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Danny O'Neil covers the Seahawks for The Seattle Times.

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February 22, 2010 at 9:20 AM

The scouting combine

The Winter Olympics? That's for amateurs.

The Underwear Olympics. That's what Vikings coach Brad Childress referred to the scouting combine last year, and I found it to be hilarious.

I think it actually passed the tipping point with the combine. I don't think it impacts a player's stock nearly as much as people think.

Well, I should rephrase that. A mid-round prospect doesn't come to the combine and run/lift/throw his way into the first round nearly as often as people think. (Well, at least not unless we're talking about the Oakland Raiders, who seem to value the stop watch above all else when it comes to receivers like Darrius Heyward-Bey.)

But the combine is the single best chance to get an up-close view of all the top prospects. I will be leaving for Indianapolis on Wednesday, and access to the athletes begins Thursday and runs through prospects.

Reporters do not have the option of watching all the workouts, but the athletes will be available for interviews generally the day before they participate in the events.

We'll also be having a Live Chat! on Tuesday at noon setting up the combine. Think about who you would like to see interviewed at the combine, and who's story you want to know more about. We've got two months between now and the draft so this week will also be about reporting for future stories as well.

As for who the Seahawks will be looking at, Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke indicated in a radio interview on 710 ESPN Seattle that the team's personnel department -- under general manager John Schneider -- was assembling its draft board.

That draft board will change and the scouting combine will certainly impact that, but it's most often that a player demonstrates or reinforces a short-coming. A defensive back who doesn't have the top-end speed you want from a cornerback is an indication he may in fact end up as a safety. A quarterback doesn't have the arm strength he will need to make some of the throws outside the hashmarks that an NFL quarterback must make.

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The scouting combine

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