LA Rams Day 7 NFL Scouting Combine Summary – defensive display

Combine hype

The NFL Scouting Combine was once a small and private gathering of NFL executives, coaches and scouts to uniformly agree on the measurements and performances of NFL draft hopefuls. Over the years, the NFL discovered that the NFL Draft was indeed a marketable event (thanks in large part to ESPN and Mel Kiper Jr.).

The televised broadcast of the draft gave NFL ideas of other ways to exploit and market the sport’s popularity.  That brainstorming led the NFL to stage a more entertaining NFL Scouting Combine, infuse a host of drama about “best times” or “strongest athletes” into the competition. For the NFL teams, the events are simply to ensure a threshold of talent exists.

The NFL Scouting Combine has become more and more of a media event. The true work performed by the NFL scouting departments is done in a year’s worth of video and statistical analysis.  The true value to the annual Combine rest in bona fide medical data, and the ability to compare small and large school prospects side by side and with one standard of measurement.

Other than that, enjoy the show folks, because it is morphing more and more into just that, a staged event for viewers’ entertainment.