American cities compete to host marquee NFL events like the NFL draft and Super Bowl. However, Indianapolis has always hosted the NFL Combine since 1987. Why is that the case?
Aspiring NFL Draft candidates run, leap, lift and perform other drills in the presence of team executives and front office staff during the four-day Scouting Combine every year.
The event was developed, among other things, to save draft aspirants and league teams from having to take planes across the nation for in-person drills and interviews.
The NFL Scouting Combine was created as a way to provide a venue for potential NFL players to be evaluated, tested and interviewed.
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Executives from the league wanted the combine to be held in a middle location that wouldn't jeopardize franchises on either coastline, and Indianapolis offered the ideal setting.
NFL Combines being held in Indianapolis every single year is now practically ideal because both the event and the city of Indianapolis have undergone changes over the years.
In response to a question in 2022 about why the NFL Combine hadn't moved in a long time, PFN Chief NFL Draft Analyst Tony Pauline said:
"It's convenient to navigate your way from the hotel to the stadium and press conference centers because of Indianapolis' various condensed walkways and streets."
"There is no need for clubs, scouts or the media to travel by car to a workout or press conference. Everyone who visits the Combine wants it to stay in Indianapolis because it's often not even necessary for them to step outside," Pauline continued.
Will the location of the NFL Combine change in the future?
Indianapolis will host the scouting combine once again in 2025. The event has been hosted in the city each year since 1987, but its long-term future in the city is uncertain.
The Combine this year will take place in Indianapolis for the 37th straight year, from Feb. 29 to March 3. However, just like with the NFL draft, the NFL is considering holding the event in different cities in the future.
During the last round of negotiations in 2022, proposals to host the event came from many cities, including Dallas and Los Angeles, until a two-year agreement with Indianapolis was agreed.
The NFL has transformed the Scouting Combine into a spectator occasion, drawing up to 50,000 fans for the four days of on-field assessment at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2023, so there's more reason than ever to move the event around the country.
Every year, the NFL Combine brings together roughly 300 of the best college football talents looking to make the jump to the NFL for a few days of team interviews, assessments and on-field drills in advance of the NFL draft.