The NFL season feels like it never really ends these days, and sportsbooks continue to capitalize by throwing up betting markets on the uber-popular league for whatever they can — including its annual Scouting Combine.
Indeed, before the confetti's done falling on the Super Bowl champion, speculation already runs rampant about where players may wind up next season. It's also not uncommon to see betting markets for a player's next team or if they'll retire; an Aaron Rodgers retirement by Mar. 12 was priced at +430 on FanDuel in Ontario as of Wednesday morning.
Post-Super Bowl, the NFL Draft looms larger and larger as well, especially for the more unfortunate teams dreaming of finding their April savior. The Draft has become a popular event for bettors too, yet not so much for the books, as the whirlwind of speculation about who's going where can be an opportunity for the former and a headache for the latter.
But there’s another betting opportunity sandwiched between the Super Bowl and the Draft: the NFL Scouting Combine, which gets underway Thursday in Indianapolis.
Will anyone break Xavier Worthy’s BLISTERING 4.21 40-Yard Dash at the NFL combine? 💨
— BET99 Sportsbook (@BET99Sportsbook) February 26, 2025
🏃♂️ YES (+800)
🏃♂️ NO (-1800)
Bet Now ➡️ https://t.co/LS9Bv6r1Hx#NFL #NFLCombine #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/e2I7ph52pj
The Combine is hugely important for the draft stock of NFL prospects. Run a blazing 40-yard dash or open eyes with other aspects of your strength and agility and a third-rounder can become a second-rounder or better.
Like the Draft, the Combine is an object of interest for bookmakers and bettors, as well. Check your online sportsbook and they may offer odds. FanDuel, for example, had a +800 price for a player to break the 3-cone drill record this year; to do so, that prospect would have to complete the circuit in under 6.28 seconds.
DraftKings has similar offerings. The Boston-based operator's line for the fastest 40-yard dash as of Wednesday morning was 4.255 seconds; "slower" than that was priced at -140 odds, while "faster" was +110.
Getting down on 225 at -115
That's not all, either. There are odds for all kinds of things NFL prospects are tested on, such as their vertical jump, their 20-yard shuttle run, and the number of times they can bench press 225 pounds.
At bet365, the online book set the line for bench press reps at 36.5; odds for a player going "Over" that number at the Combine were -115 as of Wednesday morning, while "Under" was priced at -105.
Now, these betting markets lack the liquidity of your average NFL game. At FanDuel, for example, the maximum wager for the Over for bench press reps was $938 Wednesday, a far cry from what you could get on an NFL Sunday (and if you're not already subject to more strict limitations).
The king stays the king
All this is to say there's a seemingly insatiable appetite for NFL wagering, and one of the newer courses at regulated sportsbooks is the Scouting Combine. It may not be big business — at least not yet — but forms part of the larger NFL betting behemoth. Football is king among bettors in Canada and the U.S., and a little bit of 40-yard-dash-related wagering just underscores that hierarchy.
Combine betting could also provide further fuel for the popularity of NFL Draft wagering, as someone who tunes in may find themselves forming an opinion before Commissioner Roger Goodell starts reading out picks in Green Bay in April.
All of this likely lines up nicely with the NFL’s efforts to keep the attention from when the Super Bowl ends to the next regular season's start. The Combine, Draft, and schedule release all contribute to that campaign, and so does the wagering.
“Offering betting odds on major offseason events and storylines such as the combine, NFL Draft and free agency adds an additional layer of excitement for our customers and helps keep NFL fans engaged with the sport year-round,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of sports operators, in a statement to Covers.
The NFL Draft has already become something of a loss-leader for bookmakers. It’s tough to stay ahead of the news insiders and the bettors standing by for fresh intel, but books are willing to try to win back that money on baseball or basketball or when the regular season rolls around again. The Combine provides another “fun” offering that gives bettors a chance to win in March and bleed back those proceeds (and perhaps then some) at a later date.
“The combine has become one of the marquee events of the NFL offseason, and customers appreciate the offerings posted on our platform,” Avello said. “They do not attract the same sort of action as live games of course, but we have seen solid interest among our customers and believe this generates more interest and excitement around the first NFL event following the Super Bowl."
Terms and conditions apply
That is, of course, if bettors can even wager on the Combine. The state-by-state nature of U.S. regulation means not everyone has the opportunity.
Case in point: DraftKings allows wagering on things like the fastest 40-yard dash time in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wyoming, Kansas, Maryland, Maine, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian province of Ontario.
Those types of markets are not offered in major states like New York or New Jersey, reflecting and respecting the wishes of lawmakers and regulators there.
“DraftKings strictly adheres to the regulations of every jurisdiction in which we operate,” Avello said. “If regulatory changes permit us to offer betting on the combine in additional jurisdictions, we would welcome the opportunity to do so.”
