What Is a ‘Combine’ in Sports?
In sports, a “Combine” is a job interview for athletes.
It’s an event where top prospects (usually from college) are invited to one central location to showcase their physical and mental skills in front of coaches, scouts, and general managers from all the pro teams.
The entire purpose is to give teams a standardized way to compare players against each other using the exact same tests, drills, and medical evaluations.
The Most Famous Example: The NFL Combine
When you hear “Combine,” people are almost always talking about the NFL Scouting Combine. Every year, top college football players are invited to Indianapolis for a week-long evaluation.
This includes:
- Physical Drills: This is the part you see on TV. Players are tested in a series of famous drills to measure their raw athleticism:
- 40-Yard Dash (measures speed and explosion)
- Bench Press (measures strength, repping 225 lbs)
- Vertical Jump (measures lower-body power)
- Broad Jump (measures lower-body power and explosion)
- 3-Cone Drill (measures agility and change-of-direction)
- Medical Exams: Teams get a complete, in-depth medical history and physical on every player.
- Team Interviews: This is a crucial part. Players sit down for formal interviews with teams, who test their personality, intelligence, and understanding of the game.
- Position-Specific Drills: Quarterbacks throw, receivers catch, etc., all under the eyes of the coaches.
Other pro sports leagues, like the NBA and NHL, have their own combines, but the NFL’s is by far the most well-known and is a huge event on the sports calendar.