1. Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Ron Rivera will each meet with the media early in the week.
It’s unlikely either will say much about hot-button topics like Cam Newton’s contract, the possibility of re-signing Greg Hardy or the future of DeAngelo Williams. Gettleman would obviously like to avoid any Steve Smith-like slip-ups, and it will be interesting to hear from Rivera after this month’s special teams coaching swap.
2. Offensive tackles will go through media interviews Wednesday. Their on-field workouts are Friday.
The Panthers (and their fans) will have a close eye on guys like T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh), Andrus Peat (Stanford), La’el Collins (LSU), Brandon Scherff (Iowa), Ereck Flowers, (Miami, FL) and D.J. Humphries (Florida).
3. Wide receivers will go through media interviews Thursday. Their on-field workouts are Saturday.
Devin Smith (Ohio State), Phillip Dorsett (Miami, FL), and Sammie Coates (Auburn) could be among wideouts who put down blazing 40-yard dash times.
4. While the Panthers are looking to add speed this offseason, 40-yard dash results aren’t entirely important to them.
Gettleman and his scouting staff instead grade prospects on their game speed, aka: how fast they play with pads on.
5. Besides offensive tackle and receiver, the Panthers will have plenty of interest in a deep defensive end class and a number of defensive backs.
You can find a list of 300-plus invitees and the position-by-position schedule here.
6. The Panthers will talk to plenty of players.
You’ll hear a lot of so-and-so talked to fill-in-the-blank team over the next few days. It’s rarely news worth spending much time reading into. Whether it’s formally or informally, teams talk to a lot of players and players talk to a lot of teams.
7. Each team can formally interview 60 players in 15-minute intervals.
One thing Gettleman and his staff try to gauge during those chats is how much a guy truly cares about playing football.
8. While many consider the combine the unofficial start of the NFL offseason, teams have already done a good bit of vetting.
The Panthers have been following certain prospects since the start of the college football season. Scouts are already well into the evaluation process, so it’s not like they’re going to make a call on a guy because of how he does in a cone drill.
9. The NFL Network is again the main TV provider of combine coverage.
Coach and general manager press conferences will take up the majority of airtime Wednesday and Thursday. The “underwear Olympics” portion starts Friday. You can find the network’s plans here.
10. BBR will be at the combine Wednesday through Saturday.
Stay tuned for plenty of posts, video and tweets from Indy.