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Mailbag: Will Lions avoid a prospect who opts out of NFL Combine drills?

If an NFL Draft prospect turned down the opportunity to compete at the NFL Combine, would the Detroit Lions hold it against them?

NFL Combine Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The 2024 NFL Combine is underway, and like every year, there’s a tad bit of controversy over which NFL Draft prospects are participating. For many prospects, this is another opportunity to raise their stock and showcase their talent. But for others, there’s risk involved. Maybe they believe their stock is already high enough and the combine only presents a risk to get injured. Maybe they’d prefer to spend their time training for more football-relevant drills. Maybe they just want the more controlled environment of a pro day.

Regardless, there are endless debates every year about whether a prospect is making the right choice by sitting out of the NFL Combine. And for the Detroit Lions, that debate has an extra layer.

The Lions value football character and football intelligence at a premium, and so a player sitting out of a combine drill could, potentially, show a lack of competitive spirit. Obviously, teams will have to suss out why a player decides to sit, but is it possible the Lions would downgrade a draft prospect who makes that decision?

Myself and Erik Schlitt have this discussion at the top of this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast. The debate starts around the 2:30 mark of the show. Here’s a snippet of that conversation.

“If you look at last year,” Schlitt noted, “Jahmyr Gibbs participated, even though he was considered one of the top backs. Jack Campbell participated, Brian Branch participated, and Sam LaPorta (did). All of them participated. Yet, when you listened to Dan Campbell at the podium this week, what did he say? He said, ‘Yeah, the drills are nice. We get everything on film, we’ll be able to double check it against the other numbers. The most important thing, to me, is the interviews.’”

And while it’s true that the Lions won’t take as much from the on-field drills compared to some other teams in the NFL, it’s worth considering if even just the act of opting out would be a red flag for the Lions.

“You would think if you’re a Dan Campbell type, you never shy away from competition,” I noted. “You take the NFL Combine as a challenge that you want to flash your skills (at).”

We discuss the entire topic and note whether it bother us when a prospect opts out.

Other topics on this week’s show:

  • (8:45) Is the NFL Combine dying as a television event?
  • (19:00) What guards should we be watching at the NFL Combine?
  • (22:00) Laken Tomlinson reunion?
  • (29:00) What kind of trade capital would you offer for Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed or is he now off the free agency board?
  • (33:45) Are you okay with Lions’ strategy of adding depth over big-time starters in free agency?
  • (41:45) Could Terrell Williams bring any Titans players over to Detroit?
  • (48:30) Is this a make-or-break year for Aaron Glenn?

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