Opinion: Is It Worth It to Attend the NFL Combine Workouts?

I remember growing up and watching the NFL Combine on TV and thinking “Man, it would be so cool to go inside the RCA Dome to see those workouts.” I remember covering the event in college, too, and thinking the NFL seemed cruel to have a no-fans-allowed policy at Lucas Oil Stadium, and even disallowing people with media credentials into the workouts. No wins or losses by any franchise are on the line. Teams have ample room to set up shop and watch the players. It wouldn’t hurt to at least give the credentialed media access to the field, right?

Well, last year I attended the workouts for the first time. I showed up about an hour early. Almost nobody was in the stadium quite yet, nevertheless I was still sort of excited to go and watch. I finally get to see the workouts in-person! Yay!

What turned into an exciting moment turned into a major letdown. Let me tell you something: seeing the NFL Combine workouts in-person is unbelievably boring. And I mean dulls-the-senses boring, the level of boring-ness that steals valuable life out of your attention span. In hindsight, I think the NFL was doing fans a favor. Did I mention that it was boring?

Frankly, even though it is their job, I have no idea how the teams sit there, all day and every day, and watch it all.

There’s very little sound. You hear very little of what happens on the field. NFL teams are secluded off into the suites around Lucas Oil with their team banner overhead. All you’re doing is watching these players with God-given athletic ability run and jump in shorts, and for probably 80 percent of them, the workouts won’t make much of a difference.

So, if you’re a fan who wants to come to Indianapolis here in a couple of weeks, in all seriousness, it isn’t worth it. Watch it on the NFL Network and let Rich Eisen and the gang analyze everything. Trust me, and save your money.