Written by Chris Burke at SI.com
This may be the toughest stop for NFL prospects, en route to the glitz and glamour of the draft. The league’s annual scouting combine in Indianapolis is a grueling job interview that puts over 300 of those prospects through the ringer, both on and off the field.
Here are a few questions that will be answered as the event unfolds:
Which quarterback will steal the show?
If you’ve paid even a modicum of attention to the 2017 QB class, you’re probably aware of the presumed big four: Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and DeShone Kizer.
Trubisky and Mahomes seem to be carrying the most momentum into combine week, with Mahomes even starting to hear some QB1 chatter. The Texas Tech product could go a long way toward locking himself into Round 1 by performing well at Lucas Oil Stadium. All of those presumed top four quarterbacks should hold their own in athletic testing—it’s an intriguing group, in that regard.
But while it could be tough for any one of Watson, Trubisky, Mahomes or Kizer to pull away from the field this week, the combine will present a chance for the rest of the QB class to open some eyes. Pittsburgh’s Nathan Peterman already has something of a scout fan club off a solid week at the Senior Bowl, while Miami’s Brad Kaaya really can only help himself in the coming days. If he struggles, it would be viewed as a mere continuation of his 2016 season; if he excels, Kaaya may force a few teams to circle back on his tape.
Keep an eye on Virginia Tech’s Jerod Evans and Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs. Both ought to put up solid scores in the athletic tests, and Dobbs also earned himself mostly positive marks off the Senior Bowl. The most important part of the week for QBs (aside from medical checks), though, happens off the field, in team meeting rooms. Quarterback prospects who shine there always receive a post-combine bump.
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