Players will report to the 2016 NFL Combine this week, kicking off a week of one of sports' weirdest events. In total, 332 of the best players in college football eligible who make up the large majority of the 2016 NFL Draft class will travel to Indianapolis.
Those players will be paraded around in underwear for crowds of media, scouts and NFL talent evaluators. They will be poked, prodded, measured, medically evaluated, tested and interviewed before finally hitting the football field to show off their athleticism.
It's a week-long job interview where every player will have a chance to prove they are worth the investment of a draft pick, and even the 100+ combine invitees that aren't drafted will look to impress teams interested in offering a contract in undrafted free agency.
But players on the fringe of being drafted aren't the ones that will draw crowds of media and cameras. All eyes will be on the first-round picks and with no clear-cut quarterback ahead of the pack, the Saturday featuring drills with Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch will be the most interesting day of the week.
All three quarterbacks have elected to throw at the Combine, which has been a recent trend for top quarterbacks. Just four years ago, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Ryan Tannehill were at the top of the draft class and elected not to participate in throwing drills.
Instead Goff, Wentz and Lynch will duke it out to prove they're the player that should go as early as No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns.
Of course, that puts the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft in the spotlight, as well. Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil is a near consensus to go to the Tennessee Titans with the first overall selection. He has the rare athleticism to stand out as a star at the combine in agility drills, and show why so many believe he should be the top pick.
But before the drills get started, players will first go through a litany of evaluations off the football field. After official measurements that include everything from height and weight to hand size and arm length, prospects will go through a list of tests that measure speed, agility, strength and explosiveness.
Those tests may not be around for much longer, with a newly found committee of NFL executives, scouts, coaches, athletic trainers, team physicians and others put together to review all the processes in the combine. With new technologies and criticisms from New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick of a system that incentivizes players to train specifically for combine events, the committee will review if an overhaul might be necessary.
Among the tests/evaluations that will take place at the 2016 NFL Combine:
- 40-yard dash
- Bench press
- Vertical jump
- Broad jump
- 20-yard shuttle
- 3-cone drill
- 60-yard shuttle
- Position-specific drills
Combine schedule:
Day 1: Tues., Feb. 23
Player Set A (special teams, offensive line, running backs)
Arrival, registration, hospital pre-exam and X-rays, orientation
Day 2: Wed., Feb. 24
Player Set A (special teams, offensive line, running backs)
Media availability, physical measurements, medical exams
Player Set B (quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends)
Arrival, registration, hospital pre-exam and X-rays, orientation
Day 3: Thurs., Feb. 25
Player Set A (special teams, offensive line, running backs)
NFLPA meeting, psychological testing, Bench press
Player Set B (quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends)
Media availability, physical measurements, medical exams
Player Set C (defensive linemen, linebackers)
Arrival, registration, hospital pre-exam and X-rays, orientation
Day 4: Fri., Feb. 26
Player Set A (special teams, offensive line, running backs)
On-field drills and positional workouts
Player Set B (quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends)
NFLPA meeting, psychological testing, bench press
Player Set C (defensive linemen, linebackers)
Media availability, physical measurements, medical exams
Player Set D (cornerbacks, safeties)
Arrival, registration, hospital pre-exam and X-rays, orientation
Day 5: Sat., Feb. 27
Player Set B (quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends)
On-field drills and positional workouts
Player Set C (defensive linemen, linebackers)
NFLPA meeting, psychological testing, bench press
Player Set D (cornerbacks, safeties)
Media availability, physical measurements, medical exams
Day 6: Sun., Feb. 28
Player Set C (defensive linemen, linebackers)
On-field drills and positional workouts
Player Set D (cornerbacks, safeties)
NFLPA meeting, psychological testing, bench press
Day 7: Mon., Feb. 29
Player Set D (cornerbacks, safeties)
On-field drills and positional workouts