I love the NFL Scouting Combine and I'm not afraid to admit it.
Not just because it's a week-long convention of NFL coaches, front office managers, scouts and media members -- though I do like seeing old and new friends in wonderfully compact downtown Indianapolis.
I actually enjoy watching the superb athleticism of the young men trying to impress hundreds of evaluators sitting in Lucas Oil Stadium. Call it the "Underwear Olympics" if you must, but I appreciate the effort given by these prospects reaching for their dreams.
It's always interesting to create a mock draft before the event and then get to see how certain individuals improve their draft stock. Yes, prospects should primarily be graded on their game film and how they were viewed by their teammates and coaches, but that shouldn't discount the impact their performance in Indy has on their overall evaluation.
The combine is great at providing tiebreakers for prospects with similar film grades. And remember, college football players do not play against equal levels of competition. Viewing their athleticism (as well as interviews, medicals and other tests to which we do not have access) helps teams sort out similarly talented prospects who might not have many common opponents. Players might also be asked to perform different tasks on an NFL field (within different schemes) than they did in college, so comparing their relative movement skills helps sort them into different tiers.
So below is one scenario of how the first two days of the 2020 NFL Draft could play out in April prior to the knowledge gained at the combine. (I'll have my mock 3.0 for you shortly after the event).
I have included a few first-round trades and projected compensatory picks for the third round (Picks 97-104) based on free agent departures last spring. The NFL usually awards comp picks in late February.
Round 3
School: Ohio State | Year: Senior
School: LSU | Year: Junior
School: Georgia | Year: Junior (RS)
School: TCU | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Utah | Year: Junior
School: Texas | Year: Senior
School: Ohio State | Year: Senior (RS)
PROJECTED TRADE WITH CHARGERS.
School: Connecticut | Year: Senior (RS)
School: LSU | Year: Senior
School: Michigan | Year: Senior
School: Tennessee | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Saint John's | Year: Senior
School: Baylor | Year: Junior
School: Dayton | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Wisconsin | Year: Junior (RS)
School: Tennessee | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Mississippi State | Year: Junior (RS)
School: Missouri | Year: Junior (RS)
School: Michigan | Year: Senior
PROJECTED TRADE WITH BRONCOS.
School: Ohio State | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Notre Dame | Year: Senior
School: Texas | Year: Senior
School: Alabama | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Florida State | Year: Junior
School: Cal | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Appalachian State | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Florida State | Year: Junior
School: San Diego State | Year: Junior (RS)
School: Memphis | Year: Senior
School: SMU | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Ohio State | Year: Senior (RS)
School: N.C. State | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Clemson | Year: Senior
Projected compensatory pick.
School: LSU | Year: Junior (RS)
Projected compensatory pick.
School: Oregon | Year: Senior
Projected compensatory pick.
School: Penn State | Year: Senior (RS)
School: Miami | Year: Senior (RS)
Projected compensatory pick.
School: South Carolina | Year: Senior
Projected compensatory pick.
School: TCU | Year: Senior
Projected compensatory pick.
School: Oklahoma | Year: Senior
Projected compensatory pick.
Follow Chad Reuter on Twitter @chad_reuter.