Players begin arriving in Indianapolis, Ind., on Wednesday to begin the extensive process of physical, mental and psychological testing that is the NFL Combine, the major stage for prospects to shine for scouts before the 2013 NFL Draft in April.
NFL Combine 2013: Schedule and preview of Day 1 in Indianapolis
The Combine kicks off with the arrival of the first three groups, including offensive linemen, tight ends and kicking specialists.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
As far as actual on-field work goes, Wednesday isn’t going to give you very much. Players from three groups -- the kicking specialists, offensive linemen and tight ends -- are only getting into town, and must go through administrative tasks like registering at the Combine and getting medical pre-examinations and X-rays. There is an orientation, which likely won’t affect a player’s draft stock either way, but interviews do begin, at least signaling the start of the whole Combine evaluation procedure.
The group arriving Wednesday that will arguably have the biggest impact on the first round of the NFL Draft is the offensive line unit. SB Nation's Dan Kadar has six of them going in the first 24 picks. Highlighted by Luke Joeckel of Texas A&M and Central Michigan's Eric Fisher, along with an Alabama Crimson Tide pairing of D.J. Fluker and Chance Warmack, many teams will be looking for a foundational player to add to their offensive line.
Tight ends may not go in the first round this year, but there's depth and talent at the position, topped with Tyler Eifert from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Zach Ertz of the Stanford Cardinal. Other tight ends to watch include Jordan Reed of the Florida Gators, Dion Sims of the Michigan State Spartans and Travis Kelce of the Cincinnati Bearcats. Eifert and Ertz also top SB Nation's positional rankings.
Specialists will do their kicking on Friday, as Dustin Hopkins of the Florida State Seminoles and Quinn Sharp of the Oklahoma State Cowboys headline the place-kicking group. Florida's Caleb Sturgis will also be one to watch. For the punters, Brad Wing of the LSU Tigers is arguably the group's most well-known prospect, with Louisiana Tech's Ryan Allen and Dylan Breeding of the Arkansas Razorbacks as others to watch for punting enthusiasts.
To see the entire list of players who will be in attendance at the Combine, click right here.
See More:
