It's been a part of NFL culture since 1982 but perhaps the true nature of the NFL Combine is not so well known in Ireland.

Each year before the draft, prospective NFL players gather in Indianapolis for a week-long showcase where they are literally put through their paces in front of the watching eyes of NFL franchises.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus and a regular on the Off The Ball NFL podcast has been in Indianapolis and told us a little bit about the curiosity that is the Combine.

"Essentially it's a place where 300 of the top draft eligible prospects get invited and all work out together and get put through a whole bunch of standardized drills and metrics. It's for all 32 NFL teams to be able to cast their eyes over these guys in one place. As to whether it works or not, they are all put through the same tests. You get a standardized set of numbers but how much weight you put on those numbers, obviously is a different matter entirely."

Some of the tests include vertical jumps, broad jumps, three cone drills and the 40-yard dash but Sam says that some of those are used to gauge "how explosive you are as an athlete" while some other tests are more in-game related.  

Our own Donny recently went to see 12 Years A Slave and drew a slight parallel between the Combine and the way slave-owners cast their eye over prospective field hands.

"There's definitely some of that about it," agreed Sam. "When you look at the weigh-ins, they basically parade these guys one after another in essentially underwear to step on a scale and to get measured for height and hands in front of a room of NFL guys sitting there with a clipboard and polo shirts. There's definitely something a bit odd about it."  

But Sam pointed out that the main benefit of the Combine is that it is the one time of year where all 32 teams are in the same place at the same time and enables them to do business.