NFL adds specialist showcase for long snappers to the end of the combine
When the NFL Scouting Combine gets underway on February 27th, a whopping 321 prospects will participate in interviews, drills and medical evaluations. However, none of the players invited are long snappers.
The league didn’t include any long snappers in the 321 invitees. It’s a matter of practicality; only 10 long snappers have been selected since the 2001 NFL Draft, and none higher than the sixth round since 2015. In short, it’s not a common practice to draft a long snapper, and even when they’re drafted they’re not valued highly.
Long snappers are indeed people too, and the league has created a special event just for the specialists. Per Kevin Gold, the NFL will host a Specialists Showcase for a handful of long snappers during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.
It’s a chance for the players to prove their draft worthiness, or at least the ability to get a foot in the door as an undrafted free agent with a little more exposure.
The NFL is going to conduct a Specialists Showcase March 2-4 at the end of the NFL Combine. This new event will include snappers Peter Bowden (Wisconsin), William Mote (Georgia), Marco Ortiz (Nebraska), Joe Shimko (NC State) and Michael Vinson (Notre Dame) https://t.co/K1mIT5T9Fk
— Kevin Gold (@longsnapcom) February 14, 2024
