Sports Information Director Art Chase confirmed today that Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and defensive tackle Vince Oghobaase are among the 300 players invited to attend the NFL Scouting Combine, which will be held between Feb. 24 and Mar. 2 at the Indianapolis Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium. The NFL calls the event an "intense, four-day job interview" and "a vital step" for players whose dream it is to play in the NFL.
An invitation to the event is a good indicator that a player is expected by the league to be drafted. In recent years, the NFL has chosen between 14 and 25 quarterbacks to the event and between 42 and 61 defensive linemen. The combine has its own website, NFLCombine.net, which describes the selection process in detail:
Participants are determined annually by a Selection Committee. The Directors of both National and BLESTO scouting services, which combined represent twenty-five NFL teams, are joined by members of various NFL player personnel departments to form the committee. The participating NFL executives can rotate on a yearly basis, and remain anonymous. ALL eligible players are reviewed and voted on by the committee members. Each athlete receiving the necessary number of votes, by position, is then extended an invitation. 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.
Side Note: A close look at the site's Frequently Asked Questions section is quite entertaining because the questions are written from the perspective of a whiny NFL-hopeful. Examples include "According to my agent or coach, I am a better player or was graded higher than my roommate. Why is he invited and I am not?" (It's so unfair!) and "If I pay my own way, can I participate?" (Come on guys, include me!).
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