Nearly a month after Super Bowl 50, the NFL’s offseason is gaining steam. The first act of the offseason being the NFL’s scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The scouting combine in Indy provides all teams in the NFL an early look at the upcoming NFL Draft’s top prospects, creating an environment of physical and mental challenges to judge based upon. Drills such as a 40-yard dash, a broad and high jump, weight repetitions and mental examinations through intense questioning. Let’s look at some of the combine’s top performers from 2016 in Indianapolis.
40-yard dash
4.31 seconds – Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia
Though Marshall’s 27.8 feet per second was best at the 2016 NFL Combine, it was still 0.07 slower than the record set by Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson in 2008 (4.24 seconds).
Bench Press
34 reps – Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State
Westerman’s 2016 high, though impressive, was still 15 reps short of the 2011 record of 49 set by Stephen Paea of Oregon St.
Biggest Surprise of 2016 – Braxton Miller, WR, Ohio State
Miller not only surprised scouts with his hands at the combine, but also his speed and footwork. The former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback-turned-receiver posted the best 60-yard shuttle time of not only all wide receivers, but of the entire combine at 10.84 seconds, just 0.12 seconds shy of the records set by Brandin Cooks in 2014.
Craziest Question Asked
The NFL combine is always known for its crazy questions asked by scouts, to players. This year, Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty was victim to one of these scenarios.
In his press conference, Doughty said he was give this scenario by one of the teams interviewing him: “You’re on a hill in Alaska, driving a bus and you’re going 100 mph, and as you get to the bottom, going down this hill, all icy, it’s cold, you realize you don’t have any brakes; where are you sitting on this bus?”
Yes, that was a real question. How that pertains to NFL capabilities, we have no idea. But clearly it’s a trick question; the team already said he’s the driver. Bet you didn’t catch that!
Just because it’s the NFL offseason doesn’t mean it’s too early to begin planning for the 2016-17 season! The Colts VIP Tailgate will return in 2016, complete with an open bar and catered food and fun! Check out more information to gear up for the tailgates! And if you’ve got the itch to buy some regular season tickets, how about a complete travel package to London to watch the Colts take on the Jaguars in the International Series!