NFL Combine Delivers Elite Performances  – March 4

The 2024 NFL combine ended Sunday in Indianapolis and the event was a huge success for many of the 300-plus athletes that attended. The NFL combine has been held every year since 1985. The league needed a way to get a look at college football’s best players. The NFL combine was a way to bring in the best draft-eligible players together in one location so that teams, coaches, and scouts could get a look at them.

The NFL combine has been held in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium (formerly the RCA Dome) since its beginning. Roughly 330 athletes receive an invitation to attend the NFL combine. It is a week-long event where the prospective NFL players are put through a number of mental and physical tests. They are weighed, measured, receive a medical evaluation, and then, of course, are put through the physical tests.

NFL Combine Testing

The NFL combine has become increasingly popular over the years. The entire event is now broadcast on TV and the ratings are solid. Since it’s the offseason, many fans watch to see which players their teams may be interested in for the upcoming NFL draft.

What fans love about the NFL combine are all the physical tests. Players go through a number of tests designed to get an idea of their speed, strength, and agility. The test that fans love the most is the 40-yard dash. It is a test of speed.

This year at the NFL combine, Xavier Worthy broke the record in the 40-yard dash. The wide receiver from Texas covered 40 yards in 4.21 seconds. That broke the record set in 2017 by Washington WR John Ross. 

There were some impressive 40-yard dash times at this year’s NFL combine. Nate Wiggins, a cornerback from Clemson, was the only other attendee to run under 4.30. Wiggins clocked a 4.28.

The more impressive 40s were from defensive players like Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. At 6-foot-3 and 247 pounds, Turner ran his best 40 in 4.46 seconds. That is typical time for wide receivers and defensive backs. North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson (6-4, 238) ran 4.43 in his best 40. His draft stock surely rose with this display of speed.

Sports Hub Capper Combine

Imagine if Sports Hub had a handicapper combine. First event…basketball handicapping. We’d have SWJ Sports running the equivalent of a 4.21 40 at the NFL combine with his 46-25 record and an incredible $1915 in winnings over the last seven days. And that’s just basketball!

Next up would be Sal Lombardi who would crush the entire capper combine. In basketball alone, Sal is 38-25 and has added $1025 to his bankroll on NBA and college basketball picks. 

Geovanny Araya, of course, would dominate the soccer event. James Anderson, $830 over the last three days, and guys like Gino de Luca, Bill Blatt, and more would put up strong showings. Then, bettors could look and see which cappers are best in the sports they like to bet or which cappers are hot at the moment. Bettors can follow those cappers and watch their profits explode!

So, basically, every day is a Sports Hub handicapper combine. Evaluate your favorite cappers and follow their picks. It’s what winners do.

Let’s see how yesterday’s capper combine went.

• Want NHL picks?: If you want winning NHL picks, Sean Kuchman is your guy. He topped our leaderboard yesterday, hitting all six of his NHL picks. Those six picks resulted in $715 in winnings. 
• Gino goes perfect: Gino de Luca has been around the top of the leaderboard on several occasions. Yesterday was another. Gino went 4-0 and cashed in $405 in winnings on three college basketball picks and one soccer pick. He’s 6-3 over the last three days.
• Two more Sports Hub cappers go 3-0: Dan Jones and Logan Wilson were also perfect yesterday, going 3-0 and earning $300. Like yesterday’s entire Top 5, Dan and Logan can only be found right here at Sports Hub. If yesterday was like the NFL combine, Dan and Logan would have increased their draft stock. That means you might want to check these guys out on a daily basis and follow their picks.
• Another Gino: It’s always a good thing when Sports Hub experts sweep the Top 5. It’s interesting when two of the cappers are named Gino. Yesterday, Gino Russo was also perfect, hitting both of his picks and added another $200 to his growing bankroll. 
• In NFL combine terms: Yesterday’s performances by Sean and Gino de Luca were strong, but don’t count out sleepers like Sal Lombardi (8-6, $120 yesterday) who is up $810 over the last three days. Madjack Sports, James Anderson, and Coach Rick all have been hot over the last two to four weeks.

Wins, Wins, and More Wins

There were some big wins all over the sports world. The Celtics notched another huge win. The favorite came through and won the Pennzoil 400 yesterday. Caitlin Clark got another win achieving yet another milestone. And, the wins just keep building.

Here’s a look at yesterday’s wins.

• The favorite wins: Kyle Larson was the favorite to win yesterday’s Pennzoil 400 and he came through with the victory. 
• Clark passes Pistol Pete: In her last regular season home game, Iowa star Caitlin Clark passed Pistol Pete Maravich for the all-time NCAA career scoring record. On senior day, Clark scored 35 points in a 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State. Clark now has 3,685 points. Maravich scored 3,667 in three seasons at LSU from 1967 to 1970 (and there was no three-point line…just sayin’).

• Celtics with another 50-piece nugget: Talk about a big win. The Boston Celtics hammered the Golden State Warriors 140-88, giving the Celtics a record third 50-point win this season. The win was also Boston’s 11th straight, the team’s longest such streak this season.
• ESPN mourns Mort: Long-time NFL expert Chris Mortensen passed away yesterday at the age of 72. “Mort,” as he was known, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2016 then returned to work at ESPN in 2017. His presence during the NFL season will be missed.

What to Bet Today

Mondays can be tough on sports fans and bettors, especially when it is no longer football season. Bettors always have Monday Night Football to look forward to in the fall and the NFL combine is over. Now in March, it’s basketball, hockey, and whatever else we can find. Don’t worry. Sports Hub will find all the events and bring them to you right here in our Daily Report.

Here’s what you have to look forward to today.

1. Couple key CBB games: There are two college basketball games featuring ranked teams tonight. No. 10 Duke is at N.C. State and Texas plays on the road at No. 15 Baylor. We’re getting closer to March Madness. Learn more about Sports Hub’s Bracket Contest right HERE.
2. NBA serves up more drama: The Celtics fired up that 50-point win last night. The Clippers won a game that looked like it came from the 1990s. LA beat Minnesota 89-88 last night. Tonight, there are six games on the schedule. The Clippers continue their road trip with a visit to Milwaukee. Oklahoma City plays the Lakers in Los Angeles. Both of those games will be televised on NBATV.
3. Arsenal plays today: Arsenal plays Sheffield United today in the English Premier League. There is one La Liga match and also one in Italy’s Serie A. Our handicappers also have nearly a dozen soccer picks ready to go. There are picks for the Arsenal match. 

4. Monday Night Ice: Bettors have six games to choose from in the NHL tonight. Remember, Sean Kuchman hit all six of his NHL picks yesterday. Nashville, which has won 8 straight, doesn’t play until tomorrow. Calgary, winners of 5 in a row, will host Seattle tonight. There are almost two dozen hockey picks in the members’ area already. There will be more throughout the day.
5. More spring training games: MLB’s spring training continues. There are 12 games on the schedule. The big news out of Philadelphia’s spring training was the new contract for Zack Wheeler. He would have been a free agent this fall, but the Phillies inked him to a new three-year deal worth $126 million. Wheeler was 13-6 last season with a 3.61 ERA.
6. BNP Paribas Open: Both the men and women will play in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. First round qualifying play continues today.