The Combine's Here, Bitch!

[Direckshun]

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2014/2...-list-workouts

2014 NFL Combine schedule: TV channel, online streaming, invite list, workouts and more
By Matt Conner
on Feb 20 2014, 10:12a

he road to the NFL Draft is longer in 2014 than any other offseason given the league's decision to push it back a few weeks to May 8-10. For the next three months, draftniks will circle around prospects like hawks, analyzing their every move and weighing the pros and cons of each player.

The process starts en masse this week with the start of the 2014 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. If you love the Draft, then this is a big week for you.

For those who are new to the NFL Combine, it's a seven-day event broken up into four-day shifts for each position group (quarterbacks to punters). Each group comes to Indy for four days to meet with representatives from each NFL team for medical assessments, interviews and a number of workouts. It's termed the Underwear Olympics for that reason, as teams fall in and out of love with prospects based on 40-yard dash times and vertical leaps.

The quick guide to the Combine

• NFL Network will televise; NFL.com will stream
• Andy Reid (Thursday, 2:15 p.m.) and John Dorsey (Friday, 12:15 p.m.) will speak to the media (full schedule here)
• Workouts take place Saturday-Tuesday
• Here are the players invited

Now that you have the basics, let's dive into a little more what's going down this week in Indianapolis.

The Combine workout schedule

Here are the days the actual workouts for each position group:

Saturday, Feb. 22: Tight Ends, Offensive Linemen, Special Teams

Sunday, Feb.23: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers

Monday, Feb. 24: Defensive Line, Linebackers

Tuesday, Feb. 25: Defensive Backs

There are four groups of players arriving as shown above. Each group has four days of events.

Day 1: Travel to Indianapolis* ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews

Day 2: Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews

Day 3: NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ PK/ST Workout ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews

Day 4: On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

With the first arrivals coming on Wednesday, that puts the first day of workouts on Saturday.

The players invited

Every top college football player will likely be in attendance in Indianapolis, even if some of the top athletes won't participate in the workouts. The NFL invited over 300 players to attend. Teddy Bridgewater to Jadeveon Clowney, your favorite college players will likely be there.

Who is eligible to be invited to the Combine? Basically, seniors without college eligibility left and those who have declared early.

And how are players selected to the Combine? Read this:

Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-five NFL teams, are joined by members of various NFL player personnel departments to form the committee. The participating NFL executives can rotate on a yearly basis, and remain anonymous. ALL eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft.

You can find the full list of players expected to attend at the bottom of this post. While the list is comprehensive, there are a few players every year who are drafted but didn't get invited to the Combine.

The workouts

The most important one is not a workout -- it's the interview. Teams will have the opportunity to interview players where they'll get about 15 minutes with them. With so little time, the questions have to be precise and all have a purpose.

The second most important item there is getting the medical check-up -- essentially confirming that the player is healthy or checking out previous injuries. Team doctors will want this information so the GMs and coaches can make an informed decision.

Some of the other workouts, via Big Blue View:

40-yard dash: Measures straight line speed over a distance. Not very important for non-skill position players, but coming from the 40-yard dash is the "10-yard split." That is the time it takes to travel the first 10 yards of the event and gives a measurement as to the player's explosion and first step. Very important for defensive and offensive linemen. Dontari Poe had a 10-yard split of 1.7 at 330 pounds, which is decent for a linebacker.Bruce Irvin at 235 pounds had a 10-yard split of 1.57, which is a good number for a defensive back. Both help push those players into the middle of the first round.

Bench press: Fairly simple, it measures upper body strength. Moreso it shows if you have stayed in good condition over the offseason. Poor numbers here possibly indicate not working hard enough.

Vertical and Broad jump: Another measurement of explosion and lower body strength. Also important for wide receivers and defensive backs to show off their leaping ability.

3-cone drill: Essentially a change of direction drill. Most important for skill position players. Shows off lateral agility and ability to accelerate out of a turn. One of the drills that translates best on the field. A good score in the 3 cone is often a marker for a high draft pick.

20/60-yard shuttles: Shows the ability to come to a complete stop and accelerate. Obviously important for any position and a good score here is indicative of explosion and body control. As you can see, explosion is a big factor here and one that the NFL is keen to see.

Position-specific drills: Each position has specific drills that test for many different attributes. Change of direction and hip swing for defensive backs, hands skills for wide receivers during the "gauntlet," kick slide drills for the offensive linemen, power for the defensive linemen in hitting bag drills and accuracy for quarterbacks in throwing drills.

How do I watch the Combine?

NFL Network will televise some of it.

NFL.com will stream the action.

KCChiefs.com will have full video of Andy Reid and John Dorsey's press conferences but will not stream them live.

[Direckshun]

Definitely one thing I forgot to note was Zack Martin's shortish arms. He'll have to translate to guard in the NFL, which probably means he'll fall to the top of the 2nd.

Hell of a guard for a team that needs one, though.

[Direckshun]

http://walterfootball.com/combine2014weighinTE.php

2014 NFL Combine: Weigh-In Recap - Tight Ends
By Charlie Campbell

North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron (6-4, 250) has added five pounds of muscle from his listed weight. Sources have told WalterFootball.com that Ebron is going to put on a show at the Combine. He is a gifted athlete, so that isn't hard to believe, and it wouldn't be surprising if Ebron is getting plenty of top-10 buzz after his workout in Indianapolis.

Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro (6-5, 265) has good size, but was tied for the smallest hands of any tight end with Wisconsin's Jacob Pedersen. That shouldn't hurt Amaro significantly has he showed consistent hands with 106 receptions in 2013.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins has looked like a size, speed freak since his freshman season at Washington. He checked in at 6-foot-5, 262-pounds, which was just a tad smaller than his listed numbers (6-6, 266). It wouldn't be surprising if Seferian-Jenkins plays his NFL career around 270 since he dropped some weight for the Combine in an effort to help his 40 time.

Last summer, there were projections that Colt Lyerla would be the top tight end for the 2014 NFL Draft. Lyerla (6-4, 242) quit Oregon's football team in September and followed that up with a drug arrest. His size was in line with his listed measurements, and Lyerla is a good athlete who should stand out at the Combine. The big challenge for him will be in the interview rooms. Lylerla needs to impress there to get drafted.

Notre Dame tight end Troy Niklas (6-6, 270) hit his exact measurements, so no Catholic needs to confess to lying in confessional when it comes to measuring their football players. Niklas is a bit of sleeper behind the high-profile tight ends, but he could easily impress at the Combine.

USC tight end Xavier Grimble (6-4, 257) is another player who has the skill set to be a Combine star. Grimble has the speed and strength to impress in the field work. In a great class of tight ends, Grimble could be a steal.

[Direckshun]

Matthew Fairburn ‏@MatthewFairburn 12m

Got a chance to watch Greg Robinson prep for his 40-yard dash last night. He was as impressive as you would expect. Carries weight well.

[Direckshun]

Now that's advertising.

Matt Miller ‏@nfldraftscout 14m

adidas announces they're giving $100,000 to the player that runs the fastest 40 yard dash wearing their new adizero 5-star 40 cleat.

[Direckshun]

I haven't seen any weigh in figures at WR, yet. But some information is trickling out.

Brandon Cooks isn't quite 5'10". Both LSU receivers are under 6'0".

[Direckshun]

Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris 33m

We'll look back in a few years at the critiques and criticisms of Teddy's frame and laugh at them.

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

I wonder how much water weight Manziel and Bridgewatwr were carrying this morning. Then again, you probably don't want to look bloated for the scouts.

[Direckshun]

Josh Norris ‏@JoshNorris 13m

Some big/heavy RBs this year... Four already in the 225-235 range.

[Direckshun]

Jesus.

Kelvin Benjamin is 6'5", 240 lbs.

He's a ****ing tight end.

[Direckshun]

Fumble totals over last two years: Manziel - 5 McCarron - 8 Bortles - 11 Carr - 7 Bridewater - 8

[Direckshun]

Mike Evans is super huge, too. 6'4 3/4 231

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Fumble totals over last two years: Manziel - 5 McCarron - 8 Bortles - 11 Carr - 7 Bridewater - 8

Manziel is such a boss. All that running too. Such great presence.

[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

Jesus.

Kelvin Benjamin is 6'5", 240 lbs.

He's a ****ing tight end.

That scares me.

[AndChiefs]

Originally Posted by Rudy lost the toss

Manziel is such a boss. All that running too. Such great presence.

I'm sure the big hands don't hurt.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Rudy lost the toss

That scares me.

4% body fat. I shit you not.