Every December through April, hundreds of NFL hopefuls attend Combine Preparation Training Camps at sites all over the country. Whether these athletes stay 1 week or 3 months, each is hoping to improve their speed, agility, quickness, vertical leap and overall athletic performance. As one sportswriter calls it, "The NFL Combine is the final exam for most players where their 40 time or weight lifting reps can make a difference of several rounds in April's Draft. However, those who put on the National Invitational Camp, as it's called by its host, have another take on what the combine is for.

In actuality, medical exams can have more significance than the physical skills testing. The medical exams include an EKG, vision test, blood test, urinalysis, x rays of the knee and back and all sorts of poking and prodding of each athlete's joints six times over with NFL personnel from several teams at each station. If you've had any injuries since you were 12 years old, they're going to find them.

In addition to all these medical tests, each of the 300 325 athletes invited are paraded around in shorts and bare chested so that NFL personnel can critique their physique. Height, weight, hand span and length of arms are measured in this meat market they call the NFL Combine. Furthermore, each player takes an intelligence test called the Wonderlic, a 12 minute IQ Test of 50 questions. Finally, each prospect undergoes an intense interview process with each NFL franchise.

Beyond all the medical tests, the athletes do get a chance to strut their stuff and compete against each other in several physical events along with their specific position drills. Several choose not to participate in these events and opt to workout privately with the comfort of their own campus surrounding them. Whether the invited athlete chooses to workout at the combine or another site, sooner or later, each must measure up to the times and distances of those who have come before them. Strength and conditioning professionals are often utilized to help the athlete maximize physical potential in hopes of helping them make it to the next level.