A combine before the combine? That is what Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is working on. He is working in unison with the American Football Coaches Association to create a combine for underclassmen, according to Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk.
“It’s not a process that’s well done right now,” said Meyer at a youth football camp. “There’s a rule that says the NFL can’t look at juniors. Well of course the NFL [scouts] are going to look at a junior. And they should look at a junior.
“We’re going to try to get something where there’s a time those [scouts] can actually come in and they can work out the juniors. Because information is good. [The players] are getting their information somewhere, so why not get it from the experts — the scouts, the general managers, people who have the right information? They’re getting it from agents and they’re getting it from wannabes, and that’s not good information.”
As of now underclassmen have to declare for the NFL Draft in order to compete at the NFL Scouting Combine. Meyer is now proposing a way for kids to have the option to return to school after the underclassmen combine. It would also give scouts the chance to get an additional look at juniors and could be hosted sometime in between the East-West game and the Senior Bowl. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the coaches who is supporting Meyer’s movement.
