I’ve been to the NFL Combine a few times, and it has changed drastically over the years. The first time I went was in 2013, and, honestly, I preferred it back then.
It was a much looser setup. The biggest names — guys from powerhouse schools or players with unique stories, like Margus Hunt — had podiums. Everyone else? They sat at round cafeteria tables, and the media could just walk up, pull up a chair, and have a real conversation.
That’s how I got to sit down with Giovani Bernard, Travis Kelce, and plenty of others who went on to have long, successful careers.