The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is finally here. After a long season that ended with the Eagles hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy, all eyes are now on Indianapolis, where the league’s next generation of stars are showcasing their abilities to coaches, general managers and scouts.
Here is everything you need to know about the combine, including where it is, when it begins, how to watch it and which players are attending.
What is the general purpose of the NFL Scouting Combine?
The NFL Scouting Combine, officially known as the National Invitational Camp, gives teams a chance to evaluate hundreds of prospects prior to the draft.
Players complete a series of tests, including the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and bench press. They also do position-specific drills, get interviewed by teams and undergo physicals, drug screenings and intelligence assessment.
The first combine was held in Tampa in 1982. Since then, the event has become the Super Bowl of the scouting process, and teams use the data gathered at the combine to make decisions that drastically impact their futures.
Where is the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
The 2025 combine takes place at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. The event has occurred in Indianapolis since 1987 and will continue to be held there through at least 2026.
However, the combine’s future in Indianapolis is tenuous. Other cities remain interested in hosting the event, and some around the league want to move the combine to a more exciting destination.
What is the venue for the 2025 NFL Draft Combine?
The combine is taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana — which is the home of the Indianapolis Colts.
2025 NFL Scouting Combine schedule
The combine takes place from Monday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, March 2. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs have on-field workouts Saturday, March 1. The full schedule is below.
What time is the 2025 NFL Draft Combine?
Here is a breakdown of the day-by-day schedule and times:
Thursday, Feb. 27 (3 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET): Defensive linemen, linebackers
Friday, Feb. 28 (3 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET): Defensive backs, tight ends
Saturday, March 1 (1 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET): Quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs
Sunday, March 2 (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET): Offensive linemen
2025 NFL Scouting Combine top players to watch
There are countless stars attending the combine, including Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, LSU’s Will Campbell, Miami’s Cam Ward and Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren.
Here are the top-10 prospects heading into the combine, according to Connor Rogers of NBC Sports.
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
- Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Mason Graham, DL, Michigan
- Will Campbell, OL, LSU
- Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
- Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall
- Cam Ward, QB, Miami
- Armand Membou, OL, Missouri
- Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
2025 NFL Scouting Combine preview
Who will be the top quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft? How high will Carter get chosen? How do teams feel about Hunter? Who will shoot up the draft boards in the coming months?
All these questions and more begin to get answered at the combine.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and the combine features Ward, Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Texas’ Quinn Ewers all working out. A good combine from Ward or Sanders could help them become the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Hunter, a two-way star who won the 2024 Heisman Trophy, and Carter, an All-American edge rusher who many consider a generational talent, have their own cases to be the top pick.
And like there is every year, a surprise player is going to steal the show at the combine. Last year, it was Ladd McConkey, now a wide receiver on the Chargers. Anthony Richardson made headlines two years ago, and the Colts selected him fourth in the 2023 draft.
South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori and Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant are two fantastic athletes who could solidify themselves as top-10 picks in the 2025 draft with great workouts.
Who is eligible for the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
All college seniors are eligible for the combine immediately after their final year of collegiate eligibility. Additionally, any underclassmen who declare for the draft and satisfy all NCAA and NFL requirements are eligible to participate, according to the combine.
Do you have to go to college to be in the NFL Scouting Combine?
An athlete who is not playing college football can qualify in the year that correlates to their natural draft year if they were playing collegiately. To do so, players must contact the NFL’s player personnel department in New York to verify their eligibility.
Who decides who gets invited to the NFL Scouting Combine?
The combine selection process is a complicated, thorough procedure that involves all 32 NFL teams.
Teams provide input on draft-eligible players, which is used by the Player Selection Committee to select each year’s participants.
The committee is comprised of the directors of scouting services and members of various NFL player personnel departments. Participating NFL executives rotate and remain anonymous.
Each eligible player is reviewed and voted on by the committee, and athletes who get the necessary number of votes are invited to the combine.
“While it is not a perfect science, the goal of the committee is to invite every player that will be drafted in the ensuing NFL Draft,” according to the combine.
How many people get invited to the NFL Scouting Combine?
There were 329 players invited to the 2025 combine. Click here to see the full list of players invited to the event.
The exact number of players invited to the combine changes each year. There were 321 players invited in 2024, 319 in 2023, 324 in 2022, 323 in 2021 and 337 in 2020.
Why was Shilo Sanders not invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
While Sanders — the brother of Shedeur Sanders and second eldest son of Deion Sanders — is eligible to be selected in the 2025 draft, he is not viewed as a top prospect and was not invited to the combine.
Shilo Sanders has hired Zybek Sports, the company that provides official timing for the 40-yard dash at the combine, to document his workouts and verify his 40-yard dash times.
What position will Travis Hunter be at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
Hunter played both wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffaloes. But he is listed as a defensive back for the combine and completes his on-field workouts Friday, Feb. 28.
How can I watch the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
The combine airs daily on NFL Network and streams on NFL+. Click here to watch NFL Network from your computer or mobile device.
NBC Sports has you set with special coverage from the combine. Pro Football Talk Live is live from Indianapolis Tuesday, Feb. 25 through Friday, Feb. 28.
Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry and Rushing the Field with Nicole Auerbach are also covering the combine. All shows feature exclusive interviews with head coaches, general managers and 2025 NFL Draft prospects, and they can be watched on Peacock.
What is the cost of attendance to go to the 2025 NFL Draft Combine?
According to the Lucas Oil Stadium site, no tickets are required and attending the event is free for fans.
Fans should register for NFL OnePass and show their QR code to enter. Minors (under the age of 18) will be admitted on their parent/guardian/chaperone’s QR code. NFL OnePass is also mandatory for all participatory games in the Combine Experience.
When is the 2025 NFL Draft?
The draft is just a couple months away. The first round takes place on Thursday, April 24. The second and third round occur Friday, April 25 and the final four rounds are Saturday, April 26.
Green Bay will host the draft, with the festivities taking place inside and around Lambeau Field and Titletown.
What is the 2025 NFL Draft order?
The Titans own the first pick in the NFL draft. They need a franchise quarterback, but president of football operations Chad Brinker recently said “we won’t pass on a generational talent with the first pick in the NFL draft.” That likely suggests Carter and Hunter are options for Tennessee.
Here is the current order for the top-10 picks in the draft.
- Titans (3-14)
- Browns (3-14)
- Giants (3-14)
- Patriots (4-13)
- Jaguars (4-13)
- Raiders (4-13)
- Jets (5-12)
- Panthers (5-12)
- Saints (5-12)
- Bears (5-12)
