The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, giving all 32 teams a chance to meet, interview and evaluate the top prospects for the upcoming NFL draft.
The event is a valuable one for everyone involved, but doesn't come without its drawbacks.
There have been a number of players over the years who have critiqued the event for how stressful it can be. There's also Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who has beef with what the event represents.
"I guess there is somewhat of a spectacle,” Campbell said, as transcribed by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "To me it's more, at this point, just to be able to sit with these guys. They get the medical during the week, but for us to be able to do these interviews is to me the biggest part of all this. It's not even the working out portion. To me, you grade them off the tape, you don't grade off somebody out here in pajamas, running the 40 with no defender around."
The combine isn't totally useless in the eyes of Campbell, however.
"The meetings are great, the meetings are really pivotal. All the other stuff, whatever," Campbell said.
There are certainly a number of players who agree with Campbell. Though some have made lots of money off great 40-yard dash times and other impressive showings, there are far more stories of great players who have seen their stock fall due to the rise of their peers. Campbell is a players' coach after all.
