Opinion: The Combine won’t go anywhere anytime soon
Rumors have been swirling for many years that the NFL Combine could move from Indianapolis to another city, like Los Angles or somewhere on the west coast, at some point in time. Last November, the NFL agreed to keep the Combine in Indianapolis through next year; even still, the topic always seems to come up at this time of year as to whether Indianapolis’ long run as a host site will remain over the long haul.
My hunch is the Combine isn’t going anywhere.
Granted, the time of the year isn’t the best (I live in the area): it’s miserably cold in Indy right now and the winter has been harsher than usual. But outside of that, it’s hard to find a solid reason to move it. I think the Combine stays in Indy for three reasons:
- The Combine has a great partnership with Indiana University Health for medical information on prospects. The downtown Indy hospital has been working seamlessly with the professional league for decades. It’s highly doubtful the NFL is going to abandon a ship that isn’t sinking.
- Indy is a great location. The middle of the country is very accessible to media on both coasts. The central location lets a handful of teams in the Midwest drive there if they don’t want to fly. It’s also centrally-located for prospects.
- To combat the weather, Indianapolis has a network of indoor walkways connected to all of the major hotels and many restaurants are also connected indoors. It’s possible to attend, scout, and compete at the Combine and never set foot outside in the wintry conditions. You can walk from the field at Lucas Oil to the governor’s office all indoors (although it would take you a few more steps to do it).
I could be wrong. Maybe the NFL really will make the switch. But it would definitely be a shock, and it strikes me as very unlikely.