andre_SMITH

America’s favorite annual meat market is already underway. The NFL Combine, an invitation-only job fair for college players looking to play at the next level, is the biggest non-football football event of the NFL’s year. Here are some things you might not know about the Combine:

Some players just show up. With all of the colleges having pro days now, pro prospects often opt out of drills in Indy, preferring just to get weighed and measured, and then just go home. It’s a move that yields mixed results, and it’s often pulled by guys that had nice college careers but aren’t expected to do much in the pros. Yes, we’re looking at you, Tim Tebow.

The 40-yard dash is important. They actually measure this electronically in 10-yard increments. Because nothing measures a player’s ability to block, tackle and catch than watching him run in a straight line.

The bench press is not as gay as it sounds. Everyone bench presses 225 pounds as many times as they can. Unlike your sorry little friend at the gym, these guys don’t just bench the bar. Some guy did 51 reps in 1999. I would not want to mess with that gentleman.

The Wonderlic. NFL players take a standardized intelligence test. It’s timed, and the questions supposedly get harder as one goes along. The only perfect score in its history, a 50, came from a punter. Titans quarterback Vince Young allegedly bombed the test in 2006, scoring a 6. Here’s a sample Wonderlic to see where you would stack up. Or you could find VY and challenge him to a foot race. Your call.

You can watch it online this year. Does any of this sound like appointment viewing to you? Good. NFL.com is streaming portions of their little job interview online this year. But be discreet, or you’ll soon be out on a job interview of your own.