2018 NFL Draft: 326 players invited to 2018 NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL unveiled its list of invitees to the 2018 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, with 326 names being posted to the Combine section of NFL.com. The Combine, which is scheduled from February 27th until March 5th, is held at Lucas Oil Stadium each year.

The list covers a wide breadth of big names and small-school prospects, and it includes UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin, who was left off the initial list of names. Griffin was a college standout, and participated in the Senior Bowl, but his missing left hand (amputated when we was very young) may have initially turned off the NFL evaluators compiling the list.

A few notable names were left off the list. Texas defensive tackle Poona Ford is one of them. The senior had an exceptional East-West Shrine Game week, and was promoted to the Senior Bowl the following week. Standing five-foot-eleven and change, the tackle is built like a bowling ball, and while he was winning leverage battles in practice, he may have fallen below the measurement thresholds set by scouts.

Other Combine snubs include Central Michigan defensive end Joe Ostman, who led the nation with 14 sacks this year, and Washington State guard Cody O’Connell, who is listed at a massive six-foot-eight and 355 pounds.

Also noteworthy are the wide receiver snubs in this year’s group. Wide receivers who didn’t attend a Combine are correlated with a very weak history of success in the NFL relative to the receivers who do get an invite. Toledo receiver Cody Thompson and Syracuse wideout Steve Ishmael are two names who now sit behind the eight ball despite their college production.