It Is NFL Draft Combine Time 

Indianapolis has the combine through 2028.

The National Football League Draft Combine will be in Indianapolis through 2028 as the league and Indianapolis elected officials have signed a two-year extension to keep the event in the city. The league has been holding the combine in Indianapolis since 1987. The league has attempted to get other cities interested in holding the combine and failed. Indianapolis officials claim that the 2025 combine attracted more than 30,000 visitors and generated $9.26 million in economic impact. Of course, there is no real way of knowing what the combine really brings in but the league and economists always give a bright economic figure when dealing with sports events. What is true is that the 31 of teams, excluding the Indianapolis franchise, and league officials set up shop at local hotels and do use local restaurants. More than 300 players are invited to show off for team personnel but the players are in and out of Indianapolis and don’t stay for the combine’s duration.

The combine is a boring skills competition featuring young players in tee shirts and shorts and football shoes doing drills such as running and weight lifting. The NFL claims the combine is a vital event in the path to the draft. But not every college player is eligible for the combine. Players have to be invited and need three years of college experience and then they have to be good citizens. In 2016, the NFL decided to ban players with convictions for violence, using a weapon, domestic violence or sexual assault from attending the combine. But there have been some high-powered football people and college players who in the past questioned the need for the combine. But the event is still here for fans who need a football fix and for the draft cottage industry.

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Evan can be reached at [email protected]