What’s different about this year’s NFL scouting combine?

32 players with Georgia ties going to NFL Scouting Combine

The NFL has moved the on-field workouts at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine to prime time.

Many of the drills performed in Indianapolis — home of the combine since 1987 — at Lucas Oil Stadium will be moved to the afternoon and evening in the hopes of attracting a larger television audience. The drills have traditionally taken place in the morning and early afternoon.

“We are always looking at ways of bringing more football to a wider audience,” the league said in a statement. “This will enable us to accomplish the goal of reaching more fans while still fully maintaining the football integrity of the event.”

This is the schedule (all workouts will be viewable on the NFL Network): 
• Thursday, Feb. 27 (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.): Tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers 
• Friday, Feb. 28 (4 p.m.-11 p.m.): Place kickers, special teams, offensive linemen, and running backs
• Saturday, Feb. 29 (4 p.m.-11 p.m.): Defensive linemen and linebackers
• Sunday, March 1 (2 p.m.-7 p.m.): Defensive backs

Previously, formal interviews had taken place after the workouts. To adjust for the prime-time workouts, teams will reduce the number players they interview from 60 to 45.

Thirty-two of the 337 players invited to participate at the combine have a tie to Georgia. That's the highest concentration of Georgia talent since 2015 (37 players) and 2011 (31 players).

This is the positions breakdown for this years' combine:
• Quarterbacks: 17, including Georgia's Jake Fromm and Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa
• Wide receivers: 55, including Liberty's Antonio Gandy-Golden (from Paulding County) and Tennessee's Marquez Callaway (of Warner Robins)
• Tight ends: 20, including Georgia's Charlie Woerner (of Tiger, Ga.) 
• Running backs: 30, including Georgia's Brian Herrien and D'Andre Swift
• Offensive linemen: 52, among them is Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas — a potential top 10 draft pick — and Clemson's Tremayne Anchrum (of Powder Springs)
• Special teams: 12, Georgia's Rodrigo Blankenship (of Marietta) leads a group of place kickers and special teamers 
• Defensive linemen: 46, among then Auburn's Derrick Brown (of Sugar Hill)
• Linebackers: 44, including Virginia's Jordan Mack (of Lithonia) and 
• Defensive backs: 61, including Georgia's J.R. Reed and Wake Forest's Essang Bassey (of Columbus)

The Atlanta Falcons hold the 16th overall pick in 2020. The team is set to make eight picks overall — four among the top 100 — when the NFL Draft is held April 23-25 in Las Vegas.

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