The NFL combine is an amazing experience for many in the media if you have the stamina and social skills to pull it off. The NFL changes the schedule every year but the general experience involves interviews with players, coaches and general managers during the morning leading to on-field drills in the afternoon, evening before the social life kicks in.
From the outside looking in, the most important things happen on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The reality is that the most important things happen behind closed doors with no cameras around. In some order, the following things actually matter in Indianapolis and very little of it ever becomes known to the public:
- Medical evaluations
- Interviews with teams
- Conversations between teams about trades
- Conversations with agents about free agents
- Lots and lots of talking at bars, restaurants and hallways between team employees, agents and media
The free agent one is not technically allowed unless it is a free agent from the team’s final roster last year or a player that is a “street” free agent (cut since the end of the season or was a free agent when the season ended).