The NFL Combine: Where dudes check out other dudes and inches matter

The NFL Combine brings top draft prospects together with coaches, scouts and executives in an event that has always been a tad homoerotic. The post The NFL Combine: Where dudes check out other dudes and inches matter appeared first on Outsports.

Mar 1, 2026 - 19:00

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There’s an event held each winter where dozens of men intently watch other men — the latter super fit athletes — detailing their height, weight, speed, body fat percentage, wingspan and proportions. Every physical detail is studied in great detail and no flaw goes unnoticed.

This event is not a gay circuit party, but instead an annual confab sponsored by the NFL in Indianapolis and televised nationally for four days — the NFL Combine, aka the “Underwear Olympics.”

This year’s Combine will feature 329 college football players who hope to impress team scouts, coaches and executives that they have what it takes to be NFL draftees. It’s speed-dating, NFL style, a curious event that has always had a homoerotic element to it. One Combine attendee once said that a scout “asked me if I wore a g-string or a jock strap when I played.”

At the NFL Combine, the unexpected can happen. There was a famous wardrobe malfunction in 2016 when Chris Jones, now a star defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs, was seen mouthing “My d*** came out” after he ran the 40-yard dash in black boxers. As Jones later recounted:

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About 15 yards in, Jones “started feeling a little clumsy.” NFL Network’s color commentator commented on his “stiff hips,” unable to diagnose the real issue like Jones could.
“I looked down and the hummer is out,” he says. “I try to cover it up. I’m thinking to myself, ‘little kids are watching.’”
He still finished the 40 (fifth fastest among 300-pound DLs) before diving to the turf. “I take a dive and try to cover it up. I’m thinking to myself, ‘How long was this thing out?’” As his fellow linemen laughed from the side, a trainer walked over. Jones got up with a smile and told the guy he was fine before explaining what had happened. Sports Illustrated

While there is no guarantee there will be a “hummer” sighting, the combine does deliver if you enjoy seeing young athletes in their physical prime, running and jumping in tight compression gear.

Rice wide receiver Luke McCaffrey during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2025 event is slightly tamer than in the past. Gone are the days when the prospects were filmed shirtless in their underwear during weigh-ins. The impetus for this change came after Tom Brady, who went on to win seven Super Bowls, looked at his weigh-in like a grad student in English literature, as opposed to a future NFL quarterback.

During their auditions for teams, players have to undergo rounds of interviews and psychological tests in addition to the following physical drills:

“Prospects will undergo exams and have measurements taken — from height and weight to arm lengths, which some teams will use to determine whether a player is best suited for offensive tackle or an interior line position. The drills performed at the combine by all position groups include the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle run, 60-yard shuttle run, vertical jump, broad jump and bench press.”

Some of the drills make sense to a layperson, such as agility and jumping: