1. Performance of quarterbacks
The quarterbacks always attract plenty of attention at the combine, and this year's crop has some interesting prospects. North Dakota State's Carson Wentz is garnering plenty of buzz as the potential top overall quarterback, and California's Jared Goff may also end up as a top-five pick. Having a pair of quarterbacks come off the board in the top five would be great for the Ravens, and they hope both passers put on a strong show.
2. Who runs the fastest 40-yard dash?
The 40-yard dash is the marquee event of the combine, and there are some players this year vying to be among the best players to ever run the drill. Ohio State's wide receiver Braxton Miller is already on record saying he would like to post a time of 4.28 seconds, which would likely put him at the top of this year's class. The combine record for the 40-yard belongs to running back Chris Johnson, who ran it in 4.24 seconds in 2008.
3. Who comes out of nowhere?
Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence seemed to catch everyone in the media by surprise with his performance at the Senior Bowl last month, and there are always a few players who follow that path at the combine. The top performers in the 40-yard dash are likely candidates to become the new media darlings.
4. Revealed off-the-field concerns
Prospects are put under the microscope in every possible way at the combine. Players get grilled by teams during the private interviews – each team can schedule up to 60 – and this is when they can get to the bottom of any off-the-field issues that may have been reported. Players also undergo drug testing at the combine, and plenty of players have hurt their draft stock by failing the combine drug tests.
5. What Ozzie Newsome says
The prospect workouts are only a piece of the pie at the combine. Head coaches and front-office personnel around the league talk with the media during the week and Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome is scheduled to have a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Newsome will likely get questions about the potential renegotiations with quarterback Joe Flacco and also players scheduled to become free agents like kicker Justin Tucker, outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw and offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.
6. Reports about Flacco's contract
When the Ravens worked out a $120 million deal with Flacco in 2013, the foundation of that contract was put into place during meetings at the combine. The Ravens chief negotiator Pat Moriarty met with Flacco's agent to hammer out a deal, and that could likely happen again this year. The Ravens would ideally like to work out an extension with Flacco to lower his cap hit for the upcoming season, but the two sides have yet to get back to the negotiating table. That could happen over steak dinners in Indianapolis.
7. Medical reports
The behind-the-scenes medical evaluations are an under-discussed, but critical, piece of combine week. This is a chance for teams to see exactly what kind of issues prospects may have played through during their college careers, and they also get updates on how injured players are recovering. Premier linebackers like UCLA's Myles Jack and Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith are both recovering from serious knee surgeries – the Ravens have been mentioned as potential landing spots for both – and their medical reports will be vital to see exactly where they are in the process.
