The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively canceled the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine.
Although the league isn’t using the word “canceled,” a memo sent to teams today says, “There will be no in-person workouts,” and that instead players will be worked out at their individual pro days on campuses.
The league is working with college programs to ensure consistency in Combine workouts so that teams have accurate data about players’ athletic ability.
The league is developing a plan to obtain comprehensive medical information about all the prospects who would ordinarily be invited to Indianapolis for the Combine. That will include testing done at medical facilities near the prospects’ homes, with a few prospects getting in-person follow-up examinations, likely in April. Teams’ interviews of prospects will be done virtually, rather than in person.
Although the annual trip to Indianapolis has become an important part of the NFL offseason, it just wasn’t feasible this year, and so the Combine will not go on.