there are six workouts each group will go through. The 40-yard dash is the most anticipated workout of the week, particularly for running backs and wide receivers. However, it functions more as a hype machine than a true indication of one’s football prowess. The event’s 10-yard split is more useful for scouts, as it shows how quickly a player can reach peak acceleration.
The other five workouts—20-yard shuttle, three cone drill, bench press, broad jump and vertical jump—all offer insight into a player’s explosiveness, strength, conditioning, and overall agility. Some, like the broad jump and bench press for linemen, are more important for one position group than another.
| NFL Combine Position Drills – What’s Important to Whom? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Drill | Targeted Position Group | Traits Observed |
| 20-Yard Shuttle | RB, WR, TE, EDGE, LB, DB | Agility, Twitch, Acceleration |
| Three Cone Drill | LB, EDGE | Bend, Explosiveness |
| Bench Press | OL, DL | Strength, Stamina, Grit |
| Broad Jump | OL, DL | Explosiveness, Balance |
| Vertical Jump | RB, WR, TE, DB | Explosiveness, Reach |
Recently, the results of player testing have been converted into a Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which helps compare the combine performances of players of different sizes and eras. A RAS score of 10—the maximum—is hard to earn, but any player approaching it is considered an “elite” athlete. The lowest possible RAS score is 0.
Who to watch: Top players testing (or not testing) in Indianapolis
Some big-name prospects are not testing this year
This year’s combine will still be a fun event, but some major stars have already announced they would not be full participants.
Projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels, and presumptive No. 2 overall pick Drake Maye have all revealed they will not be throwing in front of teams, while consensus top receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t expected to work out at the combine or Ohio State’s pro day. It’s a worrying trend for the combine, as sports agencies such as Athletes First have also begun to advise their clients not to participate in the cognitive tests either.
In all, six of GIVEMESPORT’s top 16 NFL Draft prospects are not testing at the combine. However, their absences give some upper-echelon draftees a chance to raise their stock to greater heights.
QB Michael Penix Jr., WR Rome Odunze, and TE Brock Bowers lead the notable names to watch on offense, while CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, EDGE Jared Verse, and DL Jer’Zahn “Johnny” Newton are set to shine when the defense is roaming the turf.
