Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Marvin Harrison Jr have at least two things in common: they are all projected to go very high in the First Round of the NFL Draft, and they are all skipping out on the NFL Combine. This comes as some players and fans feel that the value of the NFL Combine is losing its value, and many players are being advised to either not attend or skip certain parts, such as the S2 test that C.J. Stroud struggled on before having a historic rookie season.
But is this a good strategy? Let’s look at the pros and cons of a player attending.
NFL Combine is Still the Overall Best Place to Show Off
With so many senior bowls, school-sponsored Pro Days, and individual workouts with teams, there is no single event that gets the attention as the official NFL Combine. All of the coaches, analysts, and anyone else who has any kind of influence on the draft process watch this event. It is also the most official measuring stick for players since everyone is at the same place, at the same elevation, on the same turf, and with the same resources.
In other words, for a player who is trying to show off, there is no better place to do so than the NFL Combine. But for players who feel they have already done enough, it may not be worth it for them for a few reasons.
Game Footage and Resources Are More Available Than Ever
There was a time when, unless a player played for a blueblood program, their game footage wasn’t necessarily very accessible. Today, almost every P4 game and most of the G5 games are on national television, and the ones that aren’t are streamed on a service like ESPN+. Finding footage of a player is really simple.
Additionally, there are so many highlights, talk shows, podcasts, and other programs that are talking and focusing on players 24/7 that sometimes a player has nothing more to prove. If anything, they could hurt their draft stock by not performing well at the NFL Combine.
Smaller Pro Days Draw Big Crowds
In the last few years, there has been a trend of schools hosting their own Pro Day. If a player is big enough, the scouts will show up, and then it is easy to be the star of the show. A perfect example of this is Zach Wilson a few years ago at the BYU Pro Day. Rather than the NFL Combine (which was canceled for Covid), where Wilson would have been competing for attention with players like Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, Wilson had the entire day to himself, and his throws became the highlight of the day on NFL Network and other programs covering the draft.
Also, if a player has the option to go to a new city, get dressed in an unfamiliar locker room, throw/catch passes from players they’ve never played with and have limited reps or do all of that in their own lockerroom with their own players and as much time as they want, it’s no question why players would elect to stay home.
Conclusion
The NFL Combine isn’t going anywhere, but they are likely going to change a few things if they hope to be able to draw in the top talent. Otherwise, similar to players opting out of bowl games, more players will elect not to attend the Combine, and it will become an event more for fringe 2nd/3rd round picks which would obviously not get the same attention.