NFL Combine 2012: Failing to Receive Invite Doesn't Mean NFL Dreams are Over

Just because you didn’t receive an invite doesn’t mean you can’t dance.

The NFL combine is an exclusive club that invites roughly 300 to 320 of the best college players to Indianapolis so they can showcase their skills.  

With 256 players drafted every year, there are plenty of spots available, but just because you didn’t get the invite to the interview doesn’t necessarily mean you need to start dusting off your resume.

According to the Indianapolis Star, of the 510 players selected in the last two drafts, 73 (14 percent) weren’t given the combine invite. Over the last 10 years a whopping 16 percent of picks did not go to the event.

What has to be remembered when reading about poor combine performances in the next week is that this isn’t the final interview before the job. This is just part of the long process that starts with the Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game and ends with Pro Day. The combine is just sandwiched in the middle.

Every player still has the opportunity to impress and make that final statement to scouts. Sure, the volume of evaluators won’t be on hand, but all it takes is one scout to be impressed.

Just ask Wes Welker.

The star wideout never received the invite out of Texas Tech and is now one of the best five receivers in the league. Teammate Julian Edelman was denied from attending the festivities as well. Two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora was in the exact same boat.

I think former Pro Bowler Dallas Cowboys DT Jay Ratliff (another combine snub) sums up the importance of the event best (via ESPN.com):

"

[Scouts] look for every little wart. There are a lot of reasons guys don't get a letter [of invitation]. But when you get to your first training camp, it doesn't say 'combine' or 'no combine' across your helmet.

They're just looking for players.

"

So fear not, non-invitees, the combine is not the end all for your draft prospects. There have been plenty of success stories over the years of players that weren’t forced to run a 40-yard dash with cameras all over the place.

Sure, it’s a blow to the ego for scouts to suggest you aren’t one of the best 300 players in your class, but consider it motivation to prove all of the doubters wrong.

If we have learned anything about athletes over the years, it’s that motivation is the fuel to their fire.