The NFL Scouting Combine (also called the National Invitational Camp), is a week-long showcase, occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, Indiana, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general managers, and scouts. With increasing interest in the NFL Draft, the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance, allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting. Its origins have evolved from the National, BLESTO and Quadra Scouting organizations in 1977 to the media event it has become today.
Athletes attend by invitation only. Implications of one's performance during the combine can affect perception, draft status, salary and ultimately career. The draft has popularized the term "workout warrior," whereby an athlete's "draft stock" is increased based on superior measurable qualities such as size, speed, and strength, despite having an average or sub-par college career. The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine occurred February 22–28, 2012.
Read more about NFL Scouting Combine: History, Tests and Evaluations, Bench Press Records, Scouting Organizations, Combine Invitations, Television, Regional Combines
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