The NFL Scouting Combine takes place this week in Indianapolis. Fans think of the 40-yard dash, the bench press, or maybe positional drills when they hear about the Combine. Those are important elements, but they aren't the real keys to success in the days ahead.
The Combine was created in the 1970s for a very specific reason. There was a player named Nolan Cromwell who was a star at Kansas. NFL teams were very interested in him, but Cromwell had injury concerns. He flew from team to team so they could check him out. Teams realized there had to be a way to centralize this process.