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The NFL Draft kicks off on April 25th and a whole new class of players will get to move on from the college to professional ranks of football. Before these players get drafted however, they'll need to go through the wide array of scouting that NFL teams do, which includes the NFL combine in Indianapolis in the last week of February.
This year there will be 333 players at the NFL combine, but only 255 of them will be drafted. The combine is a good place for similarly graded players to separate themselves by showing off their athleticism and/or confirming their speed.
The combine begins on Wednesday, February 20th as offensive linemen, tight ends, special teams players, and kickers report for registration, orientation, and interviews. These are known as Groups 1, 2, and 3 and will go through the following process:
- Registration (Day One)
- X-Rays (Day One)
- Orientation (Day One)
- Interviews (Day One)
- Measurements (Day Two)
- Medical Examinations (Day Two)
- Media (Day Two)
- More Interviews (Day Two)
- NFLPA Meeting (Day Three)
- Psychological Testing (Day Three)
- Bench Press (Day Three)
- More Interviews (Day Three)
- On-Field Workouts (Day Four)
The second wave of players will be Groups 4 (QB, WR), 5 (QB, WR) and 6 (RB) followed by the arrivals of Groups 7 (DL), 8 (DL), and 9 (LB) before finally the arrivals of secondary players in Groups 10 and 11.
Groups 7 and 8 will likely be the ones paid the most attention to by Jaguars fans, as the defensive line needs to add some playmakers.
Fans can follow along from the 20th to the 26th on the NFL Network and check in with SBNation for updates throughout.