INDIANAPOLIS — Football fans see the NFL's annual scouting combine as merely a numbers game that comes down to the times, jumps and drills they witness on television.
NFL executives are more interested in getting behind-the-scenes answers through medical checks and personal interviews.
It's a delicate balancing act.
"When we finally get the measurables on the underclassmen, when we find out where they are medically, where they are physically, where they are with the interviews, then we'll have a better idea (of where they rank)," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on a conference call with reporters Monday, one day before the first players begin arriving in Indianapolis.