NFL Scouting Combine Begins on Tuesday, February 27

Article ByKyle Garlett

February 26, 2024

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

It’s the NFL’s version of a job interview, and it begins on Tuesday, February 27, and runs through Monday, March 4.

It’s the NFL Scouting Combine, and each of the 321 invited prospects will go through a medical exam, team interviews, and then the reason the combine has become a week-long television event: the on-field workout.

Thursday, February 29

The first workouts of the combine take place on Thursday, when the defensive lineman and linebackers take the field. 

All of the prospects will participate in the following drills, regardless of position:

40-yard dash

20-yard shuttle

Three-cone drill

Bench press

Vertical jump

Broad jump

Defensive lineman, unless they are EDGE rushers, aren’t judged too harshly on having a bad 40-yard dash. Over the last three years, they have averaged 5.10 seconds. But a good three-cone drill is a must, as are the vertical and broad jumps.

Linebackers are being judged more on speed and quickness than anything else, as the need to be good in pass coverage becomes more important in the NFL.

The top EDGE rushers projected to come off the board are Dallas Turner from Alabama and Jared Verse from Florida State. At BetUS.com, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is the heavy favorite to be the first non-quarterback selected. Verse is paying +1000 and Turner is at +1200.

One of the top linebackers in the field is Jeremiah Trotter Jr. from Clemson, and he is paying +10000 to be the first non-quarterback drafted.

Friday, March 1

On Friday, the defensive backs and tight ends take the field, which means we get to see one of the most highly-rated tight ends in combine history, Brock Bowers of Georgia. NFL online sportsbooks have odds on which team will draft Bowers, and right now the Los Angeles Chargers are the favorite at +200. Los Angeles has the fifth pick in the first round.

In 2021, the Atlanta Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick. Before Pitts, the last tight end to go in the top five was Riley Odoms, who went to the Denver Broncos in 1972.

The top cornerbacks to watch on Friday are Terrion Arnold from Alabama, Nate Wiggins from Clemson, and Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo. None of the safeties are projected to get drafted in the first round.

Saturday, March 2

Even with the news that Heisman Trophy winners Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels will not throw at the combine this week, Saturday is going to be a day to watch.

Drake Maye will be there, and as far as we know, he will be a complete participant in workouts. Announced to throw at the combine are Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy, Micheal Penix Jr, and Spencer Rattler.

The most talked-about wide receiving prospect in years will also work out on Saturday. Arizona online sportsbooks have the Arizona Cardinals as the heavy favorite to draft Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick. A bet on the Cardinals is paying -195. The New England Patriots have the third pick, and they are at +400. The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick and they are at +430.

Other wide receivers to watch are Malik Nabers from LSU and Rome Odunze from Washington. Nabers is +1200 to be the first non-quarterback selected. 

The running backs also work out on Saturday, but none of them are projected to go in the first round. The top running backs to keep an eye on are Trey Benson from Florida State, Blake Corum from Michigan, and Braelon Allen from Wisconsin.

Sunday, March 3

The final day of on-field workouts is Sunday, when the offensive line moves to the spotlight. This is one of the deepest position groups in Indianapolis this week, with the possibility of as many as 10 offensive lineman getting drafted in the first round.

Joe Alt from Notre Dame is the consensus best player in the group, and Indiana online sportsbooks have him as high as +800 to be the first non-quarterback off the board.

Along with Alt, the best tackles are Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State, Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State, and J.C. Latham from Alabama. On the interior of the offensive line is center Graham Barton from Duke and guard Cooper Beebe from Kansas State.