Why does the NFL call it the Combine? Revisiting the history of the 4-day event in Indianapolis

Even though the NFL's offseason is just getting started, things are starting to pick up. The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on February 29 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, is a good indicator that draft season is well underway.

The purpose of the event is to determine which college football players are best prepared to make the transition to the professional ranks by testing their physical abilities, like strength, speed, power and agility.

A combine facilitates the assessment of a player's total athletic abilities by scouts and coaches. Moreover, it garners national attention as both media outlets and fans follow and make predictions about who will get selected and where. Have you ever wondered, though, why the gathering is referred to as a "scouting combine?"

We must first examine the history of the NFL combine to understand why the yearly event is referred to as a "Scouting Combine.”

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The origins of the NFL Combine

National Football Scouting Inc. hosted its first draft prospect invitational camp in Tampa, Florida in 1982. Only 16 teams from across the league received medical data on the 163 players who were invited to the camp that year.

Even though the invitational camp was intended to serve as a single venue for the exchange of medical information, not all the league's teams attended the camp sessions. BLESTO and Quadra Scouting also operated separate camps at that time, up until 1984.

Following the merger of Quadra Scouting, BLESTO and the National Invitational Camp in 1985, the NFL decided to assign National Football Scouting Inc. to oversee the consolidated event.

Teams throughout the league profited from the change, as it gave them access to more comprehensive medical, physical and mental statistics on draft prospects.

Although the reason the event is called the "Scouting Combine" isn't explicitly stated by the league, it might have something to do with the merging of the three camps into one or something to do with the athletes' presentation of a variety of skills and abilities.

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How to watch the NFL Scouting Combine in 2024?

This year's scouting combine begins on Thursday, February 29, in Indianapolis, and 321 college football talents have been invited.

Players will be subjected to an array of assessments, which include physical examinations, measurements, on-field practices, official and casual interviews, and strength tests during the Combine.

Fans will be able to watch four days of live drills from Thursday through Sunday on the NFL Network, which will broadcast the event. The NFL network will also make the Combine available for streaming via the NFL app and NFL.com/watch.