REPORT: NFL Combine will look very different this year

2021 NFL combine

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL will meet next week to determine the fate of the 2021 NFL Combine, which isn’t expected to take place in its traditional form this year.

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said the league has debated numerous ways to approach it: have it in a reduced form in Indianapolis in February, push it back to April, or simply just use regional combines that would eliminate the need for many of the prospects to travel to Indianapolis, as they regularly have done for the past three-plus decades,” wrote Schefter.

The NFL Combine is an event of convenience for the league. It allows all teams and their scouting departments to spend one week in the same place evaluating all of the nation’s top prospects instead of being forced to travel coast to coast to get the same information.

In a COVID-19 reality, convenience isn’t a priority. Health and safety are. And it appears the NFL will find a way for teams to gather the information they need to make an informed decision on a prospect, albeit in a more time consuming and inconvenient way.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL