Beginning Friday, NFL hopefuls will take to the field at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium in an attempt to impress pro scouts, coaches and front office personnel.
Every year, there are the "workout warriors" or "Combine freaks" – those who blow the on-field tests out of the water.
But how do they fare once they make it to the pros? Are "Combine Monsters" monsters in the NFL?
Common perception says that if a player lights it up at the Combine, he will find a way to be good in the NFL simply because of his superior athletic prowess. However, that's not always the case.
For the purposes of this article, the criteria used to define a "productive" player is that they averaged at least 10 games played per season and start in at least half of those games.
Let's take a look at the best overall Combine performers of the last 10 years (regardless of position) in the three biggest events: 40-yard dash, bench press and vertical jump. Since 2008, there have been 169 players that have placed in the top five in at least one of these categories.
Of those 169 players, 57 went on to be (what we've defined as) productive. That's just 34 percent of premier Combine performers.
In the last 10 years, only 25 have been named to a Pro Bowl roster (15 percent). Only 7 percent landed on a first-team All-Pro squad.
Only two of those 169 players went on to be named either an Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Johnson in 2008 and J.J. Watt in 2011. They are literally the 1 percent.
On the flip side, 22 of those prospects (13 percent) have never played in a regular-season game.
Taking all this into account, and considering how schools have similar drills at their respective pro days, maybe we should be asking, "How important is the Combine?"
Last week, Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz was asked whether Baltimore is more likely to draft a player with excellent college production or one who turns everybody's head at the Combine.
"I'm taking the football player," Hortiz said on "The Lounge" podcast. "The testing certainly alerts you to something that's in that body. If a guy blows up the Combine, there's something there.
"But, to me, if you get a guy that makes a ton of plays in college football – and it's not always the case, because some guys peak in college – they're football players. They may not have the ideal measurables, they may be missing this, they may be missing that. But, man, if you turn on the tape and they keep making plays, that's a football player and that's what we need to take."
Different prospects have different questions to answer, including about athleticism/speed, health, size or off-field character.
Sutton has the size at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds. He has the production. But does he have enough speed? Sutton could launch himself up draft boards and challenge Calvin Ridley as the first wideout off the board if he runs the 40-yard dash in the low 4.5s. Scouts will also look to see how much polish is on his route tree.
Perhaps the most important part of the Combine for the consensus No. 1 wideout is before he even steps on the field. If Ridley's wiry frame measures in at 185 pounds instead of 190-200, it could raise durability questions. Plus, just how fast is he?
Kirk has first-round talent, but his height and quickness are the questions. He needs to run a fast 40-yard dash in the low 4.4s and show good change-of-direction movement, especially as a high-level returner prospect. The question is how Kirk will best separate in the NFL.
A big-play threat in college, it will be interesting to see how fast Washington runs to see if that part of his game should translate to the NFL. He needs to get in the 4.4s to maintain his momentum.
Moore has the college production and will ace interviews. It's his size that has some concerned. He's listed at 5-foot-11 in college, but he might be more in the 5-10 or even high 5-9 range.
Miller suffered a right foot injury in his final bowl game, which knocked him out of the Senior Bowl. Depending on its severity, it could impact the dynamic playmaker's draft stock.
Gallup impresses with his smooth route-running and big-time college production. There are questions, however, about his speed. If Gallup runs a good 40-yard dash, he'll have the total package and perhaps emerge from a clump of wideouts in the second and third rounds.
Lasley was reportedly suspended multiple times in high school and college for immaturity. Last year, it was a three-game suspension for violating team rules. He has speed, size, production and big-play tendencies that evaluators look for, but how will he come across in interviews?
Calloway was an explosive prospect as a freshman and sophomore, posting 89 catches for 1,399 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons. But legal trouble (marijuana possession, credit card fraud) led him to be suspended for all of 2017. Obviously, he'll be asked to give an explanation.
Andrews is in competition to be the first tight end off the board. The Mackey Award winner led all FBS tight ends with 958 receiving yards and posted 22 career touchdowns. Team doctors will be interested in hearing how he handles his Type 1 diabetes
Gesicki is an example of a prospect that needs to live up to the hype. He's projected as a Day 2 or early Day 3 pick because of his athleticism. Keep an eye on his vertical jump considering he was first offered a volleyball college scholarship before football. The 6-foot-6 prospect will look to maintain the belief that he'll be a matchup problem at the next level.
Fumagalli may have the best hands of any tight end in the class (despite missing an index finger), but there are questions about how dynamic of an athlete he is overall. Good numbers could make him an early Day 3 selection amidst a crowded tight end group.
A player often mocked to the Ravens, Brown is known for winning with power more than quickness. That's generally fine considering he's massive. But scouts will be looking to see just how nimble (or stiff) those feet are when compared to the other premier tackles.
Williams was dominant as a sophomore in 2016, leading to top-five projections, but was uneven last season after suffering an early-season knee injury. He injured his MCL and PCL during his second game and opted for rest over surgery so he could return later that season. He's a potential first-round pick, but there will be much scrutiny over that knee.
After turning a lot of heads at the Senior Bowl, Wynn underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum. It's a major process, and teams will be looking look for an update on the possible late-first or second-round pick.
Barkley is another player that could put on a show in Indy with his blend of strength, quickness, speed and agility. A consensus elite prospect, there's a decent chance he could end up in Cleveland considering the Browns have two of the first four picks.
Georgia's workhorse running back has plenty of power and production, but he's not quite as nimble looking on tape as teammate Sony Michel. Chubb can erase some of that talk when he participates in the on-field position workouts and three-cone drill. Chubb's medicals are important as well after he tore three ligaments in his knee (not the ACL) in 2015.
NFL Network's Mike Mayock named Jones as one of the players he's most excited to see at the Combine. A dynamic athlete with a track background and huge college production as a runner, it will be interesting to watch him run routes. He had just 32 receptions in three years at USC. His weight will also be key, as he has a leaner frame.
Jackson's on-field athleticism was eye-popping. If he puts on a ridiculous showing in Indianapolis, it will elevate him into more top-15 pick conversations.
Lauletta lit up the Senior Bowl with 198 passing yards and three touchdowns on 8-of-12 passing. Now he'll be in an apple-to-apples comparison with (pretty much) all the other quarterbacks to show whether the small-school prospect can keep his momentum rolling and is worthy of a mid-round pick.
James was one of the biggest recruits (at any position) coming out of high school, but never showed his full potential in part because of a knee injury. James is expected to explode at the Combine. If he does, could he be too enticing to pass up at pick No. 16?
An inside linebacker with outstanding instincts and production who doesn't check the boxes of ideal height and length. Sound familiar to a Hall of Fame Ravens linebacker? Sub-ideal measurements could make Smith slide down first-round boards.
Landry suffered an ankle injury that ended his season and kept him out of the Senior Bowl. The potential first-round pick could shoot into the top half of Day 1 with a clean medical check and strong on-field performance. His quickness has been compared to Von Miller.
Key was mocked to the Ravens in the second round by NFL.com's Chad Reuter. Key took a three-game leave of absence for personal issues last year, came back out of shape, then shut it down in his final three games because of a broken pinkie. He's a first-round talent, however.
As Owner Steve Bisciotti said, don't expect to see the Ravens draft a defensive tackle in Round 1. With that said, Vea should be a fun prospect to watch regardless. At 340-plus pounds, he could run the 40-yard dash in under five seconds. That's insane.
