How to Watch Top Prospects at 2024 NFL Combine
Combine week is here.
This week, the NFL world will descend on Indianapolis for an entire week as top NFL Draft prospects are given the opportunity to showcase their strength and athletic ability in front of evaluators from all 32 teams.
Additionally, they’ll have the chance to meet with the media and representatives from each organization as well. It is a valuable opportunity for teams like the Detroit Lions to evaluate who could be the next cornerstone player for their franchise.
Each team is allowed to conduct 60 interviews, which they can do in 15 minute intervals.
Festivities officially began on Monday, but on-field workouts won’t start until Thursday. Here’s a look at the schedule for workouts, which are broken up into position groups.
- Thursday, Feb. 29 — Defensive linemen, Linebackers
- Friday, March 1 — Defensive backs, Tight ends
- Saturday, March 2 — Running backs, Quarterbacks, Wide receivers
- Sunday, March 3 — Offensive linemen, Special teams
All workouts will air on NFL Network and stream on NFL+. Thursday and Friday's workouts will begin at 3 p.m. ET, while Saturday and Sunday's workouts are set to start at 1 p.m. ET.
Players have the decision to opt-out of on-field testing. Among the highest-profile prospects who have elected not to participate are USC quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr..
In addition to the workouts and meetings, prospects will undergo physical tests and measurements. This allows teams to see and understand where the athletes stack up physically amongst their peers.
The Lions currently hold the No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, which begins Thursday, April 25.
Though the Combine is a big part of the process, Lions' general manager Brad Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket that he views the event as an opportunity to confirm what he's seen on film. The interviews will be a big part of the team's evaluation process.
"I've always thought that the combine is more confirmation for the measurables and metrics and times and their results in terms of the on-field evaluation," Holmes explained. "I would say I get more out of the Combine, in terms of evaluation, is just another piece of the intangible process in terms of the interviews, how they are and how they're interacting and how the interview's going down."
If an initial evaluation of a player doesn't match what they show at the Combine, the general manager explained that it offers a reality check that he can use to dive back into the tape.
However, he stated that he prioritizes what he sees on film over what a prospect displays at the Combine.
"If you think a guy is fast on film and the guy runs a fast 40-time, okay, it's confirmed," Holmes said. "If you think a guy is not fast on film and he runs a fast 40-time, then you need to go back and do a little more work. You might discover that, oh, he's run track his whole life so he's always been a good track runner. It's just a piece of information that you either need to confirm or go back at a little more film. It's always gonna be based moreso on the film versus what they actually do at the Combine."
Holmes is scheduled to speak with the media at 4 p.m. Tuesday, while head Coach Dan Campbell will do so at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
