Rob Rang

In less than two weeks, every team in the league, hundreds of media members and the 328 college prospects though most likely to be drafted will all be in Indianapolis for the 2012 Scouting Combine. 

The Combine is scheduled from February 22-28. The Pro Day "season" will unofficially kick off just four days later.

Pro Day workouts are held on campus. While the interview and medical testing components of the Combine are left out at Pro Days, the same athletic drills (40-yard dash, bench press, 3-cone drill, etc.) take place. It is the best opportunity to for athletes not invited to the Combine to audition in front of high-ranking NFL decision-makers. 

The Pro Day dates for Stanford and Baylor were leaked earlier when it was discovered that Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III's universities had scheduled their workouts for March 22. National champion Alabama's Pro Day was announced yesterday, as well. 

Per the NFL, this is the full chronological order of the remaining Pro Day workouts.   
  
March 1: Missouri
March 2: Cincinnati
March 5: Alabama-Birmingham, Hawaii, McNeese State
March 6: Alabama A&M, Arkansas, Auburn, California Lutheran, Clark, Georgia Tech, Rhode Island, Sacramento State, UCLA
March 7: Alabama, California, California-Davis, Colgate, Fordham, Fort Valley, Kent State, Louisville, Northern Colorado, Oklahoma State, Southern California, Texas A&M, UTEP, Wisconsin, Weber State
March 8: Buffalo, Clemson, Colorado, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio, Syracuse, Tulsa, Utah State, Washington, West Texas, Western Kentucky
March 9: Florida International, Montana, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, TCU, Troy
March 12: Air Force, Arkansas-Monticello, Central Michigan, Central Washington, Pittsburgh
March 13: Ball State, Florida, Kansas State, Marshall, Maryland, North Texas, Western Michigan
March 14: Bowling Green, Central Arkansas, Central Oklahoma, Florida State, Kansas, Louisiana-Monroe, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee Tech
March 15: Delaware State, Louisiana Tech, Michigan, UNLV, Nicholls State, Southern Illinois, Townson, Virginia, Virginia Tech, William & Mary
March 16: James Madison, Missouri State, Oregon State, Richmond, Temple, Tennessee, West Virginia
March 19: Arizona, Florida Atlantic, LSU, Southern, Wake Forest
March 20: Brown, Fresno State, Idaho, Iowa State, Louisiana-Lafayette, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T, South Florida, Texas, Tulane
March 21: Boston College, Nevada, North Carolina State, North Dakota State, Rutgers, San Diego State, San Jose State
March 22: Baylor, Boise State, East Carolina, Maine, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Stanford, Tennessee-Chattanooga
March 23: Jackson State, Missouri Western, N.C. Central, Southern Mississippi, Vanderbilt
March 24: Arizona State
March 27: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Stephen F. Austin, Washburn
March 28: Central Florida, Connecticut, Northern Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Carolina
March 29: Brigham Young
April 4: SMU
April 6: McNeese State


   
     

Over the past few weeks, my fellow NFLDraftScout.com analyst Dane Brugler and I have been working around the clock to finish up the 300+ player profiles we'll be offering here and for Lindy's NFL Draft Magazine. 

While that time has left me unable to keep up the blog with the frequency I would have liked it has opened my eyes to a few lower rated prospects that haven't been receiving the attention their play warrants.

Here are the names of five prospects whose play forced me to re-evaluate where we've been ranking them... 

QB Brock Osweiler, Arizona State: I was disappointed to see Osweiler leave after his junior season as he remains a raw prospect. However, he possesses a strong, accurate arm and much better athleticism than most would reasonably expect given his huge frame (6-7, 240). There has been so much talk about which quarterback is likely to follow up Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin. For my money, that player has been (and remains) Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill. But in the race to follow Tannehill, Osweiler has the physical skill-set to lead ahead of next group, including Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden and Michigan State's Kirk Cousins, the two most impressive quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. 

CB Ryan Steed, Furman: With a very strong week in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, Steed has been receiving a great deal of positive attention lately. I went back to his junior (as well as senior) film to make sure that the consistency I saw there matched up to his play against lesser competition. Steed is athletic, instinctive and possesses very good ball skills. If he runs in the 4.4s as I expect, he's not just a top 75 guy he might push the Alfonzo Dennard, Leonard Johnson and Stephon Gilmores of the world for a run as a late first round candidate. 

DL/LB Brett Roy, Nevada: Roy played out of position for the Wolfpack, lining up at defensive tackle despite weighing in the 260-270 pound area throughout his career. He has a toned, well-distributed build that isn't going to be able to handle adding the 30+ pounds of "good" weight most teams require at defensive tackle in the NFL. He does, however, show the instincts, lateral agility, vision and open field tackling skills to potentially make the conversion to linebacker for 3-4 clubs. Roy plays to the whistle. I watched him pursue Boise State RB Doug Martin 50+ yards downfield, demonstrating the never-say-die mentality that could help him a roster spot and time to develop.

TE Cory Harkey, UCLA: The traditional tight end is quickly being replaced by hybrid receivers but there are still spots available for blocking specialists. That is precisely what Harkey provides. Harkey caught just one pass as a senior, despite starting all 14 games for the Bruins. He shows the size (6-4, 262), strength, tenacity and technique teams are looking for as an in-line blocker, however, and was invited to the Combine despite his less than impressive catch total...

TE Andrew Szczerba, Penn State: The previous four players I mentioned were all among the players who made the initial invitation list to the Combine. Szczerba did not make this list, though after scouting him in person at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, I believe he has the size, soft hands and blocking skills to warrant a closer look. Szczerba lacks straight-line speed and after missing the entire 2010 season after undergoing back surgery, is a huge medical question mark. In my opinion, these questions, coupled with the 6-5, 265 pound Szczerba starting all 13 games for the Nittany Lions in 2011, simply provide all the more reason why teams should get a chance to look him over in Indianapolis.  
         

With the NFL continually finding new ways to market itself and the insatiable appetite fans have for all things football it has been theorized by many that it is only a matter of time before the league begins selling tickets to the annual Scouting Combine. 

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello informed the media at the Super Bowl, however, that he knows of no plan to this citing crowd noise as a deterrent. 

Only recently has the NFL allowed anyone other than league personnel into the workouts. Media has generally been asked to remain in a different part of the building away from the workouts. With NFL Network cameras being allowed to record some of the action in recent years, a few select members of the media have been allowed to come in and watch the quarterbacks throw to wide receivers in recent years.

I have been fortunate enough to be among those allowed in for several of these workouts. I can tell you from experience that the inside of the stadium during these workouts is quite different from that of a game or even practice. While the players and a few coaches/scouts are down on the field, league personnel is generally scattered throughout the lower level seats and suites. The place is eerily quiet other than the occasional shouts of encouragement from players to each other. 
 
The 2012 Scouting Combine will be held in Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis during the final week of Feburary.  The initial list of players invited to attend the workout can be found here. National Football Scouting, the organization that puts on the Combine, has not yet released the final invitation list, which includes underclassmen and perhaps a few other seniors who piqued the interest of scouts during recent all-star games.