Millions of dollars are on the line - not to mention childhood dreams - as the nation's top college football players prepare for the annual NFL Scouting Combine. Ensuring success means training on the cutting edge.
It's a cattle call, a meat market, say its observers. Three hundred or so young men, one at a time — often half-naked — stand before dozens, maybe hundreds, of middle-aged men with clipboards and discerning stares. They're potential employers eyeing their prospects. National Football League coaches and scouts hope to find their next franchise quarterback, big-play wide receiver or run-stopping defensive tackle in this group of athletes, all fresh off their final season of college ball.
You wouldn't know whether there are dozens or hundreds of NFL personnel, because you're not invited. The annual NFL Scouting Combine leading up to the NFL Draft is closed to the public — at least for now. Rumor has it the NFL will sell tickets as soon as next year to the RCA Dome in Indianapolis so fans can sneak a peek at their team's next superstar.
But for now, you can take a peek behind the curtain at the kind of training prospects go through in this M&F exclusive, coming throughout this week.
