With the NFL combine less than two weeks away, there's already concern among player representation about tweaks that have been made to the schedule.
The 2022 NFL scouting combine, which begins Monday, Feb. 28, will have players do measurements, bench press and on-field workouts all in the same day. It's a departure from years past when measurements were on one day, bench press on another followed by the on-field work the next day.
It's led to player agents voicing concern for the health of players, and some executives have told me they aren't thrilled about it either.
"On the fourth day of being there having them do all that stuff at once is crazy," one player agent told CBS Sports.
"You're gonna have guys afraid to get hurt," one AFC team executive said.
According to a league source, the change in schedule was based largely on feedback from prospects in previous years. They had complained about the day between arriving and when they do on-field work, so the league worked to reduce the total time spent in Indianapolis by a full day.
Placing the bench press on the same day as on-field work mirrors what a typical pro day is, when all events take place on the same day.
The issue there is players may tire themselves out from the bench press and thus their on-field workouts suffer. There's a belief this new schedule will lead to many players skipping the bench press in favor of on-field work. The players could always use their pro days for benching or, as always, any additional on-field work they please.
Tight ends, quarterbacks and receivers will report to Indianapolis by Monday, Feb. 28. They'll get their medical exams on Tuesday, do media interviews on Wednesday and then have their marathon day of measurements, bench and workouts on Thursday before leaving on Friday. That same schedule is followed by other position groups across the days.
Players invited to the combine are also going to be in a "bubble" of sorts, somewhat similar to the one in Indianapolis used during the NCAA basketball tournament. This means that prospects wouldn't be allowed to meet with their personal trainer, therapist or masseuse. I'm told the league is working on a way to allow for one of those approved people to be in the restricted area with players, provided that person meets the vaccination requirements.
NFL teams will be limited to who can be in the room to meet with these players for interviews. That will be based off a tiered system, though I'm told the "bubble" restrictions that apply to players won't apply to NFL team personnel.
