How to Bet the NFL Combine: A Beginner’s Guide to Combine Wagering

How to Bet the NFL Combine: A Beginner's Guide to Combine Wagering

The NFL Combine is must-watch television for scouts, coaches, and general managers.

For a growing number of football fans, it is also one of the most entertaining betting events of the offseason.

Combine props are unlike anything else on the sportsbook calendar.

It's just elite athletes running, jumping, and lifting in a controlled environment, and sportsbooks post odds on almost all of it.

If you've never bet the Combine before, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know: what props are available, where to find them, and how to build a strategy that gives you a real edge.

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What Is NFL Combine Betting?

NFL Combine betting involves wagering on the individual athletic testing events at the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

Rather than betting on game outcomes, you're betting on measurable athletic performances: how fast a wide receiver runs the 40-yard dash or how many times a defensive lineman can bench press 225 pounds.

Sportsbooks typically offer these as prop bets, meaning you're wagering on a specific outcome within the event rather than a winner or loser.

40-Yard Dash Bets — The Most Popular Combine Props

The 40-yard dash is the marquee event of the Combine.

It has been the most-watched and most-bet drill for decades, and sportsbooks give it accordingly deep markets.

Common 40-yard dash bet types include:

• Over/Under on a specific player's time. Will a prospect run faster or slower than the posted number?
• Fastest overall at a position. Who runs the quickest 40 among all QBs, WRs, RBs, etc.?
• Time range props. Will a player run under 4.40 seconds? Under 4.30?

The 40 is where the sharpest Combine bettors focus most of their attention, because there's more data, more markets, and more opportunity to spot a mispriced line.

Bench Press, Vertical Jump, and Other Athletic Testing Props

Beyond the 40, sportsbooks offer props on a range of other combine drills:

• Bench Press: How many times can the prospect rep 225 pounds?
• Vertical Jump: How high can a prospect leap from a standstill?
• Broad Jump: Measures explosive lower body power.
• 3-Cone Drill & 20-Yard Shuttle: Change of direction drills.

The bench press market is the second-most popular after the 40.

It tends to be slightly easier to research because raw strength has less variance than a timed sprint.

Which Sportsbooks Post Combine Odds?

Not every sportsbook offers Combine props, and the ones that do vary significantly in market depth.

Generally speaking, the larger regulated sportsbooks in states with established sports betting — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM — are the most likely to post Combine markets.

The market depth varies by year and state.

In some years, only the 40-yard dash gets widely covered.

In others, you can find props on nearly every measurable event.

Check your available sportsbooks early, and don't assume a prop you found last year will be available again.

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Combine Betting Strategy for Beginners

Understanding Implied Probability on Props

When a sportsbook posts -120 on an over/under, they're implying a specific probability of the outcome occurring.

At -120, the implied probability is about 54.5%.

At +150, it's about 40%.

Your job as a bettor is to decide whether the true probability of the outcome is higher or lower than what the book is implying.

If you believe a prospect has a 60% chance of running under 4.45 seconds and the book is pricing that at 54.5%, you have a positive expected value bet.

You don't need to be mathematically precise about this to be a better bettor, but thinking in probabilities rather than “I like this guy” will make your decision-making sharper over time.

Using Pre-Combine Rankings to Find Value

Pre-Combine scouting rankings are your most valuable research tool.

Specifically, look for the gap between where a prospect is ranked as an athlete versus where the public perceives him.

A highly-touted prospect with huge name recognition at a glamour position will attract public money, which can push lines toward the over on his 40 time even if the scouts who've actually watched him project an average athletic profile.

Those inflated favorites are where you fade.

Conversely, lower-profile prospects at less glamorous positions sometimes offer tremendous value because sportsbooks post looser lines since the public isn't paying close attention.

Bankroll Management for Event Betting

The Combine runs over multiple days with dozens of individual props posted across positions.

It's easy to overbet when there are this many markets available.

A few guardrails:

• Set a total Combine betting budget before the event starts, separate from your regular sports betting bankroll.
• Limit yourself to your highest-conviction plays. More bets do not mean more profit. They often mean more variance.
• Don't chase losses mid-event. If Day 1 of workouts goes against you, that's not a signal to increase your unit size on Day 2.

Common Mistakes First-Time Combine Bettors Make

• Betting on names instead of numbers. The most famous prospect at a position is rarely the most athletically valuable bet. Do the research.
• Ignoring whether a player is actually participating. Players can and do opt out of specific drills. Always confirm before betting.
• Failing to account for position norms. A 4.50 40-yard dash is blazing for an offensive tackle and average for a wide receiver. Always benchmark against historical positional averages.
• Overvaluing recent news. A glowing profile piece in the week before the Combine doesn't tell you anything about how fast someone runs. Stay focused on measurable data.
• Betting too many props. Pick your spots. The goal is to identify the markets where you have a genuine information edge, not to take action on everything.

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