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LUCAS OIL STADIUM — The 2024 NFL Combine begins Thursday in Indianapolis, with hundreds of draft hopefuls going through rigorous evaluations on and off the field.
The Colts shared a video from last year's combine featuring former BYU lineman Blake Freeland to give a rare look into the interviews between coaches and players that are part of the off-the-field testing.
NFL player is like any other job... You gotta crush the interview. pic.twitter.com/pcGhE7iTIS
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) February 29, 2024
"In that 15-20 minutes we want to be able to stress them," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. "Let's stress them intellectually and let's see what they know."
The video's caption said, "NFL player is like any other job. ... You gotta crush the interview," and Freeland echoed this sentiment when talking about his experience ahead of the 2023 draft when he was taken in the fourth round by the Colts.
"You gotta go in there with an interview mindset," Freeland said. "Because that's what it is, you're interviewing for a job."
Indianapolis offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. taught Freeland one of the team's zone plays and Freeland's task was to retain as much as possible and teach the play back to the coach all within a 15-minute period. Sparano also quizzed Freeland along the way by asking him what he would do in certain situations when reviewing footage of the play being taught.
Freeland's interview and combine performance were a smashing success, with the Herriman native setting a combine record for an offensive lineman with a 37-inch vertical jump. He started nine games for the Colts in the 2023 season.
