NFL Scouting Combine 2023: Start time, schedule, how to watch or stream

Eagles fans will see a familiar face during the 2023 NFL scouting combine, which is being held this week at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Birds tight end Dallas Goedert is one of a handful of players that will analyze this year’s event as part of Players Only Combine for the NFL Network that will stream exclusively on NFL+, the league’s subscription streaming service.

Goedert will appear beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday alongside host Rhett Lewis to discuss this year’s crop of tight end prospects, which includes Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave and Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, both of whom could end up being taken in the first round.

Other NFL players expected to offer analysis this week include Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, and Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams.

What once was a scouting event held far away from television cameras has morphed into one of the NFL’s tentpoles, drawing multiple days of live coverage on the NFL Network. Expect to see other familiar faces, including host Rich Eisen and NFL Draft analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Charles Davis, and Bucky Brooks. New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was voted rookie of the year last season, will join the broadcast on Friday.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the NFL combine.

While we’ve already heard from coaches and executives, the main part of the scouting combine begins Thursday and runs through this weekend.

NFL Network will cover all the action live, beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday. Here’s a rundown of the schedule (all times are Eastern):

In addition to the 40-yard dash, some of the notable drills you’ll see include the bench press, vertical and broad jumps, three-cone drills, and both 20- and 60-yard shuttles.

» READ MORE: 2023 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Eagles upgrade defensively in full Round 1 mock

You can stream the NFL Network’s coverage of the scouting combine on both the NFL app and the NFL Network app, though both require a cable subscription.

The league will also stream exclusive coverage of the scouting combine on NFL+, its subscription streaming service. A subscription will set you back $4.99 a month, but there is a free seven-day trial.

The NFL invited 319 college athletes to attend the combine.

Among them are some of this year’s top draft prospects, including Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.

Penn State is sending seven players to this year’s combine: Wide receivers Mitchell Tinsley and Parker Washington, tight end Brenton Strange, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, defensive lineman PJ Mustipher, and defensive backs Ji’Ayir Brown and Joey Porter Jr.

» READ MORE: 3 position groups that should interest the Eagles during the NFL scouting combine

The scouting combine’s most popular event is the 40-yard dash. At the 2020 scouting combine, Eagles wide receiver Quez Watkins ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash, which wasn’t quick enough to crack the top 10, but did help earn him the nickname “Fast Batman.”

Here are the top 10 times for the 40-yard dash in combine history, according to the NFL:

For the record, Rich Eisen’s fastest 40-yard dash time came in 2016, when the longtime NFL Network host finished in 5.94 seconds.

As of now, the Eagles currently have two first-round picks in the forthcoming NFL draft — No 10. and No. 30.

Depending how free agency shakes out, the Eagles could be interested in three main position groups — defensive line, defensive backs, and running back.

Assuming the Birds don’t move around too much in the first round, here are a couple of draft prospects Eagles fans might want to keep an eye on:

» READ MORE: 7 players Eagles fans need to know going into the NFL scouting combine

That’s the perennial question.

Indianapolis, which has hosted the combine since 1987, was awarded the right to continue hosting the event through 2024. It was the first time the city was forced to bid on keeping the event, which has led to speculation the NFL could look to move it to another city to increase interest.

Los Angeles and Dallas also bid to host the combine for the next two years, but both lost out to Indianapolis, which won in part because of a new fan experience that will debut this year.

“On the south lot outside of Lucas Oil Stadium, you’ll see something we’ve never had before: this massive fan experience,” Nate Swick, the senior communications manager of Visit Indy, told WISH-TV. “We’re hoping to grow the inside look as well.”

Last year’s coverage of the NFL scouting combine peaked on Saturday last year, when ABC averaged about 632,000 viewers during an hour of coverage from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., according to numbers from Sports Business Daily’s Austin Karp.

Outside of that, the NFL Network averaged about 217,000 viewers during its Thursday night coverage last year, and averaged about 179,000 viewers Saturday night.

By comparison, the 2022 NFL Draft averaged about 10 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, and the NFL Network, according to Sports Media Watch.