LA Rams NFL Combine Event Primer

LA Rams fans await the 2020 NFL Draft. That means the 2020 NFL Combine is near.  Here’s a good NFL Combine Primer to help you track all the events

LA Rams fans are eager to see who the team picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. But before we get there, up to 355 NFL prospects will be attending the NFL Combine.

The 2020 NFL Combine is the first true event of the year which builds optimism, excitement, and hoopla for the upcoming NFL Draft. But what is the NFL combine exactly? Well, it’s a method of mass processing of hundreds of NFL hopeful college prospects to ensure all 32 teams have objective measurables, equal access, and an opportunity for executives to meet with and interview candidates who they are most interested in selecting in the upcoming draft.

The event begins a football players entry into the NFL data analytics data base.  By that, I mean the player is formally and officially measured for height, weight, and a host of tests for strength, agility, speed, endurance, personality, football IQ, instincts, and more.

While many tout the “make or break dreams” angle of the young men who hope to one day play in the NFL, the NFL Combine is essentially the last stop for college players whose real work was done in games and analyzed by scouts and pundits each year, each game, each play.

Combine Schedule

The National Combine is not one huge event. Rather, the national combine is host to a series of lanes designed to feature similar football positions. The event can process up to 335 players in a week. With so many statistics, measurements, and competitions, Events happen very rapidly and simultaneously.

The week long process actually begins on February 23. While the combine actually segregates positions into 11 different batches, the published schedule treats each position batch combined into one group only. For example, Group one includes all quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers. Testing will combine players of a similar position for testing, and then the next squad of players for the next position will test, and so on.

Once there, each Group will engage in a six-day schedule:

Routine

Day 1 – Registration  ~ Orientation ~ Interviews
Day 2 –  Measurements ~ Hospital pre-exam & X-rays ~ Interviews
Day 3 – Media ~ Medical Examinations ~ Position coach interviews ~  Psychological Testing
Day 4 – NFLPA Meeting ~ Bench press ~ Interviews ~  Psychological Testing
Day 5 –  Limited testing~ Interviews ~  On-field Workout
Day 6 –  Departure

Position Schedule

The NFL Combine segregates tracks based upon the position played.   Here is the schedule for which groups will be processed and when

GROUP ONE –  Tight Ends, Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers – Arrive (Day 1) Sunday February 23rd
GROUP TWO –  Ks, Sp Teams, O linemen, Running Backs – Arrive (Day 1) Monday February 24th GROUP THREE – Defensive linemen, Linebackers – Arrive (Day 1) Tuesday February 25th
GROUP FOUR – Defensive backs – Arrive (Day 1) Wednesday February 26th

GROUP ONE departs Indianapolis on Friday, February 28th
GROUP TWO departs Indianapolis on Saturday, February 29th
GROUP THREE departs Indianapolis on Sunday, March 1st
GROUP FOUR departs Indianapolis on Monday, March 2nd

The NFL Combine advances each of four groups along the same track, but staggers that track back a day for each group. All four groups will be engaged in activities on Wednesday February 26th through Friday February 28th.

Combine Impact

While the results of the national combine serves to ignite public interest in the NFL draft process, much of the real ranking and decision making process has already concluded. Film footage of each game has been viewed countless times, by multiple staff from each team.

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However, while the combine will not change the outcome of many young men. There are those who are banking on a good showing. Players who were injured, who come from smaller schools, or who simply did not get much national exposure can line up next to “known” players and benefit by comparison.  And of course, some players shine so brightly that they improve their “draft stock” immensely.   Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross caught the entire NFL’s attention with a 4.22 40-yard dash. That does not happen each year.

The NFL Combine is an annual harbinger of the NFL Draft. It serves to redirect the attention of fans, pundits and sports writers alike towards “next season”. The NFL Draft serves to bring an annual dose of hope from the new group of NCAA football specialists, to their respective NFL teams and fans to someday play in the Superbowl.

There is no optimism equal to that of NFL fans in the offseason.  The National Football League has made incredible strides in keeping fans attention focused upon sport, despite no games being played.

Beyond the Combine

Of course, the NFL Combine is limited to the number of players who can be processed. So each college football program runs a similar type event, typically in the form of an NFL Pro Day, where all their NFL Draft hopefuls from that school run similar testing, measurements, and interviews with NFL Scouts and executives.

The 2020 NFL Draft opens the doorway into the NFL for 255 lucky football athletes.  Following the conclusion of the draft, NFL teams scramble to sign undrafted free agents to fill their rosters to the 90 man limit.

If you aren’t caught up in the entire NFL Draft phenomenon, that’s okay. Even a casual NFL fan can enjoy a bit of excitement associated with the Combine and Draft events.

For now, it’s a little more than a month away. We’ll be covering the players who have been invited to the event. And we’ll try to highlight those players who may wear a Los Angeles Rams jersey in 2020. It’s all about to start soon. Hope you enjoy the show!