NFL goes virtual for 2021 combine

The NFL informed all 32 teams on Monday that the format of the 2021 combine is changing.

There will be no in-person workouts, but they will instead take place at individual pro days on college campuses, the league stated.

Team interviews and psychological testing and assessments will be done virtually.

“This plan will likely involve a combination of virtual interviews by club medical staff and testing done at labs medical facilities near the prospects’ residence,” the league said.

Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, invited prospects will be scheduled for media interviews with league and team media personnel.

Any head coaches and general managers who are often available during the combine are being asked to do so virtually this year.

The NFL held its first combine 30 years ago in Indianapolis. The annual event has become a staple of the offseason calendar.

No information was given about the possibility of moving the date of the 2021 draft. The three-day event is set to take place from April 29 to May 1.

The move could impact the timing of when free agency would begin as well as the dates of the 2021 NFL draft, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Previously ==================

February 24, 2020

Hand measurements at the NFL combine

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has one thing on LSU's Joe Burrow: Tagovailoa’s official hand size measurements at the Scouting Combine included a 10-inch measurement for his left hand, but a 9-7/8 for his right.

Tagovailoa learned to throw with his left when he was a child but does pretty much everything else with his right.

Eyebrows were raised when Joe Burrow measured with a 9-inch hand this morning, definitely on the small side for what scouts want to see.

On the other end of the scale was Michigan State QB Brian Lewerke, who measured a gigantic 10 5/8 inches via Tom Pelisserio of NFLNetwork,

Previously ================

February 26, 2020

Combine weigh-ins to be done twice

The NFL has instituted a second weigh-in, just before players do their on-field workouts. A committee of General Managers requested the change, to make sure players are working out at their listed weights, as they do in a pro day setting.

For example, receivers were weighed and measured on Monday, but won’t run until Thursday night, and players’ bodies can change significantly in a short amount of time.

A number of players go to extreme measures to hit certain numbers during the pre-draft process.

A year ago, Florida State pass-rusher Brian Burns played at 230 pounds, but bulked up to 253 in two months for his Combine weigh-in (oh, you know, a 10 percent of his body weight increase). After proving he was the size of an actual NFL outside linebacker, the Panthers drafted him in the first round. Once he went through OTAs, he was back down to 243 by the middle of June, and he referred to the 253 as his “max weight.”

The swings won’t be as big in four days, but the league wants to make sure they’re getting a representative measurement.

RELATED ====================

January 28, 2020

How players are selected to participate

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.