Porter prepares for NFL Combine

Ever since the Insight Bowl on New Year’s Eve, members of the IU football team have split off to do their own things. Former captain and IU senior Tracy Porter has been perhaps the busiest member of that Hoosier team that “played 13.”\nIn addition to taking 18 credit hours this semester and preparing to graduate, Porter also participated in the Under Armor Senior Bowl, and trained for the NFL draft. But before the draft comes, Porter will participate in the annual NFL scouting combine. \nThe combine, which begins today in Indianapolis, is a series of standard tests and drills for NFL draft prospects. Top college athletes are evaluated by scouts from all 32 NFL teams on things such as the 40-yard dash, the bench press and the vertical leap. Paul Lawrence, Porter’s agent, said each prospect’s draft status becomes significantly clearer after the combine.\n“We’ll talk to some teams, but they’re going to see these guys now and put together their list of needs and wants,” Lawrence said. “We’ll know more towards the end of next week. The combine is the big week.” \nPorter said he’s specifically been working on his 40-yard dash time, the test that many consider to be the most important for draft prospects. Porter said his goal is to break 4.2 seconds, but added that trying to improve scores on the combine tests poses different challenges than preparing for a game.\n“It’s a lot more intense,” Porter said. “You’re going there every day focusing on certain things like your speed, bench press, vertical jump. For me, it’s been a juggle, but in the end it pays off.”\nWhile Porter said it’s a blessing for him to be invited, he thinks some of the combine drills fail to reveal how good of a football player truly is.\n“The vertical test, because at no point in a game is a player going to stand there and vertical jump for a football,” Porter said. “You’re usually running and jumping for a ball, but they have what they want to look for.”\nDue to the growing popularity of the NFL, the draft has started to receive almost as much attention as the games themselves. Several sports writers, such as ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr., have made a living out of evaluating the draft year round. Porter said he doesn’t pay much attention to the alleged \ndraft gurus. \n“The whole draft gurus, like. it’s part of their job, that’s what they do; they have a feeling of the guys they want to see in the first round,” Porter said. “But those guys aren’t the front office guys, they aren’t the (general managers), the coaches.”\nWhen asked if he would rather play for his boyhood team, the New Orleans Saints, or the Indianapolis Colts, Porter sheepishly smiled and blushed before giving his answer.\n“What kid wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team? But the Colts, they have a rich tradition, they just won the Super Bowl two years ago, they have a great coaching staff, great team,” Porter said, before adding the more politically correct answer of “whoever calls my name on draft day, I’ll be more than excited to play for them.”