NFL Combine 2016: Schedule, TV Coverage, Invite List, Preview, Position Groups, and More

The 2016 NFL Combine starts this week. It's next big event leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft, which takes place in late April. The first wave of draft prospects start arriving to Indianapolis, Indiana on Tuesday in preparation for the on-field workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium which start on Friday. More than 300 invitees, including 96 underclassmen, will show off their skills to scouting staffs of all 32 NFL teams.

Two key positions of interest for Philadelphia Eagles fans include quarterback and the offensive line. These are clearly two of the team's biggest needs this offseason. Offensive linemen are set to work out on Friday while quarterbacks take the field the next day on Saturday.

Another interesting aspect to the NFL Combine is that this is a time of year where NFL personnel people and agents and such talk to each other. This is a time of year where NFL rumors tend to pop up in advance of free agency.

Prepare yourself for this year's NFL combine with everything you need to know.

2016 NFL Scouting Combine Schedule

DAY 1 ARRIVALS - Group 1 (PK, ST, OL), Group 2 (OL), Group 3 (RB)

Tuesday, Feb. 23 - Travel to Indianapolis ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews
Wednesday, Feb. 24 - Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews
Thursday, Feb. 25 - NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ PK/ST Workout ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews
Friday, Feb. 26 - On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

DAY 2 ARRIVALS - Group 4 (QB, WO), Group 5 (QB, WO), Group 6 (TE)

Wednesday, Feb. 24 - Travel to Indianapolis* ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews
Thursday, Feb. 25 - Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews
Friday, Feb. 26 - NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews
Saturday, Feb. 27 - On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

DAY 3 ARRIVALS - Group 7 (DL), Group 8 (DL), Group 9 (LB)

Thursday, Feb. 25 - Travel to Indianapolis* ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews
Friday, Feb. 26 - Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews
Saturday, Feb. 27 - NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews
Sunday, Feb. 28 - On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

DAY 4 ARRIVALS - Group 10 (DB), Group 11 (DB)

Friday, Feb. 26 - Travel to Indianapolis ~ Registration ~ Hospital Pre-Exam & X-rays ~ Orientation ~ Interviews
Saturday, Feb. 27 - Measurements ~ Medical Examinations ~ Media ~ Interviews
Sunday, Feb. 28 - NFLPA Meeting ~ Psychological Testing ~ Bench Press ~ Interviews
Monday, Feb. 29 - On-Field Workout (timing, stations, skill drills) ~ Departure from Indianapolis

How To Watch

TV Coverage: NFL Network
Start Time: 9 AM EST daily
Online Streaming: NFL Combine Live on NFL.com.
On-field workouts:

Friday, Feb. 26: Specialists, offensive linemen, running backs
Saturday, Feb. 27: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends
Sunday: Feb. 29: Defensive linemen, linebackers
Monday, Feb. 29: Defensive backs

Complete list of 2016 NFL Combine invites

Click here to see the complete list of more than 300 prospects.

Bleeding Green Nation Coverage

BGN will have you fully covered through this year's event. Preview threads will be posted in the morning while drill results will be posted in the evenings. Stay tuned for the BGN Radio Combine edition podcasts and much more. Make sure you're following BGN draft expert Ben Natan on Twitter: @BGNatan.

Eagles Speaking Schedule

Doug Pederson will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 4:15 PM ET. Howie Roseman will speak right after him at 4:30 PM.

Workout Drills

Courtesy of good friend Invictus at Big Blue View, here are the drills the players will participate in. Former BGN writer Mike Kaye has written a standalone piece on the importance of a certain workout.

40-yard dash: Measures straight line speed over a distance. Not very important for non-skill position players, but coming from the 40-yard dash is the "10-yard split." That is the time it takes to travel the first 10 yards of the event and gives a measurement as to the player's explosion and first step. Very important for defensive and offensive linemen. Dontari Poe had a 10-yard split of 1.7 at 330 pounds, which is decent for a linebacker. Bruce Irvin at 235 pounds had a 10-yard split of 1.57, which is a good number for a defensive back. Both help push those players into the middle of the first round.

Bench press: Fairly simple, it measures upper body strength. Moreso it shows if you have stayed in good condition over the offseason. Poor numbers here possibly indicate not working hard enough.

Vertical and Broad jump: Another measurement of explosion and lower body strength. Also important for wide receivers and defensive backs to show off their leaping ability.

3-cone drill: Essentially a change of direction drill. Most important for skill position players. Shows off lateral agility and ability to accelerate out of a turn. One of the drills that translates best on the field. A good score in the 3 cone is often a marker for a high draft pick.

20/60-yard shuttles: Shows the ability to come to a complete stop and accelerate. Obviously important for any position and a good score here is indicative of explosion and body control. As you can see, explosion is a big factor here and one that the NFL is keen to see.

Position-specific drills: Each position has specific drills that test for many different attributes. Change of direction and hip swing for defensive backs, hands skills for wide receivers during the "gauntlet," kick slide drills for the offensive linemen, power for the defensive linemen in hitting bag drills and accuracy for quarterbacks in throwing drills.

SB Nation Coverage

SB Nation's NFL draft site, Mocking The Draft, will be covering the NFL combine from Indianapolis. Follow @MockingTheDraft on Twitter for live updates. Other SB Nation writers attending this year's event include Eagles fan and Ohio State writer Alexis Chassen (@Lovelybuckeye), Packers writer Evan Western (@TexWestern), Rams writer Joe McAtee (@3k_) and Seahawks writer Danny Kelly (@FieldGulls). Give them a follow as well.