Note: the NFL Regional Combines are no longer held. The program ran from 2012 to 2017 and was discontinued ahead of the 2018 offseason. This page is kept as a record of how the events worked, and of the pathways that have taken their place — see alternative routes in 2026.

The National Football League (NFL) launched the NFL Regional/Super Regional Combines program in 2012. The combines served as a supplement to the National Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and were designed to give players outside that invitation list an opportunity to display their pro potential.

Bench press fitness testBench press fitness test at an American football combine

How the Regional Combines Worked

Applicants had to meet eligibility rules. The combines were open to position players eligible for that year's NFL Draft, and the regionals were restricted to players who had played college football during the previous season. Unlike the National Scouting Combine, which is invitation-only, the regionals were open to anyone who registered and qualified — which was the entire point of the program.

Events were staged at NFL club facilities across the country, typically between January and March, with participants tested and reviewed by experienced NFL scouting personnel. Testing followed the standard combine battery: height, weight and arm measurements, the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle runs, plus position-specific drills.

Participants' measurements and results were compiled and entered into a database accessible to all 32 NFL clubs. Top performers from the regional events could be invited on to a Super Regional Combine, held in front of a larger contingent of scouts.

Why They Ended

The Super Regional Combine was dropped first, a couple of years before the wider program folded. In January 2018 the League confirmed that no regional combines would be held that year, and the program was never revived. The NFL declined to give a public reason for the cancellation. In practice, the growth of college pro days, private workouts, and video and tracking data available to scouts had reduced the need for a paid, open-registration testing circuit.

Alternative Routes in 2026

Players outside the main combine invitation list now rely on a different set of showcases:

  • The NFL Scouting Combine — still the centrepiece of the pre-draft calendar. The 2026 edition was held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis from 26 February to 1 March, with 319 prospects invited.
  • College pro days — held on campus in March and April, and now the primary testing opportunity for players who do not receive a combine invitation.
  • The NFL HBCU Showcase — for draft-eligible players from historically Black colleges and universities, run in partnership with the Black College Football Hall of Fame. The 2026 event drew 48 participants.
  • The International Player Pathway (IPP) Program — for athletes developed outside the US college system, several of them converts from rugby, basketball and volleyball. Thirteen IPP athletes took part in 2026, from 10 countries including Nigeria, Australia, Germany, Japan, Kenya and Algeria.

Since 2026 the HBCU Showcase and the IPP Pro Day have been run together as a single combined event. That year's edition was staged from 28 to 30 March at the Washington Commanders' facility in Ashburn, Virginia, with on-field workouts on the final morning.

Beyond the NFL's own events, the UFL and other developmental leagues have become a recognised proving ground for players who go undrafted.