First of all, how did the National Scouting Combine begin?

Written by Ron Lippock

Posted on November 3, 2023

It’s similar to the NFL Combine. I was in the NFL Combine in 2000, then fast-forward, I started this National Combine event. Every event says they can get you to the NFL and all jockey for that position. But not every player can be an NFL player. I’ve seen a lot of players and not everyone can be at the top of the pyramid.

I was with the Patriots and got hurt and made my way back to the NFL by playing in leagues like the AFL. I saw players who played for the love of the game. By 2010 I had four kids and knew my game was coming to an end.

Why this event?

I was sick of hearing the same thing – too many people asking people who run scouting events if they’d get their information, is the information validated, how are the tests run… I wanted to start an event so athletes could have accurate testing and be seen globally not just by the NFL, but indoor football, XFL,USFL, Mexico, Brazil, Japan… I want to show athletes that they have options.

I remember in 2016 when Bill Belichick asked why they needed combine numbers like 40 times. What was the point of those? Were they valuable when a lot of players who ran a 4.3 couldn’t play or move well directionally, or when linemen can bench 45 reps but can’t move laterally. I wanted to provide more relevant numbers.

How do you improve that process so numbers and results mean more?

I started preparing an algorithm that measured players more – how they really moved in space. In 2016 we moved our event to Indy. One flaw I have is that I can’t think small. Go big or go home. I knew athletes wanted that Indy experience. We’re not there to compete with the NFL Combine, we just wanted to supplement what the NFL does and help find guys that the NFL missed.

We use laser timing and have the best staff. We make sure information is accurate and current. I want to be able to look at a Dabo Sweeney or Bill Belichick in the eye when they ask me how accurate our information is.

The algorithm was built so we could show athletes where they can compete, not where they could play. Where they can play is subjective – based on teams’ needs and scouts. We want to give players feedback so they understand where they are best suited to play – are you a 2.2 and better suited to indoor football? Most athletes don’t want to hear it – it can be ugly or beautiful depending on the score.

There’s not a lot of honesty in many of these scouting events. Players get too hyped up and the testing often isn’t very accurate. Players don’t run drills correctly and I just wanted to cut through that crap.

Too often people ask the athletes how they did and they would say “I feel like I did good!” But I try to use fact. I’m also a government investigator – there’s not room for feeling or “What if.” I wanted to provide athletes with the truth – beautiful or ugly. I’m not here for the hugs.

So how does it work?

We use biometrics and offer grades for every drill. We give players the numbers for every drill and show them how they compared with everyone else at the combine by drill and overall.

This way you can see how you can really excel and improve by drill and skillset. We also use a company called Trazer – it’s used by every BCS team – to offer cognitive assessments. You stand in front of a screen and your avatar pops up and you’re measured by your speed and reaction – there are 30 nodes placed on the athletes and they are measured on how fast they see and react and get back to their point of origin. This helps measure how running backs for example see and hit the hole and react, stop and change direction. This gives insight on how symmetrical an athlete is – do they move better in one direction? And if so, why? Are the injured? Training improperly? This helps us get a better understanding of athletes with physically and cognitively.

Does the NFL Combine use Trazer?

We are the only combine that uses it now. The NFL Combine doesn’t change much – I guess they figure if it’s not broken, not to fix it. We’re trying to introduce more technology to what we do and dig deeper. I hope they don’t use it – we’d love to have that advantage!

How are athletes invited to the combine?

If you are looking to play football you can sign up! If you’ve been out of football for three or more years it’s probably not for you unless you are willing to play in Europe or indoor leagues.

Any draft-eligible player can sign up. If you aren’t going to the NFL Combine it probably means the higher leagues don’t know enough about you – you probably played for a smaller school or were a backup at a bigger school and never got an opportunity.

We charge less for athletes to attend than other combines. We’re in the business to make money but not to rip off athletes. Most agents for these guys won’t pay for anything. We provide the state of art facilities, food, and treat them well throughout the experience from the moment they get there until they leave. We provide education and resources and give the players and the teams their combine data.

Do NFL teams attend?

We follow the NFL rules – scouts are not allowed to attend non-NFL sanctioned combines and pro days.  So we are not allowed to have scouts attend the combine. We do have an All-Star game and scouts are allowed to attend those.

It’s more than just football – players are placed in rugby, wrestling, Olympic sports…

That’s one unique thing about us. We have scouts in from USA Rugby, USA bobsledding and weightlifting. The WWE comes in. We introduce players to sports and open up new worlds for them. We even have two players who went to NASCAR.

If you have potential to play at the next level then you can play other sports as well. We’re just giving them a chance to prove themselves. We’re trying to make it easier to understand exactly what kind of athlete a player is.

What’s changed over the years that you have run combines?

I think it’s a sign of the times, but I think its the determination of many players. So many athletes show up thinking they are ready for the NFL or CFL but don’t show up ready to prove it. I think they are getting caught up too much in the hype they got since high school. Everyone around them is just there to boost them up. That’s why I’m looking for proof that they belong in the numbers.

It’s the mentality. No one wants to give players the truth. The egos just get bigger and they just keep building them up instead of telling them the truth on what they need to do better, so they don’t get better and make better decisions.

I’ve seen plenty of guys on the couch because they were told they could play in the NFL when they couldn’t. Guys willing to work on getting better instead of listening to the hype get it done. That’s why we want to get to the high school level to change that mindset earlier.

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