With the conclusion of the NFL season, football fans across America shift their focus from the biggest stars of today to the prospects of tomorrow. The NFL Combine officially begins today in Indianapolis, IN, as 329 athletes with dreams of football immortality perform in front of hundreds of team executives, coaches, and scouts. This marks the beginning of the NFL Draft hype. For the league, the combine also serves as the kickoff for another season of content, with the NFL Network providing more than 50 hours of live coverage, offering a first-hand look at the 2025 NFL Draft class.
For fans of teams picking high in the draft, this event provides an opportunity to turn the disappointment of a losing season into future success. Teams must decide whether to select the best player available based on their scouting or choose the best player to fill a specific roster need. This is what makes the NFL Draft the single greatest reality show in professional sports, as college athletes see their dreams realized in a single moment when Commissioner Roger Goodell calls their names.
Sports radio listeners are always hungry for football-related content, and the NFL Combine is the first opportunity of the offseason to feed that appetite. However, the challenge for sports radio talent is determining the best way to cover the start of “draft season,” particularly in markets with top-five draft picks. Since every NFL market has unique interests and priorities, the level of focus on the combine varies significantly.
Speaking with several sports radio hosts from each of the top five draft markets, it was surprising to hear that several do not plan to place a heavier emphasis on the combine.
“I wouldn’t say there will be a shift in focus,” said Brandon Tierney, who co-hosts middays with Sal Licata on New York’s WFAN. “We will certainly weave draft notes and other observations about the top QB prospects and potential trades into our shows. But we’ll also maintain a healthy balance with Yankees, Mets, Knicks, and NCAA Tournament coverage.”
Jonathan Peterlin, who co-hosts Afternoon Drive on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, echoed Tierney’s sentiment.
“I don’t think there will be an overwhelming amount of discussion about the combine itself, especially since the top two quarterbacks aren’t throwing,” Peterlin said. “The on-field drills, measurables, and workouts in shorts and T-shirts just don’t generate much excitement.”
While Tierney and Peterlin plan for limited added combine coverage, Jared Stillman, co-host of Stillman & Company on Nashville’s 102.5 The Game, takes a different approach.
“We are pretty much talking draft 99% of the time now anyway,” Stillman said. “We are virtually all Titans and draft all the time right now.”
Mia O’Brien of 1010XL in Jacksonville, co-host of the all-female midday show Helmets & Heels, noted that the NFL Combine is always appointment radio for their audience.
“Given the state of the Jaguars over the last 15 years, the combine is practically a holiday for our city and fanbase,” O’Brien joked. “Even with the head coach and general manager searches this year, the combine and draft still snuck up on us.”
Much like the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine features its own version of “radio row.” Media outlets from radio, television, and digital platforms set up to gain exclusive access to team executives, draft prospects, and league insiders. However, the atmosphere is far less commercialized compared to the Super Bowl.
With sports radio budgets shrinking and the demand for content growing, some wonder whether a week of live shows at the NFL Combine could provide stronger content at a fraction of the cost of a Super Bowl trip.
Former NFL linebacker and WEEI Afternoons host Ted Johnson believes that, despite the potential benefits, the combine doesn’t compare to the Super Bowl for a radio row setup.
“I think radio row at the Super Bowl is more valuable to attend,” Johnson said. “The week leading up to the Super Bowl attracts more celebrities, NFL players, and other big names.”
Stillman agrees, noting that it all comes down to investing in an event with the biggest stars.
“The combine just doesn’t have the same star power as the Super Bowl,” he said. “It has a lot of media and coaches, but not the same level of recognizable figures.”
There is no doubt that the Super Bowl boasts more star power. However, that also means countless corporate pitches, making the week sound like one long advertisement. From a pure content perspective, the NFL Combine might be more useful for sports radio, offering greater access to team personnel and prospects that local fans care about.
“In terms of sheer substance, I think the combine offers much more—and much more ‘inside scoops,’” O’Brien explained. “That’s exactly what our audience in Jacksonville wants.”
Jeff Rickard oversees 93.5/107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis said his plans are to have live shows all week from the NFL Combine gathering content and interviews as they serve their local consumers. He said he understands the value of the content you could create from broadcasting live from the NFL Combine, but also believes in the current state of the industry it has to sense for the bottom dollar.
“I think it’s important to your audience. I think they’re invested, and they want to hear what their general manager and their coach plan on doing, what their plans are going to be,” said Rickard. “They like to know that their teams are doing something, and of course we’re the conduit for that. We let them know what’s going on. I do think it’s important, if you can afford it to do that.”
Rickard understands the challenges being both a brand manager and morning show host about expenditures being a huge hurdle for many markets considering trips like the Super Bowl or the NFL Combine.
“Can we turn around and find somebody to underwrite that cost for us and use it as an advertising vehicle,” Rickard questioned. “I think that’s really the important question to ask in today’s world.”
Even for some of the largest sports radio brands, broadcasting live from the combine isn’t a priority at all.
“Broadcasting from the combine is not something we have explored, nor do I envision us doing so in the future,” said Tierney of WFAN. “Wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I just don’t see it happening on the local level.”
The NFL Combine features four days of on-field drills designed to test the strength, speed, and durability of each prospect. It’s the only event where a fraction of a second or a single dropped pass can heavily influence a player’s draft stock and future earnings. However, despite the high stakes, these workouts don’t always translate into compelling sports radio content.
“The real allure of the combine isn’t the actual on-field work,” Peterlin said.
“Too much of that info is boring, quite frankly,” Tierney added.
NFL Network’s coverage of the combine often involves analysts raving about a player’s “great hands” or “quick feet” while comparing them to Hall of Fame legends. While this event is crucial for draft prospects, its overall significance within the draft process is up for debate. When asked to rank the importance of the combine compared to the Senior Bowl and pro day workouts, most agreed that the combine stands above the rest.
“The NFL Combine is definitely the most interesting event,” Johnson said. “It covers the top 300 college football players. No bowl game or all-star event matches what the combine brings.”
For sports radio hosts, knowing what not to discuss is just as important as knowing what to highlight. Some draft-related topics can quickly become listener tune-outs.
“The constant regurgitation of draft phrases like ‘quick and loose hips, anticipation, and ability to process’—give me a break,” Tierney said. “The verbiage is tired and corny.”
Additionally, while some prospects shine during drills, they may lack the personality to make engaging radio guests.
“My biggest tune-out is listening to players on the air. Maybe one out of twenty college players is remotely interesting in an interview,” Stillman said.
With 329 prospects participating in the combine, there’s a vast amount of data to analyze. For sports radio hosts, the challenge is determining how deep to go in discussing individual players and how it impacts their local team.
“At some point, you can get too deep into the weeds,” Peterlin said. “If we’re breaking down the seventh-best player at a given position who’s projected to go in the fifth round—what are we really doing here?”
Since 1987, Indianapolis has hosted the NFL Combine, where football dreams can be realized or shattered in a single moment. Last year, the NFL Combine had its highest viewership on NFL Network since 2018, with a 12% increase from 2023. This year’s event follows the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, which had a record average audience of 127.7 million viewers. You can expect the attention and desire for content from this year’s NFL Combine to continue to grow.
Sports radio programmers and talent alike understand that the NFL and content surrounding every aspect of the league reigns supreme. Sports radio listeners in every NFL market expect their favorite shows to deliver content that matters—content that helps fans understand how their team is preparing for the future and chasing the ultimate dream of Super Bowl glory.
Like any individual team’s playbook, the challenge is in the execution. From pivoting content strategy to accessing exclusive moments with key figures that matter in enhancing the fan experience, the game within the game for sports radio talent is to meet that expectation with the NFL Combine setting themselves up for a successful path to ‘Draft Day.’
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
