NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week - long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium ( and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008 ) in Indianapolis , Indiana , where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches , general managers , and scouts . With increasing interest in the NFL Draft , the scouting combine has grown in scope and significance , allowing personnel directors to evaluate upcoming prospects in a standardized setting . Its origins have evolved from the National , BLESTO , and Quadra Scouting organizations in 1977 to the media event it has become today . Athletes attend by invitation only . Implications of one ' s performance during the combine can affect perception , draft status , salary , and ultimately career . The draft has popularized the term " workout warrior , " whereby an athlete ' s " draft stock " is increased based on superior measurable qualities such as size , speed , and strength , despite having an average or sub - par college career . The 2012 NFL Scouting Combine occurred February 22 – 28 , 2012 . History . Tex Schramm , the president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1989 , proposed to the NFL competition committee a centralization of the evaluation process for NFL teams . Prior to 1982 , teams had to schedule individual visits with players to run them through drills and tests . The National Invitational Camp ( NIC ) was first held in Tampa , Florida , in 1982 . It was originated by National Football Scouting , Inc . as a means for member organizations to look at NFL Draft prospects . For non - member teams , two other camps were created and used from 1982 – 1984 . The National Invitational Camp was renamed the NFL Scouting Combine following the merger of the three camps in 1985 to cut the cost of running the extra camps . The NIC was held in New Orleans , Louisiana , in 1984 before the merger . It was held in Arizona in 1985 and once again in New Orleans in 1986 before permanently moving to Indianapolis in 1987 . Tests and evaluations . Tests / evaluations include : Sports writers question whether these tests have any relationship with future NFL performance . Empirical research conducted by Brian D . Lyons , Brian J . Hoffman , John W . Michel , and Kevin J . Williams ( 2011 ) found that the 40 - yard dash , vertical jump , 20 - yard shuttle , and 3 cone drill tests have limited validity in predicting future NFL performance . In fact , the Lyons et al . ( 2011 ) study suggests that a prospect ' s past performance in college is a better indicator of future NFL performance than the aforementioned physical ability tests . Bench press records . At the NFL Combine , bench press is used as a test of strength and stamina , in which athletes lift as many times as possible . Since 1999 , only a few players have managed to achieve more than 40 repetitions . Scouting organizations . The NFL ' s first scouting organization , LESTO ( Lions , Eagles and Steelers Talent Organization ) , was started in 1963 by the teams mentioned in its name . It became BLESTO when the Bears joined the following year and BLESTO - V when the Vikings came on board later in the decade . It is now known simply as BLESTO despite the fact that the Bears and Eagles having gone their separate ways . CEPO ( Central Eastern Personnel Organization ) , formed in 1964 , was a joint endeavor between the Colts ( Baltimore - based at the time ) , the Browns , the Packers and the Cardinals ( St . Louis - based at the time ) . Its name was changed twice , first to United Scouting after the Falcons , Giants and Redskins joined its ranks , then finally to National Football Scouting in 1983 to avoid any confusion associated with the United States Football League , the NFL ' s direct competitor that began its operations that year . National Football Scouting is now known simply as The National . Also formed in 1964 was Troika by the Cowboys , Rams ( based in Los Angeles at the time ) and 49ers . It was renamed Quadra when the Saints joined in 1967 . Quadra is no longer in existence . As of the 2008 season , eighteen franchises participate in The National ( Arizona Cardinals , Atlanta Falcons , Carolina Panthers , Cincinnati Bengals , Dallas Cowboys , Denver Broncos , Green Bay Packers , Houston Texans , Kansas City Chiefs , New Orleans Saints , New York Jets , Philadelphia Eagles , St . Louis Rams , San Diego Chargers , San Francisco 49ers , Seattle Seahawks , Tampa Bay Buccaneers , and Tennessee Titans ) , with eight served by BLESTO ( Buffalo Bills , Detroit Lions , Jacksonville Jaguars , Miami Dolphins , Minnesota Vikings , New York Giants , Pittsburgh Steelers , and Washington Redskins ) . Each of the six non - affiliated teams ( Baltimore Ravens , Chicago Bears , Cleveland Browns , Indianapolis Colts , New England Patriots , and Oakland Raiders ) relies on its in - house scouting staffs . Combine invitations . In a typical year , there are about 335 invited players . About 250 invitations are sent before bowl game s are completed to those who have completed their seasons . However , underclassmen have until mid - January to confirm their draft status . Invitations are made to those receiving supermajority support from the selection committee . Television . The NFL Scouting Combine was first shown on television in 2004 . Media and cameras were historically prohibited , but with the launch of NFL Network on November 4 , 2003 , six installments of one - hour shows to recap the day ' s events aired in February 2004 . NFL Network has exclusive access to the Scouting Combine , whereas ESPN , a competitor network , does not . NFL Network aired two hours of combine workouts for each workout day in 2005 , 26 total hours of coverage in 2006 , 27 hours in 2007 , and 25 hours in 2009 . It began airing over 30 hours of Combine coverage starting in 2010 , which received 5 . 24 million viewers . Regional combines . Beginning in 2011 , a series of eleven regional combines for players not invited to the main Scouting Combine , as well as other free agents , were held in eight cities ( Los Angeles , Houston , Baltimore , Tampa , East Rutherford , Chicago , Atlanta , and Cleveland ) from January to March . The best players from these regional combines are invited to the NFL Super Regional Combine at Ford Field in Detroit in late March .