Spring In Their Steps? NFL Combine Could Be Pushed To April

It is possible that the NFL Combine could be pushed “back into April,” according to Albert Breer of SI.com. The league recently “released at least a chunk of the hotel blocks it had set for Indianapolis in late February, which is setting up as a potential precursor” for holding the event later than usual. Another factor into the timing of the combine is that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is almost entirely being held in Indianapolis. That “takes most of March off the table as an option.” There has been some talk of "moving the draft back to accommodate the pre-draft run-up” should the combine be held in April. However, the league “has been resistant as of now” to that idea. Canceling the combine “would be the doomsday option,” but it is likely the NFL, the NFS -- which runs the event -- and the city of Indianapolis “are going to do everything they can to find a way to stage the event, even if it needs to be stripped down some” (SI.com, 1/4).