NFL Combine 2012: 4 Reasons Every Football Fan Should Watch

NFL fans have not seen any live football action in over three weeks, and fans are starting to get desperate for any kind of fix to satisfy their football cravings. 

Luckily, the annual scouting combine is underway, which mean you can get your fill of football, sans the pads, hitting and drills actually related to the game of football. However, the combine can be quite an entertaining program for both football junkies and casual fans alike. 

Here are four reasons to tune in to this year's scouting combine. 

Greg Cosell

One of the best surprises of this year's combine is the addition of Greg Cosell to the NFL Network broadcast team. Cosell is known for his in-depth analysis that is solely based on his own film study and completely unaffected by media hype and outside influences. 

Whatever come out of Greg's mouth is truth that is not biased or slanted in any way. 

Football junkies already know about Cosell and his great knowledge of the game, but casual fans would learn a ton about the game by just listening to him talk for 10 minutes. 

Rich Eisen's 40-Yard Dash

Sure, we're all looking foreword to how well the top prospects will performs at the forty yard dash, but no event is more anticipated than Rich Eisen's annual dash for the cash. 

Eisen runs the drill in a full suit and is then compared to other draftees in a video simulation. His inability to outrun the likes of B.J. Raji, even with a head start, is must-see TV. 

Eisen has been working on his technique and has steadily improved with each year. Be sure to tune in to see if he can come close to competing with even the slowest members of this year's draft class. 

Mike Mayock

Few talking heads are more respected than Mike Mayock. Like Cosell, he does not allow popular sentiment to interfere with his evaluations. He was the first one to put Marcel Dareus near the top of his draft board when he hovered around the top 10 on most boards last year, and Dareus wound up going third overall. 

From Andrew Luck to Mr. Irrelevant, Mayock has the book on every player at this year's combine. If you want to learn more about prospects or the scouting process in general, just listen to Mike talk for a few minutes. 

Learn the Evaluation Process

Football is an immensely popular sport in our country, but most fans have no idea just how detailed the scouting process is. 

Have you ever wondered why Kellen Moore is not a highly-touted prospect? Or why Troy Smith was not a first round pick out of Ohio State? Or perhaps how Jason Pierre-Paul became the player he is today?

Watch the combine for a few minutes, and you will quickly immerse yourself in a world that goes beyond the numbers and wins that you see on Saturday. The more you know about the scouting process, the more you know about the game as it is presented in Sunday afternoons.

Do just a little homework on the combine in March, and use your new-found knowledge to impress your friends when you're watching the games eight months from now.