NEW YORK (AP) The NFL will hold 10 regional combines and a 2013 super regional combine leading up to the official, Indianaoplis version Feb. 20-26.
Regional combines are conducted specifically for players eligible for the 2013 draft but not attending the Indianapolis combine; players with college playing experience who want to gauge their pro potential; and players with some professional playing experience but who have been out of the game for a period of time.
NFL executive Ray Anderson says the regional combines program "provides players who may not have had the chance before the opportunity to work out for NFL personnel executives. It allows all 32 clubs a chance to further evaluate future prospects."
The regional combines will be at NFL facilities except for Honolulu (University of Hawaii) on Jan. 24-25 and Los Angeles (Orange Coast College) on Feb. 9-10.
The other sites are Houston on Feb. 16; Berea, Ohio, on Feb. 17; Florham Park, N.J., on March 2-3; Tampa on March 9; Lake Forest, Ill., on March 10; Flowery Branch, Ga., on March 16-17; Renton, Wash., on March 23-24; Owings Mills, Md., on March 23-24; and the super regional at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"The regional combine showed me the competition and level of energy you need to play in the NFL," said former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Kevin Elliott, who impressed teams at last year's Tampa Bay combine and received an invitation to the 2012 super regional in Detroit. "It was definitely a blessing and I recommend it to anybody who's trying to get to the NFL," said Elliot, who was signed to the Bills practice squad Dec. 18.
When this season began, 14 players who attended an NFL regional combine and/or the super regional combine last year had made teams. An additional 14 were on practice squads.
